Veil of Ink and Gold
by Cheshire's Mayhem
Summary: Anyone who has ever met Luca Blackwood would say she's out of her mind. She doesn't see that as a bad thing, just means that she having fun. As war picks up she and Allen are sent with their friends to locate their Master. Traveling on her own after a special mission she runs into a pair of gold eyes. As if the regular chaos of her life wasn't enough now she has to deal with this.
1. Reunion

**Alright! New story, before anything I only own Luca Blackwood, D. Gray-Man does not belong to me nor will it ever (Santa said no). The plot belongs to me. Any place, person, thing, or event similar to somebody or something is nothing more than a coincidence. Now that I have the disclaimer out of the way, I must apologize I have edited this but things slip through and I do not yet have a Beta (anybody who wants to help me out with that is free to message me) and I have terrible spelling and grammar (something I am working on). Now that's enough of me blathering about boring things please read and review!**

 **Edit 5/9/18: Okay so two changes to the story. For those of you paying attention you will remember that Luca is technically Hungarian however this has been changed. I have changed it so she is called Transylvanian. I know that Transylvania is not a country. At the time Transylvania is a part of Hungry but a part of Luca's heritage plays into the fact that she refers to herself as a Transylvanian and not Hungarian. I won't spoil it but she will explain it. Please have patience with her and me. Second edit is that I changed the name of her innocence. I finally finished refining it and thus it needed a new name. So don't be confused Inkheart is now called Harlequin.**

 **Edit 6/21/18: Yes I know I need to stop changing things. However this is only one and doesn't have that much of an impact on the story. So I ran my idea about Luca being Transylvanian by a close friend and she told me that it made things too confusing and convoluted so I've decided to scrap that idea and go with something else. All I'll say is that there is more to Luca's mother than she's letting on. Anyway I've changed Transylvanian to Hungarian and it's going to stay that way I promise!**

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A shrill cry echoed through the mist. It was not the cry of a child nor that of an animal. No it was more like a cross of something dying and the sound of a machine whirring. Thundering footsteps followed as the cry turned into an explosion drowned out by the clattering of the train against the tracks. In the dark of the night a lone figure joined the one already standing on the bridge. Together they jumped from the bridge to the train passing underneath. Sliding open the trap door on top, the figures dropped into the train.

"Lady Exorcist! I was beginning to think that you were gonna miss the train." Brushing dark bangs out of her face she smiled at the finder.

"It's fine. I ran into an akuma on my way over. It was no big deal." A train attendant rushed over to them.

"I'm sorry but you can't be here. This is first class." The finder looked at him.

"We are from the Black Order. Please get a room ready." The attendant took a moment to process this.

"We've been expecting you, though we weren't expecting you to come from..." he trailed off as he looked up at the hatch that they had just come through. She chuckled and offered a smile.

"I apologize I was running a bit late. It wasn't hard to catch the train. I just had to wait in the right place." Blinking a few times at how easily she had dismissed jumping onto a moving train, the finder cleared his throat.

"My deepest apologies," He bowed. "Your room is ready. Please follow me." without another word he led them to the first class room. Seated on the plush cushioning of the bench she called out to the finder outside the door.

"Fredrick, join me." The door opened and he stepped inside.

"Are you sure Lady Exorcist? I have no problem standing outside." She gave an easy smile as she crossed her right leg over her left.

"You can call me Luca, besides it's a long trip and I'll get bored in here all by myself. Take a seat." The finder nodded his thanks as he sat down across from her.

"How was your mission? Did you get the innocence?" The toe of her right boot tapped against the wall under the window that she gazed out of, her head resting in her hand.

"Procuring the innocence was easy. There were only a few akuma. In all honesty it was quite boring. Lately things have gotten dull." Her emerald colored eyes met his brown ones.

"Isn't that a good thing?" A smile graced her full lips. Whatever she was going to say was cut off by the door opening. A man stood outside. "Excuse me, but this room is reserved." Fredrick spoke politely but firmly. Luca watched the strange man who didn't speak out of the corner of her eye. "Sir? Did you hear me?" Fredrick asked again.

"Ex-ex-exor-cist." The man hissed. Her hand slid into her jacket to her collarbone.

"Get down Fredrick." She ordered. Obeying immediately he hit the floor. "Activate." Snapping the whip out it split the akuma down the middle before it even finished transforming.

"Thank you for saving me." Fredrick pulled himself from the floor back onto the seat as she slid the dark whip back to it's place on her skin. The warm liquid of it made her wince. It would cool down a bit soon.

"No problem, I'm surprised it found me." Her eyes drifted back out the window content with just having company. Luca stretched as they entered the castle that she called home.

"Welcome back Lu!" Lenalee chirped as she joined her friend in the halls. The shorter girl nodded with a groan. She had gotten some sleep on the train but still wasn't in the best mood. This last mission had been right after another which she had hated.

"Hey Lenalee, where's your brother?" The Chinese girl raised an eyebrow.

"Do you need to report to him?" she asked. Luca shook her head.

"No I want to kill him." This caused the other exorcist to laugh.

"It was that bad?" She asked. Luca nodded.

"He sent me to Siberia." she growled.

"Oh. Cold. Is that why you're mad at him?" Lenalee winced. It was well known that Luca hated the cold.

"I think he's in his office." The Hungarian girl nodded her thanks and went to Komui's office. Not bothering to knock she simply kicked the door open. Komui jumped as the door slammed against the wall.

"Luca you're back!" His smile disappeared when he saw the look she was giving him. "What?" he asked. As she started stalking over to him Komui tried to hide behind his desk which didn't give much cover. Grabbing the desk Luca tossed it across the room.

"You!" She growled as she pulled him up by his coat collar to shake him. "If you ever send me somewhere cold again I will find the Millennium Earl and I will marry Lenalee to him!"

"Not my precious Lenalee!" He sobbed uncontrollably.

"Brother? What's wrong?" Lenalee asked as she came running into the office. Komui immediately latched onto her and continued to sob, begging her not to get married.

"What's going on?" Luca turned to look at the new voice that joined the conversation.

"Allen?" she asked surprised. He looked over at her. Gray met green. A wide smile broke out on her face as she ran over and hugged him.

"Lu!" He returned the hug. The Chinese siblings looked over at them.

"You two know each other?" Lenalee inquired. Luca nodded letting go of the boy.

"Allen and I trained together under General Cross. He's my brother in everything but blood. I was sent here earlier. Honestly I was sure if Allen would survive Master or not." Allen shuddered at the memories. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that he didn't come with you." Allen shook a little.

"How did you guess?" She smiled at him.

"Well that's fine. I prefer you over him anyway."

"You didn't tell me that there was another student with you training under Cross." Komui pouted standing up. He was beginning to feel left out. Luca glared over at him.

"I did! You weren't listening. You were bemoaning the fact that I said I wouldn't protect Lenalee from Lavi and Kanda. Not that she needs it!" she snaps angrily. Shaking it away she turned back to Allen. "I'm so glad that you made it here alive. I was beginning to wonder if you died and Master just wasn't going to tell me because then the Black Order would be able to find him."

"No I'm still alive. Honestly I was so caught up in all that had happened I forgot to even check to see if you were here. I didn't see you when I first got here and then I got sent of a mission..." he trailed off thinking back to his first mission.

"That's fine, Allen. I was out on a mission anyway. Actually I had two right in a row. I didn't even manage to make it back between them. It sucks but it does happen." Allen nodded. Kanda had been sent straight to another mission from Mater.

"So do you have innocence to give to Hevlaska?" Lenalee inquired as she pried Komui the rest of the way off her.

"Yeah a couple pieces actually. Wanna come with me Allen? We have a lot to catch up on." Lenalee gave her a surprised look.

"A couple? I thought the first mission was to destroy them akuma accumulating there." Luca nodded.

"It was. The reason the akuma were there WAS because of a shard of innocence. It wasn't hard to steal. There were only a few level 2 akuma and a bunch of level 1s." Allen gave a low whistle.

"I fought a level 2 in Mater. It was such a pain. You fought several?" he asked. Luca offered a shrug as she started to head to Hevlaska's chambers.

"My innocence is different than yours, different abilities means that there are some things that I do better than you, however it also means that there are things that I can't do for the life of me that you can." The lackadaisical way in which she explained it reminded him of their Master.

"Lu," Allen sounded scared. "You just sounded like Master." Said girl shuddered.

"I won't be doing that anymore." Lenalee laughed as the two flinched at the memory of their Master until something occurred to her.

"Lu could I speak to you for a second in private?" The Hungarian girl turned to the taller girl.

"Yeah sure. Hey Allen," she tossed him the bag of innocence shards. "Take those to Hevlaska. I'll meet you there before we have to give them to her." Catching the bag with ease the boy nodded and headed off. "What's up Lena?" Luca asked tilting her head to the side.

"Well everybody is working on the party for Allen so could you keep him from the dining hall for tonight and we'll have the party tomorrow. It would be such a pity if the surprised was ruined." The green eyed girl smiled.

"That's no big deal. I didn't think we would go wandering around. I was thinking we'd go to my room and play cards while we chatted. I'll keep him up late so he will sleep a bit later to give you more time but I doubt it'll take much if any effort at all." The Chinese girl hugged her.

"You're the best Lu!" Returning the hug said girl chuckled.

"Remember that next time Komui sends me somewhere cold." Lenalee cocked her head in confusion.

"What does that mean?"

"Oh nothing, nothing at all. Anyway I'm going to go catch up with Allen and see Hevlaska. Have a good night Lenalee. See ya in the morning." With a lazy halfhearted wave the tired exorcist followed after her friend down to the chambers of Hevlaska.

"Welcome home Luca Blackwood." Luca smiled up at the woman.

"Yeah it's good to be home Hevlaska. I've got three pieces of innocence for you." She pulled all three pieces from the bag that she had carelessly tossed them into when she had started running from all the akuma that had shown up for innocence that she hadn't even known about. Luca had been dragged in by a few villagers. Of course the innocence had to be in the middle of town square where all the people were gathered to watch her as if she was some kind rare animal. She had needed to draw the akuma away.

"So I have heard. Allen was just talking to me about it. I hope you had a safe trip." Her voice was warm and inviting almost like a mother's would be. Blurry memories of a voice similar in sound came to her mind. Vague memories of myths for bedtime stories; soft words murmured in her native language. Shaking her head to rid herself of a time long forgotten she answered.

"It wasn't horrible. Nothing happened that I couldn't handle." Allen looked over at his friend. She had that look again. It was the same one she got when she thought of her mother who had died because of the famine in her homeland. Her voice also adopted this wistful tone.

"Thank you for saving these pieces. I will keep them safe. Sleep well." she bid farewell to the two teenagers as they left. She saw sadness and pain in their future. Hard decisions and heartache in Luca's. Danger was inevitable for the pair. She could only hope that they would survive. For now they would remain blissfully unaware of their fate, for at this very moment they were safe. The winds of change were coming that much was clear to the woman. "Be safe, life is never easy for those who dream but you are creating a better future for others. Your scars are beautiful and prove that you can survive anything."

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 **I apologize for the short chapter but I will be updating soon! I already have several chapters written but they still need to be edited. So it will be soon. Anyway please tell me how I did, what you liked, what you didn't like and anything else you feel like telling me! Reviews are always appreciated! Chess is out!**


	2. Robots and Coffee and Missiles! Oh My!

**Alright before anything I only own Luca Blackwood, D. Gray-Man does not belong to me nor will it ever (Santa said no). The plot belongs to me. Any place, person, thing, or event similar to somebody or something is nothing more than a coincidence. Now that I have the disclaimer out of the way, I must apologize I have edited this but things slip through and I do not yet have a Beta (anybody who wants to help me out with that is free to message me) and I have terrible spelling and grammar (something I am working on). I decided to update so soon because the first chapter was really short so here is a longer chapter! Hope you enjoy! Now that's enough of me blathering about boring things please read and review!**

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A loud explosion sounded as Luca stepped out of the shower. Groaning at the sunlight that streamed in from her window she got dressed. As she zipped up her boots she heard Allen and Lenalee talking in the hall. Stepping out to join them she took one of the cups of coffee from Lenalee's tray.

"Mornin'" she greeted.

"Lu that wasn't yours!" Allen chided but Lenalee merely laughed.

"Actually it was. Lu is always up by the time I pass by so I bring her first cup." Luca turned to cup so Allen could see the L. B. written on it.

"Otherwise I do steal somebody else's." Allen shook his head at his oldest friend.

"I see you still not a morning person." She raised an eyebrow.

"You expected that to change? Most children are yet I never was. Why would that change?"

"Yet here you are up at daybreak." he countered. She grimaced.

"The science division keeps waking me up. I gave up trying to sleep in the morning or on getting a lot of sleep."

"I'm sorry about my brother and his division they can be noisy." Luca gave a shake of her head, her damp hair which she had yet to braid, fell against the back of her open jacket. Allen's eyes drifted to her exposed collarbone.

"Eh, don't worry about it. I'm used to it. I know your brother is as mad as a hatter." Lenalee blinked a few times having no idea what her friend just said.

"You changed it." Allen commented despite the conversation having nothing to do with Luca's innocence. Her hand flew up to it as if it would magically disappear. It was never quite the same temperature as her own skin always a few degrees warmer. When it was cold it kept her heart warm. She only minded on hot days which made it feel heavier.

"Yeah, I broke it on a mission a few months back. Komui fixed it for me. It was unrefined so he reforged it. Now it's stronger and more durable. It's not ink anymore. It's actually molten platinum mostly now. Since there is more of it and it is heavier I have it spread out more. It wraps around my left arm across my collarbone and down my right arm." she took off her jacket to show him. Allen poked at it a few times experimentally before pinching a bit of it. With a little resistance it pulled off her skin. He rubbed it between his fingers for a few seconds fascinated by the way it felt as it moved and acted like slime but it was smooth instead of sticky and gooey. He let it go and she easily slid it back into place as she tugged her jacket back on though still not bothering to zip it up.

"That's pretty cool Lu. Anyway I'm off to the dining hall!" Allen proclaimed happily, Luca almost choked on her coffee at the face Lenalee made.

"You can't go there!" Allen gave her a strange look while he patted Luca on the back trying to help her as she coughed. "I mean they're cleaning down there and we shouldn't bother Jerry right now." Lenalee did her best to cover what was actually going on.

"Well then I'll go help." Lenalee panicked again while Luca merely giggled into her coffee mug.

"No! They don't need any more help but I could use your help carrying this coffee down to the science department." Luca's snort drew a confused look from Allen while Lenalee gave her a look.

"Okay." Allen consented. "Do you want to come with us Lu?" she looked down at her half full cup of coffee and shrugged.

"Aye." Lenalee shook her head. Luca always spoke so casually. Her slang made no sense at all to the Chinese girl but Allen seemed to know what she had meant just now. Luca had once explained that because she grew up constantly on the move with Cross she picked up slang everywhere she went. Most of it was British slang but she had a few others in there.

"Great!" Together the three exorcist make their way down to the science division.

"Brother, I brought coffee." Lenalee said as she walked up to Komui with Allen not far behind her. Luca trailed behind them still sipping her own coffee although she may have poured some more into her cup from another when Lenalee wasn't looking. "Coffee anyone?" she asked. Luca looked up at the massive robot and where the wall used to be.

"What's with the robot?" she asked but nobody answered her.

"Thanks Lenalee." Reever said while Johnny questioned why Allen was there too. Lenalee quickly covered. Luca would've laughed but she didn't dare take her eyes off the robot. Something told her that this wouldn't end well. Her thoughts soon came to be as the robot picked up Komui's cup.

"Oh boy," Luca groaned to herself. Allen looked up at it with surprise.

"Does this robot drink coffee?" Reever looked on in horror while Komui laughed.

"What are you talking about? He may be my alter ego but he's a robot. There's no way a robot would drink coffee," The robot finished to coffee at this point. "Oh he's drinking it." When the sparks started to fly everybody panicked but then the robot spoke.

"I am Sir Komlin. I will make exorcists stronger." Komui smiled up at the robot.

"That's my Sir Komlin. Good boy." He praised. Reever voiced his concerns about the robot but Komui only yelled at him for it arguing that Sir Komlin was perfect while Sir Komlin sparked some more and hiccuped.

"Brother..." Lenalee started. Sir Komlin looked down at her.

"I should operate on this woman to make her more macho."

"What?" Lenalee asked while everybody else screamed in horror.

"Make Lenalee macho?!" Komui was full on crying now. "No! Impossible! Don't do it! Take Luca instead!"

"Hey!" Luca snapped at him but the robot ignored this suggestion.

"No, I'll strengthen her by making her macho." Sir Komlin countered. " I'll strengthen her. I'll strengthen her."

"What?" Lenalee asked again as she started to back away.

"Run Lenalee, run! Now!" Komui ordered through his tears. The robot did not take kindly to these words.

"I won't let her escape! I'll operate on her!" Sir Komlin grabbed her before she got very far. The tray crashed to the floor with all the cups breaking letting the coffee soak into the floor.

"Lenalee!" Allen called while Johnny panicked and shook him.

"But I'm getting kinda excited for some reason..." Tup's input didn't help the situation at all.

"It's no time for that!" Reever scolded. Komui continued to freak out as Reever began to dig through a chest all the while grumbling about Komui. "Chief! Where's his main circuit?" Reever asked as he pulled a big gun out.

"What? Let's see, that would be..." Komui paused for a moment before realizing what Reever was going to do. He then proceeded to flip out again. "I won't allow you to destroy Sir Komlin II! How could you do such a thing!" He declared.

"Then you don't care what happens to Lenalee?" Reever challenged. Komui shrieked again.

"No! No! I won't allow that, either!"

"What the hell do we do then?" Reever questioned.

"Brother! Get me down from here!" Lenalee cried. Komui then had a battle with himself because he loved Lenalee and Sir Komlin.

"This is getting out of hand." Luca muttered to herself as she walked up to Allen. Apparently Komui heard her because he gained that evil glint in his eyes.

"Oh, yeah...I forgot you were here, Allen Walker."

"Run." Luca advised in his ear. Allen looked scared.

"What?" he asked.

"Sir Komlin! Good news! Believe it or not, it seems that Allen is having a problem due to his broken anti-akuma weapon!"

"What?!" Allen dropped the tray. Komui ignored the shattered pottery and coffee that was now on the floor.

"Fix it for him right away!" At that Sir Komlin examined Allen.

"An injury?" Sir Komlin questioned more to it's self than anybody else.

"What?" Allen asked again as Reever berated Komui.

"Look's like the chief's throwing Allen to the wolves." Russell commented form his hiding place under the table. Luca had to agree with him there.

"The priority has been changed. The priority has been changed." Sir Komlin chanted. "Allen Walker needs to be treated with top priority." With that the robot knock Lenalee out with a gas and set her down. 65 assured everybody that he could still detect her vitals.

"I don't think that's the point." Allen moaned.

"Now, I'll move onto capturing Allen Walker." Allen backed away unsure.

"Allen! Run!" Luca and Reever shouted together.

"Where?" Allen questioned.

"Doesn't matter! Someplace far!" Reever answered. Allen agreed.

"I'll pursue the target." Sir Komlin spoke. Allen ran between it's legs and out the gaping hole where there had been a wall before. "I'll pursue him. I'll pursue him." he chanted again before stomping out after the white haired boy. Komui ran over and tried to shake Lenalee awake, when that didn't work he started to cry again.

"He gassed her you wanker!" Luca snapped smacking him upside the head. They could still hear Sir Komlin crashing around the tower chasing Allen who they could also hear screaming.

"I wonder if Allen's alright?" Russell asked.

"I don't think so." Johnny answered causing to Luca sighed while they debated about if Sir Komlin would run out of batteries before he caught Allen, due to the fact that Allen was still only a human running on an empty stomach.

"Listen we can't allow anymore damage. The Order doesn't pay overtime, but has no problem cutting our salaries." Reever rallied the science division who bemoaned that fact about the Order. "If you don't want that to happen then we need to stop Sir Komlin immediately. We also need to rescue Allen, Got that?!"

"Roger!" They all shouted saluting him. Reever began giving orders.

"Russell, you go on recon! No. 65, guide Allen! Others await further instructions!" Everyone saluted again while Luca wondered if this was going to help at all.

"Section leader Reever! I've got a good idea for an operation plan!" Tup shouted. Reever looked hopeful.

"Explain it!"

"It's name is "The tears of sadness become a waterfall of hope" operation!" Reever sighed while Luca merely raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of plan is that?" he questioned.

"We capture him using a rope!" Tup explained pulling out a rope from heaven know where. The rest of the science division hit the floor while Luca slapped her hand against her face.

"Yep, Allen's doomed." Not that anybody was listening to her.

"That's impossible." Reever told Tup with a deadpanned expression.

"Forgive me section leader Reever but sometimes we must resort to primitive thinking." Tup disagreed.

"Well, okay...go ahead and try." Reever consented when Tup started making animal noises.

"How do you people get any work done?" Luca wondered aloud as Reever sat down.

"It failed!" Tup shouted as he came crashing back.

"That was quick."

"Big surprise." Luca agreed with Reever there. Russell updated on where Sir Komlin was and his speed. Johnny showed his idea which happened to be another robot much to Reever's displeasure.

"It's holding a broom." No.65 commented. Reever backed away uncertainly while Luca just groaned.

"Johnny what the heck is this?" Johnny proceeded to explain the robot as a cleaning robot that could even take on akuma with excitement. Allen wasn't making much progress in getting away from Sir Komlin II. Allen wasn't to sure about the new robot either but No. 65 directed him to the storage room anyway. "Can it really handle it, Johnny?" Reever still didn't really believe in the smaller robot while Luca wondered how this could possibly work at all. Johnny only laughed which didn't ease Reever doubts.

"Ah, great! It's cleaning the floor now!" Allen wailed while Johnny complained that he had programmed it too well, granted that didn't help Allen at all. Reever and Luca weren't surprised at all. Reever sent Allen to the hall telling him that they would rescue him from there just as Sir Komlin came crashing into the storage room.

"Wait! I have to treat your injury." Sir Komlin shouted as it fired missiles at the fleeing exorcist.

"You're gonna give me more injuries!" Allen countered not that it mattered to the robot. Ditching the robot with some directions from No.65 Allen made it to the hall. Luca joined him in the hall.

"Sorry to make you wait! We'll rescue you this time!" Reever told the exhausted exorcist from the floating platform.

"Havin' fun?" Luca drawled with a sly grin. Allen glared at her for second.

"The enemy approaches!" Russell announced as it they couldn't hear the robot thundering down the hall.

"Johnny, now!" Reever ordered. Johnny wasted no time in summoning the giant cannon and powering it up.

"Be prepared, Sir Komlin II! Don't take us intellectuals lightly!" Johnny shouted with the rest of the science division shouting their agreement. Sir Komlin crashed into the hall right in front of Allen. As the cannon readied to fire Komui came flying from out of nowhere crying.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot my Sir Komlin!" He wrapped his arms around Johnny's head preventing him from seeing.

"You don't care what happens to Allen?!" The rest of the science division hollered.

"It's not Sir Komlin's fault!" Komui argued as if that made a difference. Reaching for anything to grab onto before Komui pulled him down Johnny accidentally grabbed the lever that moved the platform. It fired randomly as it spun.

"Chief!" they all shouted holding on for dear life as it whirled around.

"What's all the fuss?" Kanda asked coming out from his room. Allen and Luca looked over at him. Kanda was perfectly calm despite all the chaos around him.

"I'll explain later, we have to do something about that robot." Kanda looked over at the robot. "If we knew it's weakness." Kanda rolled his eyes.

"I know what his weakness is." Allen was surprised.

"What?" Allen asked.

"How have you managed to ignore all this racket?" was what Luca was more interested in.

"Since I brought down a similar robot in the past."

"What is it?" Allen asked almost hopeful.

"That would be the scruff." Kanda answered as if it was completely obvious.

"Scruff. Got it." Allen wrote it down before he released he had no idea what that was. "What the heck is that?" he cried. Kanda was definitely amused.

"Well it must be your fate to meet your end here." Kanda said as he walked away.

"Wow. Big help." Luca comment sarcastically.

"What? Oh come on!" Allen shouted in despair as Sir Komlin crept up behind him.

"Uh Allen?" Luca tried to warn him. The platform finally stopped spinning as Sir Komlin grabbed Allen's leg.

"Okay that's enough. This is getting out of hand." Luca said as Allen was pulled over by Sir Komlin. Her fingers grasped at Harlequin pulling it from her skin.

"Allen Walker successfully captured." Sir Komlin said as triumphantly as a robot could. "I am taking him to the operating room."

"Lu help me!" Allen shouted reaching out to his friend.

"Operate! Operate! Anyway let's operate!" The mini robot Komuis chanted as Sir Komlin reeled Allen in.

"Innocence Acti-" Luca didn't get any farther than that. Komui shot her and Allen with a blow dart deactivating both innocences. "Not cool Komui, so not cool." she whined as she fell to the ground against the railing no longer able to move.

"Chief!" Reever shouted. As they all rushed to try and take the blowgun from him. Allen moaned as he was dragged into the operating room. "Allen! Luca are you sure you can't move?" he called in one last desperate attempt to save the boy.

"Yeah I'm sure." she snapped as the doors closed and Allen was lost to Sir Komlin II. Lenalee woke up. Taking one look at the chaos around her, from Luca leaning against the railing to the science division trying wrestle the blowgun from Komui to Allen's moaning from inside the robot. Sighing she activated her Innocence. Lenalee kicked the robot several times and dodged it when it swung at her, not that Sir Komlin would even have a chance of catching her. One finally smash demolished the robot. Lenalee looked into the operating room for Allen. Reever ran over.

"Is Allen okay?" Lenalee called out to him asking if he was okay, while Russell helped Luca to her feet. Her body was still kinda sleepy.

"Somehow." Allen answered. Reever offered a hand to help pull him out which Allen excepted. He started to unravel the bandages that Sir Komlin had covered him in. "Lu are you okay?" he asked looking over at his friend.

"I'm fine, if anything I should be asking you that." she retorted.

"We almost got our important fellow Order member injured all because of a stupid robot." Reever sighed. The rest of the scientists were kicking the remains of the robot while demanding that it be destroyed. Komui tried to defend his creation by blaming the coffee but it wasn't going over very well.

"I don't think other people have these problems." Luca sighed. Lenalee jumped up to where Komui was standing.

"Brother, go to your room and think about what you've done!" she snapped kicking him and Sir Komlin II from the hall. Luca leaned over with Reever and Allen to watch them fall.

"Sorry about that Allen." Reever apologized.

"That's all right." Allen told him with a smile.

"He really does have the best intentions in developing Sir Komlin II to treat exorcists...though it failed." he sighed at the last part.

"I'm just glad that everyone's okay." Allen reassured them. Lenalee smiled as she walked over to him and Luca.

"Well then will you come with me one more time?" Luca grinned knowing what was going on. Allen looked at her for a second before agreeing. Lenalee smiled and led him down to the dining hall where his welcome party was set up. Lenalee presented Allen with his cup while explaining why she had panicked earlier. Allen smiled when everybody welcomed him home.

"It's good to be back." Allen answered. Luca grinned at him from where she stood next to him remembering when Lenalee had given her a very thorough tour of the Order and then testing her on where everything was to keep her from finding out about the party.

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 **I already have several chapters written but they still need to be edited. So it will be soon. Anyway please tell me how I did, what you liked, what you didn't like and anything else you feel like telling me! Reviews are always appreciated! Chess is out!**


	3. 7,000 Year Prologue

**Okay! Next chapter! I will try to update once a week, maybe twice if I manage to write more than one chapter a week. Anyway as usual I don't own D. Gray-Man nor will I ever. I own Luca Blackwood and Scor along with any characters I make up for the story. Still looking for a beta if anyone is interested and I do apologize for the parts that I missed in editing (it's why I need a beta) I am not perfect. Now on with the show!**

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Luca waved goodbye to Allen and Lenalee as they left for Germany. She sighed once they were out of sight and began climbing up the stairs out of the waterway back to the rest of the tower. She had been hoping to see more of Allen but it looked like they would all be running around for a while. Silently bemoaning the fact that they almost never got a day off she didn't even hear Johnny walk up to her.

"-Ca! Luca!" Her eyes snapped up upon realizing that somebody was talking to her. She blinked at him a few times before he laughed. "You've got a lot on your mind huh?"

"What do you mean?" she asked cocking her head to the side. He laughed again.

"You've been very quiet lately. You are almost never quiet, always laughing or joking around. You are the embodiment of fun."

"Yeah, it's just been strange. Seeing Allen again I mean. I was beginning to think that he was dead. I was starting to get worried. He's my brother in everything but blood." Johnny smiled.

"Must be nice having him here. Being able to see him." she nodded. "Anyway Komui wants to see you in his office. I think he has another mission for you." Groaning her head drops.

"So much for catching up on my sleep, oh well can't be helped I guess." She shrugged. "Better go see where I'm going this time. I'll see ya' round Johnny." she called as she walked away with a lazy wave.

"Good luck!" he called after her before heading off.

"Embodiment of fun huh?" she asked as she walked through the empty halls. Empty promises reverberate in her ears. Promises of a better family, a better house, and of a better life. Something dripped down her hand onto the tiled floor. Bring her hand up to look at she found that her nails had pierced through one of her fingerless gloves. There was blood dripping from the wound and running down her hand. Groaning and rolling her eyes she ignored it. She'd change her gloves before she left. Knocking on Komui's door she waited for him to tell her to come in.

"It's open Luca." he called, waiting no longer she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"What did you need from me?" she asked. He looked up from his paperwork. "Oh my god are you actually doing your paperwork? I thought you were allergic to it or something." He gave a dry laugh at her joke.

" I need you to go to Gyldmore, Austria. I believe that there is a piece of innocence there. Lately many people have reported seeing this ghostly figure wandering down the streets. It doesn't answer to anybody no matter what they say or do to it, just keeps walking. If that is not reason enough to go people have started disappearing which points to akuma. I am worried." She nodded.

"Just me and a finder right?" He nodded his head in agreement.

"Normally I'd like to send somebody else with you but we are spread thin as it is. Gregory will act as your support." She smiled at him.

"I've worked with Gregory a few times, he's got a good head on his shoulders. I can trust him." as she started leaving Komui called out to her.

"Please check in daily with Scor. Hevlaska says the winds of change are coming, I don't know what the entitles but I'd like to lose as few people as possible." Luca's eyes flicked up to the little silver golem fluttering by her head. Scor had been a gift from Cross, he had always planned to give Timcampy to Allen so he made Scor for Luca. She always brought a smile to her face. Small as it was it told Luca that Cross truly did care for her and Allen despite all the trauma he had inflicted on them.

"Of course. Is Gregory ready to go?"

"Yes, he'll meet you down at the waterway in five minutes. Be careful." She gave him a wide grin before leaving his office. Changing her gloves and packing what she needed for the trip only took a few minutes but she was on her way to the waterway in no time. Scor flew behind her for a few minutes before deciding that she didn't want to and nestled into Luca's hair. Used to this Luca waved to Gregory when he came into view.

"Hey!" she greets. He smiles at her, his green eyes twinkling with that evil glint that made him one of Luca's top choices when she was feeling mischievous.

"Nice to see you again Luca." he responds to her. "I was beginning to think that you were mad at me. I hadn't seen you in weeks. Spent my free time trying to figure out what I did." he laughed. She joined him in this. Scor flaps over to him to bump her head against his blonde one. Gregory was one of the few other people that Scor really liked. "Yes, I'm happy to see you too Scor." he patted her gently.

"You should feel honored. She only does that with me, Allen, and our Master." he laughed again.

"I never thought being a favorite of a golem would mean so much to me but here I am!" she laughed with him.

"Funny isn't it?" Scor returned to her perch on Luca's head. "As for being mad at you, I haven't had time to be mad at you. I've been all over the place lately. Not to mention the recent crap with the stupid robot. Honestly what the hell was he thinking? I don't know about that man sometimes, I really don't."

"I heard about that. I wasn't here for it but I did hear about it. Sounds like you and your brother had a lot of fun." she snorted at him as he pushed the boat away from the docks.

"Yeah fun, that was totally it." The two chatted with ease as they waited for the train to show up. Jumping from the bridge to the train took little effort, both of them used to it. Luca's favorite part was always when somebody ran up to them because they came from the roof.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Gregory asked as they talked about their next prank and it's victim. She snorted.

"Don't worry I'll protect you from Kanda." Gregory laughed.

"I'm just saying he's not the kind of person that laughs at pranks." Luca tore her gaze from the scenery to look at her friend.

"Honestly I'm not sure Kanda knows how to laugh." He shook his head.

"That's terrible!" Yet he was laughing. A smile graced her face and he grinned at her.

"There it is!" she tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"What?" he laughed again.

"Your smile. You haven't been smiling. You seem sad. Is something wrong?" she shook her head. He still looked worried. "You'd tell me if something was wrong right?" she nodded but he still didn't look like he believed her. It was the same look Allen gave her when he was worried about her.

"Of course I would tell you. Now if you truly must worry about something worry about the mission. I don't suppose you have anymore information on it do you?" Gregory nodded and handed her the folder.

"That's everything we know. It appears at night, wondering through the streets. It looks like a woman. She sounds like she mourning. She's..." he paused here. Luca watching him. Whatever it was it clearly bothered him. Maybe it reminded him of his mother. His aunt had turned his mother into an akuma. He had seen everything from the closet where he was hiding. "She's wailing." she nodded at this choosing not to comment on her observation.

"I didn't know she could speak." he nodded.

"Well she's not speaking, she's crying."

"Is it anything that can be understood?" she questioned. He shook his head.

"Not that I could make out." she nodded again.

"Well we will find out when we get there. Did any of the finders find the innocence?" Gregory winced.

"No, we've been looking but they still hadn't found anything when I left to get you. It shouldn't take much longer. They started to search in a grid fashion, granted the limited personal has slowed it down but I've been gone for several days."

"Well it can't be helped. It is also possible that when I enter the town that the innocence will react to mine." she looked down at the black peaking out from under her sleeve. She tugged the cuff of her glove over it. They reached the train station without any problem.

"Welcome Lady Exorcist, welcome back Gregory." Another finder was waiting for them at the station with a carriage.

"How is the search going?" Gregory asked. The taller man shook his head. "Nothing so far. My name is Fritz by the way. Your carriage awaits Lady Exorcist." She smiled at him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Fritz." He held the door open for her as she climbed in. Gregory sat in the front with Fritz. As the carriage began to move Luca tied both of her braids into a knot at the base of her skull before tucking the loose ends in. With her long hair back she could pull up the hood of her jacket. The ride was short and the town quiet. Fritz opened the door for her again and she stepped out.

"I've called everyone back so that they can report to you." He informed her. She nodded at him while Gregory looked at her with worry again. Her hood still veiled her face in shadows.

"Exorcist!" a finder ran over to her. She turned to face him.

"What's wrong?" she asked quickly her hand already grasping at Harlequin.

"I believe we have located the innocence. However akuma have started to appear. We need backup." he tried to catching his breath.

"Show me!" Nodding he led her deep into the heart of the town. The town was deathly silent except for the thundering of her heavy boots on the cobblestone. As they went deeper she started to see the bodies of other finders. Her eyes flicked up to the one who was leading her. He didn't even look at the bodies of his comrades merely ran ahead. Could he..? No, why would an akuma lead an exorcist to the innocence? Maybe he couldn't get it? He showed absolutely no emotion towards the dead. Not even a glance. Looking up at the large street lamp in the middle of town square she saw the glow. Whoever had build the lamp had used a shard of innocence for the light.

"There!" the finder stopped and pointed at the lamp. She nodded at him.

"Good job. I'll take it from here." she ran passed him and jumped up onto the base of the post. Climbing up as if it was a tree she reached out and pulled herself up hoping that the metal would hold her weight. Reaching out for the innocence she kept the finder in her peripheral vision. Maybe he was just cold but she couldn't ignore the possibility that he was an akuma. As soon as her fingers brush along the innocence the akuma exploded from the skin of the finder lashing out at her. "Activate!" she orders as she falls. Slithering from her skin, it followed her gesture at the akuma. Her shoulder hit the stones hard and the innocence bounced down the road.

"Hehehehehe! So you knew? What gave me away little exorcist?" the akuma laughed as it grinned at her. Her innocence floated around her preventing the akuma from getting close to her. It's large spider like body skittered near her trying to find an angle to attack from. Pulling herself up she rubbed her shoulder.

"Well that's gonna leave a bruise; smarts too. Besides what do you take me for? A fool?" The spider akuma looked annoyed.

"I was hoping you'd have more damage." it pouted for a moment before grinning again. "Oh well a little exorcist like you won't be any trouble." she snorted at it, still rubbing her shoulder. Unable to find a way to attack her without getting hit it charged in. A twitch of her fingers pulled the liquid metal in front of her. The energy from the impact shot both combatants away. The akuma flew a few feet down the road while Luca crashed into a wall.

"So I have one question for ya." it cocked it's head at her now more wary of the floating innocence. "Why did you show me where the innocence was? Are you really that much of a muppet?" it blinked at her as she pulled herself from the wall.

"Are you sure you speak English?" she glared at it.

"I doubt you would even know." she snorted at it, her accent becoming more pronounced.

"You'll die either way." it snarled.

"Do all you akuma just come with a set list of phrases that you can say?" Tired of being made fun of the akuma attacked. Lunging at her it swung it's front arms down at her like a praying mantis. Seeing that it was suppose to cleaver her in two she lept back, landing on her hands before jumping back to her feet.

"Pretty nimble." the akuma commented as it shot froward towards her while she continued back. She had to get to the innocence. Harlequin continued to whirl around her keeping the akuma at a distance as she jumped away. "Are you gonna fight me or join the circus with all those fancy acrobatic moves?" She smiled at the akuma as she came to stand on the roof of one of the houses.

"Oh, don't worry about it, you'll die soon." Harlequin solidified into a whip in her hands, a sharp feather like blade attached at the end. "But first tell me something." The akuma looked up at her.

"What?"

"How long have you been pretending to be a finder?" it laughs here.

"What's the matter worried that there are more akuma in the Order?" the whip snapped striking the place where the akuma once stood destroying the stones.

"Not at all. Just trying to figure out where to find the naked corpse." her smile turned into a smirk.

"How the hell did you know?" it snarled as it dodging another quick strike. It was too angry to care about the pieces of stone and dust that flew about.

"Simple," she shrugged. "akuma can't changed bodies, so if you had been a finder that was turned into an akuma you wouldn't have evolved this far." the whip snapped out the side of it sent the akuma crashing into a stone house. "Akuma can't resist this coat. Thus you have that body but you stole the uniform from a finder that you killed. As I said simple." the akuma shook with rage as it emerged from the ruins.

"Well maybe I'll kill you and take your coat back to the Earl and then I'll walk into your Order and kill them all." Luca's whip moved again while it was ranting. The blade cleaved the mechanical spider in two.

"Arrogant beast. You'd never make into the Order."

"It doesn't matter, the 7,000 year prologue of the holy war is over. You are doomed no matter what." the akuma hissed as it died. Luca furrowed her brows. She didn't like the sound of that. Jumping down she walked over to the piece of innocence still lying in the street. Leaning down she picked it up. Inspecting it for a moment for damage she pulled open her coat and tucked it into one of the pockets sewn into the inside. It would be safe there. Zipping up her coat again she looked around at the debris and the mess that she had made.

"Whoops. Well it's not bad." she shook the dust and small pieces of rock from her jacket. Turning to head back to the other finders she saw the rest of the battlefield. "Oh. Big whoops." she winced as she looked around.

"Luca!" She smiled as Gregory and Fritz ran to meet her. She was almost back to where she had left them. "Are you okay?" Gregory asked looking her over. Silently he noted that she didn't have her hood pulled up anymore, allowing her dark braids to hang down her back.

"Just a few bruises. They'll heal in a couple days." Fritz looked behind her.

"What about the other finder? The one who brought you to the innocence?" Her smiled dropped. Fritz and Gregory knew that look. It was never good. "He's dead?" he asked hesitantly. She bit her bottom lip trying to decided on how to tell them. It was bad enough he was dead but for it to have also been a lie made it worse. Breathing in deeply to collect herself she answered him.

"Yes he's dead, however he wasn't a real finder." Fritz cut her off before she could finish.

"How could you say that?! He died to help you! Yeah he wasn't chosen by innocence like you yet he still tried to help in the war!" Luca waited patiently for him to finish his tirade. When he stopped to breathe she cut in.

"If you had let me finish I would have told you that he wasn't a finder because it was an akuma who had taken the coat of a finder. So yes he is dead and yes he wasn't a real finder." Upon hearing this Fritz turned beet red.

"My deepest apologizes Lady Exorcist!" Fritz bowed deeply. Gregory started laughing while Luca just smiled.

"It's okay Fritz. I know that some other exorcists don't see you finders as important," a dark haired samurai came to the forefront of her mind. "But that's not true. We truly do value the work that you do. So thank you." she put her hand of Fritz's shoulder. He straightened up but was still very red.

"Let me get the carriage and escort you and Gregory to the train station Lady Exorcist." She smiled at him.

"Of course." Fritz ran off to get the carriage while she turned to Gregory. "Ready to go home?" she asked.

"Yep!"

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 **Okay, I hoped you liked it. Shortish chapter for that I apologize. A bit of a filler chapter unfortunately. Next chapter Sir Komlin II returns! Oh joy. As always please read and review! Chess is out!**


	4. Dating Robot Debacle

**Alright chapter four! Anyway this chapter it's based on one of my favorite episodes (my time line is a little screwy because I watched the anime a while back and then got my hands on the manga but I couldn't help but mix some of the anime episodes in) I happen to love pretty much all the Komlin episodes and couldn't help it. So here we have the return of Sir Komlin II. I still don't own D. Gray-Man I do own Luca and Scor. Still looking for a beta and still apologizing for my bad spelling and grammar. Please read and review.**

 **Edit 9/11/18: So I've been meaning to add this but I kept forgetting. Oh well better late than never. So I actually checked it and the correct plural of octopus is octopuses. Octopi is now excepted but it's not actually the correct version. Anyway carry on!**

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"Luca!" Turning to see who was calling her, the Hungarian saw Reever running over to her.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked noting the look of horror on his face.

"I need you to help Allen and Lavi! Lenalee went into town and now Komui and Sir Komlin II are missing!" he tried to catch his breath.

"Oh great! Another robot debacle." she rolled her eyes at this but followed him and the rest of the science division to town with Allen and Lavi.

"Got dragging into it to huh Beautiful?" Luca looked over at Lavi as they searched the town for Komui while trying not to be seen by Lenalee and Russell.

"Yep. Just like last time." Lavi laughed at the face she was making.

"I think I'm glad I missed Sir Komlin II's first run. Guess I get to see it after all." He grinned at her.

"Why can't anything be normal? Why does it all have to be monsters, akuma, and robots? Just one normal day? Is that so much?"

"Don't get your hopes up Beautiful." She pouted at him but stopped when they felt the earth under their feet start to shake.

"Found him." she drawls before taking off in the direction of the tremors with Lavi right behind her. When they met up with the others Komui and Sir Komlin were running along the wall like a massive spider while Komui shouted something about Russell being an octopus. "Octopus?" Luca questioned more to herself than anybody else.

"Do something!" Reever ordered the three exorcists. Sighing all three activated their weapons.

"If we time it just right we can push them into the alley before he reaches Lenalee and Russel and hopefully they won't see us." Luca said to which Allen and Lavi nodded too. "Now!" The entire group shot forward all three pieces of innocence pushing the robot into the cramped alleyway.

"Let go of me! I have to kill him! I have to kill that pervert!" Komui shrieked from his place between Sir Komlin and Lavi's hammer.

"Please Chief, you are going to have to calm down. Using Sir Komlin like this could easily destroy the town if you are not careful." Allen tried to reason with him. Luca just stared at the man wondering how he could be brilliant and so stupid at the same time. Obviously Lenalee wasn't dating Russell. He was too old for her and she already had a crush on a certain white haired exorcist anyway.

"The most important matter is my Lenalee's safety." Luca didn't understand how Lenalee was possibly in danger here but Komui was also hysterical at this point, granted it didn't take a lot to get him to this point if it involved Lenalee. Sometimes she wondered how the other girl dealt with the madman. "So what if we have to sacrifice a town or two?!" he continued to protest.

"Okay this obsession is getting kind of sick." Lavi remarked. Luca couldn't help but agree with him on that point thoroughly creeped out herself.

"You tend to jump to conclusions Komui. Maybe you should just take a moment and be rational about this." Luca's advise was ignored though Lavi did lean over to whisper in her ear.

"Do you really think he's capable of that?" She sighed in response.

"No, but it was worth a shot right?" He nodded. Reever stepped forward.

"Allen, deal with this please." Reever was so done with his superior's antics. Luca couldn't really blame him there. She would have killed Komui a long time ago had she been in his position granted she knew absolutely nothing about science but that was besides the point.

"Yes sir!" Dealing two quick blows to the robot Allen severed the head from the body. Luca couldn't help but wonder if there had been a little resentment on Allen's part from the last robot debacle. The head slid from the body and hit the ground with Komui.

"Aaahhh! My upgraded Sir Komlin!" Komui sobbed looking at his broken robot. He quickly turned his anger towards Allen. "Allen you idiot octopus helper-outer!" he yelled right in Allen's face still sobbing. Allen covered his ears at Komui's volume. Komui then shot Allen in the face with a gun.

"Komui!" Luca shouted. When the smoke cleared Allen had a giant cartoon like octopus mask on his head.

"Hey! What is this thing? It won't come off!" as Allen tried to remove his new hat Luca's anger disappeared. It was a very comical scene. Lavi agreed as both fell into fits of laughter.

"That's a good look for you!" Luca was unable to talk past her giggles which were getting louder by the minute. The science division just stared until Komui pulled a bunch of octopuses and guns out.

"Where was he keeping all of that?" Luca questioned a bit concerned now.

"I've got just the thing for that pervert!" he laughed evilly. The scientists immediately jumped on him.

"Ahh! Step away from the gun, please Chief Komui!" They begged trying to stop him.

"Can you believe he was really intending to use all these octopuses on Russell?" Johnny asked quietly. Luca didn't answer but she totally did believe that. Komui was just mad.

"Come on now Chief just think about it, your sister and Russell are just walking around and talking together. That doesn't mean they're dating does it?" Reever was still trying to save Russell's life, Komui was not convinced.

"Do they look like they just happen to run into each other?" He wailed.

"You know Russell has a son right? That means he's probably way to old to make a move on Lenalee wouldn't you say?" Reever tried to be the voice of reason. Komui pondered this for a moment. "Let's just wait and see okay?"

"I'll reserve judgment." he coincided for a moment allowing the scientists to rest. Allen was still struggling with the octopus on his head while Lavi and Luca continued to watch with amusement at the losing battle. "However," Komui started again "if I discover they're dating the jerk will have nowhere to hide." Everyone groaned at that. Despite having stop Komui from attacking Russell with all of his octopuses they were still stuck secretly following Lenalee and Russell around while they shopped.

"It looks like a shop for men's clothes." Lavi noted sending Komui into hysterics again.

"Oh I knew it! They're dating!" Reever was quick to make an argument.

" You can't know that based on what store they walked in to Chief!" Allen was still trying to get the octopus off of his head but he didn't seem to be having much luck. Timcampy was trying to help but the little golem could only pull so hard. Scor fluttered by Luca's head simple recording the entire mess for her mistress' later amusement. Reever had tried to pacify Komui with some tea while they watched Lenalee hold up different ties to Russell through the window but it wasn't having the calming effect that he was hoping for.

"I won't allow it!" Komui shouted startling the rest of the science division. Luca watched as the tea set hit the ground. They seemed to go through a lot of pottery. Usually it didn't survive being around Komui she noted. "I'll take care of the fiend Russell by blowing him and everything else to smithereens!" he bellowed lighting a massive bomb called 'The End Bomb' much to Reever and the other's horror.

"Isn't that a bit much?" Luca asked but Komui ignored her. He had a habit of doing that when he was being hysterical about anything involving Lenalee.

"We need some help Allen!" Reever cried looking behind the group at Allen who didn't hear him over his own yelling for Timcampy to pull harder not that it was making much of a difference.

"Allen is busy fighting the octopus Sir!" Lavi answered for him still grinning.

"Then you do it Lavi!"

"Okay." Lavi pulled out his hammer again while Luca continued to watch and record the chaos. Putting out the fuse before it blew up was easy for Lavi.

"We're saved!" The science division sighed a bit to early. Komui still managed to pull out a small octopus bomb and light it while muttering to himself darkly.

"Hey! Sorry Chief!" Lavi intervened again and yet still he managed to throw it just not very accurately. The whole front wall of the store was demolished but Lenalee and Russell were unharmed though very surprised. Reever grabbed Komui by the collar and began shaking him all the while yelling at him.

"What the hell were you think Chief? You blew half the store away!" Komui was unperturbed having a more concerning announcement to make.

"Do not be alarmed! The bomb was programmed to hurt everyone but my dear sweet Lenalee!" he proclaimed completely happy. Reever was less thrilled with his answer.

"You are missing the point, Sir!" he shouted. Luca leaned over to Lavi.

"I think Reever is about to have an aneurysm." she whispered in his ear. He laughed with her.

"I think you might be right. At this rate he may just kill the Chief."

"I wouldn't blame him if he did. Anyone who's met Komui for more than five minutes would completely understand. Some might even thank him." the two laughed together as the followed Lenalee and Russell to a cute little cafe. Most of the scientists were in disguise which meant that they were wearing dresses. Again Luca leaned over to murmur in Lavi's ear. "Well now I have more nightmare fuel." he snickered quietly.

"Just in case you were running low." While Reever begged Komui to not destroy another building.

"I'm rather uncomfortable taking orders from a man wearing a dress." Komui commented which only seemed to fuel Reever's rage.

"Oh really? And why do you suppose we're dressed up this way?"

"Don't look at me!" Komui protested as if none of this was his fault at all. Rolling her eyes Luca turned to her right to look past Lavi where Allen was sitting still with the octopus on his head of course.

"Okay, go ahead. Pull it! Don't worry about me." Allen ordered. Timcampy obliged and tugged one of the octopus legs off. It did not have the intended result that Allen was hoping for. The octopus mask spun around his head a few times before stopping in the same place it was before. Over at their table Lenalee and Russell's tea had come and they both reached for the sugar. After a cliché moment where their hands touched Komui lost it once again. Pulling three pink bunnies that looked a lot like the one on his coffee mug, from his jacket he threw them.

"Fly my pink fuzzy ones! Destroy Russell!" Reever sighed at Komui's proclamation.

"Lavi." The order almost sounded like a sigh but Lavi didn't pay any attention to it.

"Yes sir!" Knocking the fly bunnies away with ease.

"Seriously where is he keeping all of these?" Luca questioned. Reever just shrugged sadly. He truly did not have an answer and he wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to know. Unfortunately the bunny bombs because apparently that's what they were destroyed the cafe wall that Lavi had sent them to in order to protect Russell. "How are they possibly not noticing any of this? Wall don't just randomly explode like that?" Luca protested.

"Damn! You!" Reever was once again shaking Komui by his collar.

"Did you see their hands? Anyone would have thought they were dating!" squawked Komui. Luca sighed as they moved on to a hat shop while she, Lavi, Allen, Komui, Reever and the rest of the others that were trying to contain Komui's insanity were hiding across the street behind a tree and a horse draw cart. The horse paid them no attention what so ever which Luca was at the moment wishing she could too. The next time Komui made another robot she didn't care if it tried to cook Lavi, she wasn't getting involved; this was just completely and utterly ridiculous. Once again Luca was brought back to the present by Komui's shouting. "This charade ends now Russell! No.65!"

"Yes sir?" Komui pulled a bottle of purple liquid and shoved it into No.65's mouth.

"Do I want to know what that does?" Reever didn't have time to answer Luca as No.65 starts to shriek and smoke. "Yep don't want to know." she concluded. The smoke cleared and No.65 was larger and purple now. "O...kay?" Luca was now more than a bit concerned.

"Move out Macho No.65!" Komui ordered after placing a black thing on it's forehead. "Attack!" Nobody seemed to notice the large purple creature crossing the street which Luca couldn't blame them if they were just ignoring the scene.

"Just give it a rest!" Lavi complained ready to hit Komui with his hammer. Noticing the danger Komui proceeded to shoot Lavi with a dart. "Was that a dart?" he asked reach up to his neck. "Damn you Chief, I'm getting super sleepy." before passing out. While Reever and the others tried to take away the blow dart gun and the controller from Komui, Allen was still trying to remove the octopus mask form his head. Luca was beginning to wonder if maybe she should have some compassion for the boy and help him with it. Timcampy wasn't seeming to have much luck. As the thought crossed her mind Tim managed to pull another leg off the octopus which sent him shooting backwards before crashing into and braking one of the antennas on the remote for No.65 which sent him right into a wall decimating it before he crash-landed on top of the scientists.

"Chief enough is enough! You have to stop this!" Reever yelled at Komui who continued his protest. Moving on to another store Luca wondered if this day was ever going to end. She helped Johnny set Lavi down against a tree while Reever once again attempted to reign in Komui's madness when the lights went of in the shop. A shout of surprise form Lenalee was all it took for Komui to break free from Reever and go rushing over to the store.

"Stand by! Sir Komlin III deploy!" Luca's head snapped over to the store where Komui was shouting. Rushing over with Reever just in time to see a massive robot land in the store.

"Oh no!" Lenalee groaned.

"Is that..." Everyone but Komui spoke together, "...Komlin?"

"Sir Komlin III!" Komui proclaimed proudly as if it were a good thing. "And now Sir Komlin we will annihilate Russell! Komlin punch!" The order sent everybody running as the hit obliterated what was left of the store. As Russell took off running down the road for his life Komui gave chase. "There's nowhere to run!"

"Hey! Stop! Quit it!" Lenalee's shouts were ignored or unheard by her brother already chasing Russell. "Unreal." she snapped.

"You're surprised?" Luca snorted as the robot crashed down the road destroying anything and everything in it's path. An energy attack from Komlin's eye destroyed half the road.

"Lavi! You've got to help us stop the Chief!" Reever shouted shaking Lavi desperately.

"I...can't." Lavi mumbled.

"Allen?" he cried turning to the boy just as he pulled the octopus mask off only to reveal another smaller one beneath it. "Luca! You're Russell's last hope!"

"Yeah okay." she sighed while pulling Harlequin from her skin. "Innocence Activate! Shadow Stitches!" The molten metal shot along the ground like living shadows before rising off the ground to wrap around the robot holding it in place. As Komlin struggled the innocence squeezed around it tighter.

"Luca let go!" he shrieks upon realizing what was holding him back.

"Not happening. This has gone on long enough!" she shouted back at him.

"Komlin Eye Beam!" He bellowed having the robot shoot at Russell who was still running down the street. Giving Komlin more power the robot began to move down the street while dragging Luca along with it who was straining to hold it back.

"I could use some help over here." she growled through grit teeth as Russell found himself at a dead end with nowhere to run.

"Say hi to Sir Komlin's killer technique Russell." He grinned evilly. "Komlin fi-" he was cut off by Lenalee's foot connecting with the top of his head donning her dark boots.

"What are you doing here Brother? Answer me!" she snapped clearly angry.

"I don't care what you do Lenalee! I won't except it! Russell can't be your boyfriend!" He sobbed.

"My boyfriend?" Lenalee questioned clearly confused. "Where in the world did you come up with something like that?" she slammed her foot down on his head several more times.

"But the two of you went of a secret date! I saw it all with my own two eyes! The horror!" he was hysterical.

"Here." Lenalee handed Komui a neatly wrapped present.

"What's this?" he asked.

"It's a present for you. I came into town today to buy it."

"A present form me?" he questioned.

"I asked Mr. Russell to help me pick something out. Then I thought I would return the favor by helping him find a really nice present for his son Jean." Lenalee explained.

"Sir Komlin you may stop the attack." Komui called. At that Luca released the robot from her innocence's grip and sighed as it wrapped back up her arms. Sir Komlin set Lenalee down after she put her innocence away allowing her to walk over to Russell so she could continue helping him find a present for his son. As the others started to head back and Lenalee started towards a store Russell turned into an akuma. "Lenalee!" Komui shouted attempting to warn her while Luca yanked Harlequin off her skin rushing towards her friend. Before the akuma could attack her Allen's giant claw tore through it saving Lenalee and slaying the akuma.

"Don't worry everyone I'm here."

"Thank you Allen you-" she couldn't finish as she and everyone else were still laughing at the smaller octopus still on his head. Sighing Luca slowed to a walk to meet up with Allen and Lenalee. "Where's Mr. Russell?" Lenalee asked suddenly worried.

"The real Mr. Russell is just fine." Allen assured her.

"I'm so glad." the soft moment was ruined by Komui happily shrieking about his present from Lenalee and breaking more of the town with Sir Komlin in his joy. "I think you've done enough damaged for today!" Lenalee snapped sending a whirling tornado at the robot tearing it apart.

"Sir Komlin...my sweet..." Komui mourned his robot for the second time that day.

"So what are we gonna do about this mess?" Reever asked.

"I propose we all pitch in to fix the damage." Komui answered before smiling and announcing "I'll leave you to it while I go visit Sir Komlin!" running away.

"He plays with the robot while we're cleaning up?" Reever was shaking with anger at this. "All those in favor of burring him in one of these walls?" he asked.

"Let's get him." was unanimous decision.

"What's the matter everyone?" Komui questioned as they got closer. "Oh that looks sharp." As Komui's screams of pain filled the air Luca, Allen and Lenalee started walking away.

"Your brother needs serious help." Luca stated.

"Yeah, I know." Lenalee sighed.

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 **Well Sir Komlin II and Sir Komlin III are dead. Again in Komlin II's case. Poor thing. As usual Luca doesn't help as she prefers to laugh though she did come through in the end. Another filler chapter please don't hate me. I promise that next chapter we will start getting into the story so just hold on with me for it. Next chapter things will start to get exciting! I know we still haven't seen Tyki (I'm sorry DX) but he will appear in chapter six. I really wanted for everyone to get to know Luca before I throw him into the mix. I also wanted the story to make sense and you need context. Read and review please! Chess is out!**


	5. Changing Winds

**Yo! So updated earlier in the day than I normally do! Yay, you probably shouldn't get used to it. I'm always laughing because I have long since come to the conclusion that my state of being is late. I really do try to get this done on time but things do happen. I still need a beta if anyone is interested. As always I do my best to edit everything but I'm only human and mistakes do slip through. I still don't own anything other than Luca and Scor along with whatever finders I make up for the story. Anyway on with the story!**

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"Madrid?!" Luca protested. Komui looked up from his paperwork. "I just got back from Austria, now you're sending me all the way across Europe?" it wasn't normal for Luca to whine but she was completely exhausted.

"I know and I'm very sorry about this Luca but it's important. With what happened to General Yeager-"

"What happened to General Yeager?" Luca interrupted. Komui sighed.

"He was murdered by the Noah clan." Her eyes widened.

"General Yeager is dead?" Komui nodded solemnly.

"The generals are the targets of the Noah clan. Every exorcist is being separated into groups and being sent to protect the generals. You have been assigned to General Cross along with Allen, Lenalee, Lavi and Bookman. His trail is leading east, however this piece of innocence desperately needs to be picked up but none of the generals are going that way."

"And I'm the only one who's innocence can also be used as a mode of transportation." she sighed.

"Your innocence can move faster than trains and you can cross over seas so you could catch up to your group the fastest." Groaning because she could actually see the logic in this despite the fact that she hated having to do this.

"So what's in Madrid?" she sighed again. Not only would she be on her own for a while but it would be days and days of travel alone other than Scor.

"A piece of innocence is in Madrid." she glared at him.

"I know that, you already said that part. I wanted to know how you knew. What is it doing?"

"Ohhh," Komui said while she rolled her eyes at him. Honestly this man was brilliant but always managed to ignore the common sense. Komui straightened up and fixed his glasses, it was time to be serious. "Rumors have been springing up about a green amulet causing bad luck. The rumors are that in an old cathedral on the outskirts of Madrid there is an old amulet. The church originally took it because it was cursed or haunted. Bad things happen to those who put it on. Recently it's been stolen several times but always returned after tragic things happen to whoever took it. The new priest who knows of the Order believes that it might be innocence. The finders I sent to check have called and they agree. I need you to go. You'll have to hold on to it until it can be handed over to a general or can return home but I wouldn't count on the last one. It's gonna be a while." She nodded at him.

"After I retrieve this piece of innocence I'll be joining up with my team in looking for Master." Komui nodded.

"I'd like you to leave Madrid, head to Barcelona, cross the sea to Sassari to Rome. From there you can cross Italy and the Adriatic sea and head to Romania. That's where General Cross's trail is leading. Hopefully you will catch them before they get much farther." She nodded.

"Yeah, it will probably take a few days and most likely be in Ukraine." she agreed making her own prediction. Komui nodded.

"Luca listen to me this is very important. I need you to check in at least once everyday with Scor. The Noah clan is hunting the generals but that doesn't mean they won't stop to kill you. Due to you using your innocence to travel I can't send any finders with you. It worries me to send you all alone but we don't have much choice. This is full blown war and as much as I hate it you are all soldiers." Luca could tell that he was also thinking of Lenalee. She could understand it. War was all most of them had known. Kanda and Lenalee were very young when they were found to be accommodators. She and Cross found Allen when he was ten and she herself had only been seven. War was all they had known.

"Of course, I'll check in twice a day if that would make you feel better. I'll check in before I head out and when I stop for the night." she smiled. He returned the favor.

"It would, please be safe." she nodded at him and left. She had a feeling that things were starting to change and life was about to get a lot more interesting. The train ride to Madrid was uneventful borderline boring.

"Miss? Miss?" Luca woke with a start and looked up at the train employee who was trying to rouse her. "Miss, we've reached Madrid." Covering a yawn she sat up from where she had curled up after falling asleep.

"Thank you." she said before yawning again. "I apologize, apparently I need more sleep. Thank you for waking me up." The employee nodded and left. Luca glimpsed the name tag. "Antonio huh?" as she left the train she found the conductor and told him of what Antonio had done for her. As she wondered the streets she looked around. A few people looked at her strangely but she brushed it off as her uniform. Unlike Lenalee she didn't wear a dress to cover it when she was in public, it was too much of a pain for her. So she was used to her tight pants drawing attention form people. Her green eyes snapped to the side to look at the man that had been following her for a few minutes. Even if he was human he didn't have good intentions. Deciding that it would be better to deal with this without prying eyes.

Veering right down an alley way Luca slowed down to a stroll. She could hear him gaining on her. His heavy footsteps sounding against the walls. A large hand grabbed her by her shoulder. Her back hit the brick wall. The man that stood over her was tall and greasy. His dirty hair hung in face and he smelled of cigarettes and stale beer among other less pleasant smells.

"Give me all your money and I won't hurt you." he growled in her face. She smiled up at him pleasantly.

"I don't have any money." she watched as his face contorted angrily.

"What the hell do you mean you don't have any money?!" he snarled in her face. She turned her face away from his.

"Do you mind getting out of my face? You're breath smells bad." He didn't appreciate this comment.

"Why you little-" She didn't bother waiting for him to finish. A quick left swing knocked him off her and his balance. "You wanna fight?" he wiped the spit from his chin with the back of his hand. He punched as she ducked out of the way. His hand hit the bricks and he yowled in pain. She didn't bother waiting for him to recover. Swinging around him she kicked his knees out from under him. He fell with a thump. "Bit-" She didn't listen to this either as she already had a good idea what he was gonna say. Grabbing him by his greasy hair, she smashed his head into the wall.

"Seriously?" She groaned as she looked at the unconscious man lying on the ground. "I wonder if the others have to deal with this too?" Leaving him where he was Luca started back towards the cathedral. Looking down at the directions Komui had scribbled on a scrap of paper she looked around in frustration. "I can't even read this." She muttered to herself not that there was anyone to talk to. Groaning again she looked around until she saw a church. "Maybe they can help me." Luca pushed the door to the church open slowly. Sticking her head in to make sure she wasn't interrupting anything she saw that the church was mostly empty.

"Can I help you, my child?" jumping Luca looked up and saw the priest. Feeling a bit sheepish she stepped into the church. His kind brown eyes widened when she fully stepped in. His eyes quickly found the rose crest on her chest. "What can I do for you Lady Exorcist?" he asked again.

"Please you don't have to call me that." She was used to it from the finders, but from a man much older than her made it feel weird. She smiled at him. "I'm looking for this cathedral. Could you please give me directions to it?" He took the paper from her.

"Of course. You're not too far off. Are you here to get that amulet?" He smiled back at her as his curiosity got the best of him.

"Yes, now if only I could find it." she nodded at him.

"You just need to-" he didn't get very far.

"Father Fernandez? I've finished tuning the organ." A man with brown hair in his late 30's interrupted. Father Fernandez turned towards him allowing the man see Luca.

"Ah Diego I was just giving this young lady some directions." Diego froze upon seeing her. He started to shake.

"Activate!" Luca shouted ripping Harlequin from her skin as the akuma exploded from Diego's skin. Harlequin shot forward and wrapped around the akuma restricted. It squirmed and shrieked the innocence burning it.

"Nasty little exorcist! How did you know?!" it shrieked at her. She took in it's jester like appearance. She snorts.

"Am I gonna have to explain this to every akuma I meet? You just aren't vert smart." Standing up she brushed the dirt from her pants and offered her hand to Father Fernandez."I do apologize for Harlequin pushing you out of the way, but you are still alive." He took her hand and stood up.

"Think nothing of it my child. You saved my life. How long has Diego been dead?" He asked looking at the akuma sadly. Luca's lips pulled down into a frown.

"It's best not to dwell on it Father. It won't do any good." He nodded his eyes still resting on the akuma.

"I understand, please let this poor creature find rest." She smiled and nodded to him. Turning back to the akuma she raised her hand up, the black that stained her fingertips glistened in the candle light that illuminated the church.

"Find peace." it was the only warning the akuma got before she clenched her fist. Harlequin followed her movement crushed the akuma like python constricting it's prey. Exploding the akuma turned to dust while the soul floated back to heaven.

"Thank you." Luca turned back to the priest.

"What for?" she cocked her head to the side.

"Thank you for helping them find peace." She smiled at this. The man was kindhearted.

"I'm glad I could help." He smiled at her and picked up the piece of paper that had fluttered to the floor. Reading it he nodded to himself.

"As I said before you are not to far off. If you head out of the church and turn right you must travel all the way to the end of the road before turning left. Once you are there you can see the cathedral. Walk down and once you have past four streets on the right side take the next one. The first road on your left will bring you to your destination." she nodded as he spoke.

"Thank you so much Father." he handed the scrap back to her. She looked down at it. How on Earth did the illegible scribbles translate into that?!

"It was my pleasure to help. Be safe my daughter, I will pray that God watches over you and all of you who put your lives on the line for the sake of the many." She inclined her head in a silent thanks before leaving the church. Father Fernandez's directions were spot on and she was at the cathedral before dark.

"Welcome Lady Exorcist." The priest greeted as she stepped in. "I am Father Lopez, I was the one who originally contacted the Order. At the moment the finders are out looking for the amulet. I apologize in advance the amulet has been missing for several days. I have already prepared a room for you. I began making arrangements when I was told you would be coming. Due to the fact that we are on the outskirts of Madrid there are few hotels out here. So I have been lodging the finders here. I hope that is okay with you." Luca smiled at the man as he led her deeper into the church. He was older than her but not by much and incredibly nice.

"It's fine, no need to worry about it. As long as I am warm and dry I don't mind. If you could tell me more about the innocence that would help." He nodded as they sat down.

"I haven't been here for very long but there have been rumors about a cursed amulet in this church for a while now. I was only able to discover that it was innocence due to the fact that I have come into contact with innocence before. When I was but a child my village was attacked by akuma, drawn by a piece of innocence in the mayor's house. I almost died but I was saved by an exorcist with red hair. His gun gave me this strange feeling. He said it was called innocence and was the only thing that could destroy akuma. To this day I have never forgotten the feeling it gave me. The amulet gave me the same feeling. I contacted the Order immediately. I actually get the same feeling from you too." Luca nodded soaking up all the information. With a smile she rolled up her right sleeve.

"This is what you are feeling." She pinched her innocence and pulled up a bit of it from her skin so he could see it. "Each piece of innocence takes a different form depending on it's ability and wielder." He nodded examining it with great interest.

"I can't tell you what ability this piece has. I have never put it on due to the fact that anyone who does almost always perishes. If they don't they are never the same. They complain of a voice in their head telling them what to do and being unable to ignore it. It drives them crazy or wears their body down until they die." she thought for a moment.

"I have a possible idea about it but can't say for sure. The innocence only reacts to it's wielder. My innocence will allow me to withstand it's power." He sighed in relief.

"That's good to hear. The fact that so many people have been hurt and I can do nothing to stop it has kept me up many a night." She gave him a soft smile.

"You did everything you could by contacting the Order. We'll take it from here." The doors opened and a group of finders stepped in. Luca stood and walked over to meet them. "Did you find anything?"

"I apologize but we have not. We have been searching all day. I also wish to apologized for the fact that there was nobody there to meet you at the train station." Luca held up her hand to stop the weary finder from continuing.

"There is no need to apologize for anything. I am completely capable of finding my own way here," she left out the part that she had gotten lost and needed to ask for directions. "Madrid is a big city and the amulet could be anywhere. You are all exhausted and I can see that. We can continue searching in the morning after you have all had a good night's sleep and some food." Father Lopez jumped to his feet.

"I'll have that started right away." she turned to him.

"Thank you." as he left she turned back to the finders. "Well come in out of the cold and sit down." The finders all collapsed into the pews. One of them sat next to her.

"My name is Alexander and I'm the leader of this group." she nodded.

"Was the innocence here when you got here or was it already gone?" she asked. He opened his mouth but she cut him off. "I'm not angry or blaming you no matter what your answer is. I merely want to know how long it's been gone." he smiled at her.

"It was already gone. Taken earlier the day we arrived. We've been searching ever since. Everyone we've asked hasn't seen it or anything like it."

"Oh, how scatterbrained of me. I forgot to tell you my name." She offered her hand which he took. "I'm Luca Blackwood." His smile grew more. She raised an eyebrow. "What?" He laughed at her question.

"You are well known among finders. You smile and laugh with us despite the fact that many exorcists look down upon us. Believe us to be below them. You are kind to us and speak well of us." Luca shook her head.

"I'm really not that great but I can tell that you've spoken with Gregory." Alexander laughed again.

"Is it that obvious?" she nodded here and joined him in his laughter. "He speaks highly of you all the time. Thinks that you are just the best thing to grace the Earth. God's gift to the world."

"Wow. Now I'm embarrassed." Father Lopez returned.

"Dinner is ready. Please come join me down in the dining room." Together Luca and the finders followed after the priest. Dinner was loud but comfortable for Luca yet she still picked at her food. Used to the dining hall of the Order she didn't mind. The finders talked among themselves mostly while Alexander discussed how the search had gone with Father Lopez. Finding that she was no longer hungry she stood up and gathered up her dishes. Slipping into the kitchen she placed them in the sink before filling them with hot water. She hoped that Allen was okay. Him joining the Order was the only exciting thing that had happened recently. Honestly she was starting to get bored. Stepping out of the cathedral she walked over to the only tree in the courtyard. With the ease of years of practice she climbed up the branches. Finding a sturdy one she sat on it.

"Hey Scor play that lullaby would you?" The silver golem perched on the smaller branch above her mistress and began to play the audio clip. The music box like music floated softly through the air. The haunting melody soothed Luca whirling mind allowing her to hum along, softly murmured words drifting in her head and in the cool air. As her eyes drifted around the sky she found herself picking out the constellations in the stars.

"So how far have you searched?" Luca asked Alexander as they prepared to head out for the day to continue the hunt for the missing amulet. She had not slept well last night and didn't have any choice but to keep moving. She knew that she needed to get some sleep before she left Madrid because one she started traveling on her own she wouldn't just have akuma to worry about but the elements as well.

"About half way. We've been searching all day every day since we got here. We were hoping to have found it before you got here. To be honest I was a little worried about telling the exorcist who came to get it that we lost it but you were so nice about it." Luca laughed at Alexander's response.

"How can I be mad at you for losing something when I lose my own gloves when they are still on my hands?" This time it was Alexander who laughed as he held the door open for her.

"I know that you are joking but it does make me feel better." Luca shook her head.

"Actually I wasn't joking. Allen or Lenalee has to remind me that I'm wearing them. Gregory will pretend that I'm not wearing them to mess with me sometimes. When he does Scor bites him for me while I panic and look around for them." Alexander eyed the silver golem fluttering by the dark haired woman's head warily. He thought Gregory had been joking when he said that the silver golem bit. How could a golem bite anyway?

"Nice to know that you guys are as human as us regular people."

"We are still human. We can die just like anybody else. Now let's see if we can find that innocence today." He nodded ignoring what she said about dying.

"If I heard correctly you have to pick up that piece of innocence and then head out to meet up with the rest of your group right? You have to hunt down General Cross Marian right?"

"Yes unfortunately. My Master seems to be heading east towards China. Allen and the others are already on their way, I believe they are in Romania at the moment but Komui asked me to get this piece." Luca groaned as she nodded again.

"I've heard that he's a bit of a handful." Luca snorted at this as they walked down the road.

"I love the man, he's the closest thing I ever had to a father but he's out of his bloody mind. He hates HQ so he never shows up. Allen told me that Master hit him with a hammer and abandoned him in India to find his own way to the Order with Timcampy. When he decided to send me a year earlier he drugged me. I woke up in a hotel with a note telling me that Scor would lead me there." Alexander blinked a few times at that. A scream drew their attention before anything else could be said. A young woman was backing away from a large group of akuma that had all the guns pointed at her.

"Well that looks bad." Alexander commented but Luca was already running over pulling the liquid from her skin.

"Get her out of here Alexander!" The green glow around the woman's neck told her that they had found the innocence, unfortunately so had the akuma.

"Yes Ma'am!" Alexander nodded and just picked up the woman who hadn't moved other than to scream some more. Watching the tall brunet run away with the blonde tossed over his shoulder was a bit of a sight but she had other things to do.

"Why is it that all they ever seem to do is scream? Can't they at least scream AND run at the same time?" she muttered to herself. The akuma were all level ones so at least they couldn't talk. That was about they only plus she could find. "Alright Harlequin let's get to work." The innocence drifted around it's mistress as she jumped from roof to roof to get a better vantage point. Waving her hand Harlequin solidified into large throwing needles. With the order given the needles shot forward with following the hand gesture. Piercing through the armor with little effort Harlequin returned with another gesture from Luca. "Looks like a long day." she groaned glancing around at the akuma.

Twilight had fallen on Madrid by the time Luca trudged back to the cathedral. She was tired and sore. Battling level ones weren't hard just time consuming especially with so many. Despite what she would say changing the form of her innocence was exhausting and consumed her energy at a frightening pace. Pushing the large door open Luca stepped in. Chaos was not what she had been expecting but it was what she got. Reaching out she snagged a finder by his jacket halting his hurried movements.

"What's got everybody so excited?" The finder looked relieved to see her.

"Lady Exorcist! The woman who has the innocence is trying to jump off the cathedral! Father Lopez and Alexander are trying to talk her down but it doesn't seem to be working. She's very close to the edge. Alexander tried to remove the innocence when he returned with her but it wouldn't come off. Most of us have been on the look out for akuma." Green eyes grew large at the new information.

"Take me to them right now! Alexander shouldn't have touched the innocence!" Not even bothering to nod the finder took off knowing that Luca was right on his heels. Scor flew by her head, a silent reminder that if this woman died she wouldn't be able to forget it. Thundering up the stairs she took them three at a time already over taking the finder with ease. Throwing the door open she ran over to where she saw Father Lopez was offering the woman his head. Alexander saw her as she slowed down and walked over calmly. The last thing she needed was to frighten this woman.

"This is Luca Blackwood. She can get rid of the voice for you; all you have to do is come down from there so she can help you." Alexander coaxed.

"Let us help you child. It's what we are here for." Father Lopez spoke kindly and easily. It must have been nice to have faith like that, Luca thought to herself.

"Can you really get rid of it?" Her large blue eyes looked over at Luca who was inching closer hopefully, the dark shadows under them indicated days of insomnia likely innocence induced.

"If you let me help you. I need you to come down here please. It will only take a minute." The woman blinked a few times.

"I'm so tired, but it won't let me sleep." Luca smiled at her sympathetically.

"I know. I can make it go away." The woman shook her head and backed away closer to the edge.

"What if you can't? I just want to sleep forever. You can't do that can you?" she was starting to get hysterical.

"I understand that you are really tired but taking your own life won't changing anything. I promise I can help." Luca took another step forward, she was getting dangerously close to the edge.

"I'm sorry." It was the only warning before the woman let herself fall from the roof. Rushing forward Luca dove off the cathedral.

"Wait!" She could hear Alexander and Father Lopez shout after her but it didn't matter. Grabbing the woman Luca pulled her close. Twisting around so the woman was cradled against her chest and away from the ground Luca shouted.

"Innocence activate!" The metal twisted around the pair over and over again creating a cocoon before they hit the ground with an earth shattering crash. As the cocoon broke apart the finders whooped with joy upon seeing both Luca and the woman unharmed. Father Lopez and Alexander came rushing out the front door and slid down into the crater. The priest helped the young woman out who immediately clung to him sobbing and begging for forgiveness while Alexander helped Luca up, her innocence slithering back up her arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. Luca nodded stiffly.

"I'll be fine in a few days. A few bruises maybe but nothing lasting." Alexander deep eyes betrayed his thoughts that he didn't believe her but that didn't matter. She walked over to the still sobbing woman. "Will you let me take that off?" she asked. Nodding she sniffled a bit but didn't move. Reaching around her neck and finding the knot Luca's fingernails tugged gently at it until it came loose. "Ready?" she asked with a smile. Pulling lightly the necklace came up off her neck and over her head. Standing back up Luca brought the necklace with her. "All better. Now you just need to sleep it off."

"Let's get you inside dear." Luca watched the priest gently help the exhausted blonde into the church.

"Now are you really okay?" Alexander asked again. Luca sighed.

"It's no big deal, it was only a couple hundred feet." Alexander shook his head at her.

"Does your brother know you do these kinds of things?" Luca shuddered at the thought of what Allen would say if he found out. He'd be mad at her for falling never mind if he found out that she intentionally dove off a cathedral. "Guess not." Alexander said after seeing the face she made. "Well lucky for you I won't be able to tell him nor would I but you should really take better care of yourself."

"Thanks for that." she sighed. That was definitely not a conversation she wanted to have with Allen or Lenalee for that matter. With all the commotion Luca hadn't noticed that dusk had come and gone, the sky a blankness of black. Looking up at the stars she couldn't help but wonder how things in Romania were going.

"You should get some sleep after dinner. I heard you tossing and turning last night." Her eyes moved back to his.

"I didn't mean to keep you up." Alexander dropped his head.

"First off you didn't and second of all that's not what I meant. You have a long trip ahead of you and what's worse you'll be alone." She smiled up at him.

"I'll be taking the train to Barcelona. I often sleep on the train anyway. You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine." she waved him off. He sighed but could do nothing to change it.

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 **Another chapter done! So as I said last chapter we are now starting to get into the real story. I know it's been several chapters and we still haven't seen Tyki but I promise, no I swear he will be in the next chapter. I wonder if their meeting with live up to your standards. I'm excited for them to meet and to find out what you think of their meeting! I'll also be interested in seeing if any of you guess how they meet! Well that's all for this week! Chess out!**


	6. Chance Meeting

**Okay! I am super excited to bring this chapter to you guys. It's one of my favorites! As I promised Tyki will be in this chapter! His first meeting with Luca was something that I've been planning for a while so I hope you all like it! As always I only own Luca Blackwood, Scor, and Harlequin. I do apologize for any mistakes that have slipped through. So with out further ado chapter six: Chance Meeting!**

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Luca rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she stepped off the train. It was late in Barcelona and the train ride had been long. Stretching to loosen her stiff limbs she looked up at the moon.

"First quarter huh?" Green eyes quickly spotted massive herds of akuma in the sky. "So much for getting any sleep tonight." she sighed.

"I'm sorry did you say something Miss?" Luca's eyes drifted lazily over to the woman standing next to her. Her dirty blonde hair pulled up into an elegant bun with her maroon dress swayed in the light breeze that was sweeping through.

"I said so much for getting any sleep tonight." she smiled over at the woman.

"Don't worry little exorcist, I'll put you to sleep forever." the woman's face shifted into the gun of a level one akuma.

"Too slow." Harlequin was already lodged between her eyes. "Time to get to work." Pushing her brown messenger bag behind her left hip Luca started heading into town. "Keep close Scor," the little golem flew a bit closer to her mistress' head. "The last thing I need is to lose you. Komui and Master would kill me." Her innocence floated after her; there was no point in deactivating it when she knew it would be a long night.

While Luca enjoyed being right normally, at the moment she was wishing that she hadn't. It was well into the night and she was still surrounded by akuma. Waving her hand from one shoulder to the other Harlequin solidified into large throwing needles.

"Here we go." Flicking her arm out at the akuma Harlequin hurtled straight through them. Jumping over a few roof tops towards the clock tower. She had seen finders running around but didn't have time to speak to any of them. They were running around almost as much as she was. Looking around she spotted another group of akuma down the street. "All work and no play." She groaned and lept over.

"Where are you guys right now?" Luca's head snapped over to where Scor was fluttering. That was Kanda's voice.

"Around 3 kilometers east of that odd tower?" Luca grinned. There was Daisya's voice.

"I'm about 5 kilometers west of it." So Marie was with them too.

"I'm to the south." Luca decided to join the conversation after Kanda spoke again.

"Hey guys!" Luca chirped.

"Luca?!" She couldn't help but laugh at their response. Marie was surprised, Kanda was definitely annoyed and Daisya was happy to hear her.

"What are you doing here?" Kanda demanded.

"Not that we aren't happy to hear from you." Daisya added. She hopped over another roof before sliding down into the alley. She needed to catch her breath.

"Just happened to be passing through."

"Luca are you okay?" she snorted. Trust Marie to notice the way she was breathing.

"Just tired. It's no big deal." He grunted but didn't press. They were all tired but there was no way the could stop.

"I thought you were heading east with Lenalee and the beansprout." Luca rolled her eyes at Kanda's nickname for Allen.

"I am. Komui asked me to pick up a piece of innocence in Madrid first. I'm stopping here for the night before crossing the sea to Italy. Granted I doubt I'll actually get any sleep here." she huffed out the last part.

"Will you be alright going to Italy all by yourself?" Marie asked. When she first joined the Order she quickly made friends with Daisya much to Kanda's annoyance. Marie had taken to keeping Luca and Daisya from driving Kanda mad but also kept Kanda from killing them. He was like an older brother to her. It was nice, not worrying for him the way she worried about Allen and Daisya despite the fact that Daisya was older than her; Marie worried about her which was a pleasant change.

"Of course. The sea is no big deal to me and akuma are less likely to be over the sea." she shrugged not that they could see her.

"Can we get back on topic?" Kanda asked.

"Yeah sure." Luca and Daisya spoke together.

"Where should we regroup?" Marie questioned. Luca poked her head of the alleyway to look around a bit.

"Stay put Marie, the rest of us will meet you there by following our golems." Daisya answered.

"Will you be okay Dai? Your golem's not coming in very well." Luca inquired worriedly. Kanda smirked at that question. Luca was the only one who got away with shortening Daisya's name.

"Of course I'll be fine! Don't worry so much L, it's gonna be okay." She could practically see Daisya waving her off.

"When?" Marie spoke bringing them back to the subject.

"At daybreak." Kanda ordered.

"Right!" They chorused together.

"Luca," Kanda's voice called again.

"Hmm?" She stepped out of the alleyway to face the large group of akuma coming towards her.

"I better see you there." It wasn't up for discussion. She smiled.

"Yes sir!" Marie chuckled to himself. Despite what Kanda said he truly did care for the younger exorcist. He trusted her but at the same time was protective of her. It was quite the funny mix all while trying to pretend that he didn't.

"Be safe." Marie whispered though he was really wishing that they would be safe rather than telling them too. Luca looked at Scor having heard Marie. She could already hear Kanda and Daisya fighting and knew that they hadn't.

"We will." she answered softly.

Luca's flicked east of the tower. She couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that Daisya was in trouble. Not his usual causing trouble but in danger kind of trouble.

"Killing..." Her eyes snapped back to Scor. There was so much static coming from Daisya's golem that she couldn't quite make out everything. "...is so fun."

"What did you say?' Kanda asked but there was no response.

"Daisya?" Luca and Marie called but the golem was still silent. Luca narrowed her eyes.

"Daisya?" She tried again. "Daisya! Answer me!" She steadily grew more worried. "I'm not kidding Daisya! Answer me right now!" She snapped. When he didn't respond again she growled. Harlequin shot back over to her, forming a board. "I'm heading east. Something's wrong."

"He can take care of himself." Kanda claimed though his voice betrayed his own worry. Luca jumped on Harlequin and sped towards Daisya's position.

"I have to go. I can't shake this feeling. The last time I felt like this I convinced myself that it wasn't real and ended up paying for it dearly. I just can't take that chance. Not with Daisya's life." With each word her voice trembled more and her speed grew.

Seeing Daisya hanging upside down from a lamp post was not what she had been expecting. _That idiot!_ she thought. She saw the man no he had to be a Noah, reaching for Charity Bell.

"Stellar." she groused. Flicking her hand out Harlequin slid along the ground towards Charity Bell while Luca silently jumped around until she was facing the Noah.

"Any last words?" His voice was smooth and deep. As she slid down into the alleyway she observed him. He was taller than her but that wasn't anything new. Even Lenalee was taller than her. His skin gray and hair dark. All typical traits of a Noah. Just as he was about to break Charity Bell Harlequin shot up grabbing it out from under him by a clawed hand. "The hell...?" he asked staring at it.

"Time to go." she grinned summoning the rest of her innocence to her hands to form gauntlets. Shooting out of the alley and straight at him the Noah didn't have time to react. Smashing her left fist right into his face, she skidded to a stop as he flew straight through a building. Turning to Daisya she placed her hands on her hips glaring down at him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked upon seeing narrowed lime colored eyes giving him a look from under her hood.

"Pray tell how this seemed like a good idea?" Luca was seething.

"Uuuhhhh..." Daisya trailing desperately trying to come up with a good excuse that would pacify his friend.

"That's what I thought." Three inch talons grew from the fingertips of her gauntlets.

"Ow!" he yelped when his head hit the ground. "You could have warned me." he grumbled rubbing his head. A flick of her fingers caused Charity Bell to be tossed into him. He caught it deciding not to comment on the force used. Luca was already pissed at him.

Tyki pulled himself from the smoking ruins of the building he had crashed into. Waving his hand around to clear the cloud of dust while pressing the other one to his face. The punch had broken his nose, cheekbone, and jaw. Where the punch had actually connected was still smoldering. The innocence had burned the skin off. Once he was out of the dust his attention turned to the pair of exorcists still by the lamp post. Daisya as he had said his name was, now sat on the ground. From what he could tell the other exorcist was reading him the riot act much to his displeasure. His golden eyes widened upon resting them on the curvy figure. It was a woman. He didn't say anything as his jaw was still broken. Tyki observed her for a moment. He had never seen a female exorcist; he didn't actually know that there were any or that they could be exorcists. Drifting from her figure to her hands which sported clawed gauntlets that he eyed warily after seeing the chains that still swung from the post sliced clean in half. He'd have to be careful.

Turning sideways so she could keep an eyes on the Noah and still talk to Daisya Luca looked closer at him, examining him; from his injuries to the way he was holding himself and watching them.

"Who's your friend?" she nodded her head at him.

"He's not my friend." Daisya grumbled a pout forming on his lips; she was mocking him.

"Obviously." she rolled her eyes at him. He could be such a kid sometimes.

"He's fast and somehow repelled Charity Bell what I kicked it at him." She nodded as she absorbed the provided information. Daisya looked up at the hand in his face. Reaching past the claws he let his friend pull him to his feet.

"We'll have to incapacitate him somehow." she whispered. "Preferably from a distance." he nodded at this. The Noah had yet to pull his hand away from his cheek meaning that he was still in pain. Her eyes flicked upwards. "It's almost daybreak. We need to hurry or Kanda will have both of our asses." Both of them shuddered at that thought.

"Okay but how?" Daisya questioned as he placed his foot on his innocence. Green eyes dropped down to it as a grin grew slowly.

"You know what we haven't done in a while?" Both men blink a couple times at the completely unrelated topic. _Was this girl serious?_ Tyki wondered to himself.

"What?"

"Dancing!" She grinned at him. He snorted in response.

"You haven't been around much." Tyki just stared at the two. How had they gone from battle mode to talking about dancing of all things!

"Hey! Blame Komui not me!" she protested, pouting her already full lips. Luca quickly recovered. "But you know what we need to dance?" Daisya raised an eyebrow at the question. If she was trying to signal something to him he wasn't getting it. "Music!" Daisya's grin soon matched hers.

Tyki couldn't comprehend what the hell the two exorcists were going on about. Were they really just gonna walk away? He couldn't decide if he thought they were crazy or insulted that they didn't see him as a threat. Pulling his hand away from his face he started towards them. He was wasting time here.

"Oh music! Definitely need music to dance." Daisya agreed, silently telling Luca that he understood what she was really saying. Metallic green met gold for an instant. Pointing a single clawed finger at him. Pulling from the shadow that it had been sitting in Harlequin rushed at the Noah.

Looking up at the goo rushing towards him Tyki braced himself to the impact that didn't come. Watching as the goo split into four pieces forming a large bell on each side.

"Now we just need a clapper." by the time that Tyki realized what she meant Daisya had kicked the ball. As the smaller bell crashed through each bell it began to ring. As the sound waves crashed into him and melded with each other his ears begin to ring. Clasping his hands over his ears in an attempt to block the sound did little to help. Instead the ringing continued to increase in volume, penetrating through his skull into his head. Unable to focus on anything he attempted to find his way out of the noise.

Luca shot forward clenching her hands into fists. The Noah's golden eyes opened just a sliver to look at her. Strong rapid fire punches connected with his torso. He tried to pull his heads from his head to defend himself from the exorcist who was suddenly in front of him but the ringing was too loud. She was pushing him back with every hit of her gauntlets. They both felt several of his ribs break. Centering herself for a final punch he braced himself for it unable to move his hands from his ears. He could feel the blood seeping from his ears into his gloves and down his jaw and neck. The punch connected with the center of his chest and he flew back through the bell behind him before crashing into the cobblestone road.

Groaning Tyki pushed himself up from the ground. This was more trouble than it was worth. Glowering at the two for a moment he made a mental note to remember every detail of the girl that he could see. She was dangerous and her innocence didn't make any sense what so ever. Once last glance before he phased through the wall. Deciding to retreat was his best choice at the moment. As he stalked towards his room intending on sleeping his now pounding migraine off and wait for his ribs and skin to heal Tyki was stopped by Sheril.

"What did the Earl want?" Tyki blinked at him.

"What?" he shouted. Sheril raised an eyebrow at him.

"What did the Earl want?" he repeated.

"What?" the younger man shouted again.

"Why are you yelling?" Sheril questioned. At that moment Road decided to enter the room.

"Why is Tyki yelling?" she asked.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Tyki watched his brother and niece converse. He still couldn't hear a thing other than the obnoxious ringing that was still in his head. Which also didn't help the migraine.

"Are you okay Tyki?" Tyki blinked down at the girl.

"What?" he yelled. Both leaned away from him.

"Okay this isn't working." Road ran over to the tabled and picked up a pad of paper and a marker. _Why are you yelling?_ she wrote on the pad before showing it to him.

"I'm yelling?" Both nodded at him. Road scribbled something on the next piece of paper. _What happened?_ She showed it to him again.

"I can't hear anything over the ringing and pounding in my head." he answered loudly pointing to one of his still bleeding ears. _Why?_ was the next thing shown to him.

"I don't want to talk about it." he snapped. He watched her sigh and write something again before turning it towards him. _You are still yelling._

"I'm going to bed." With that he continued to his room slamming the door as he went.

"What was that about?" Sheril asked looking down at his daughter with a bewildered expression.

"I have no idea." she answered looking down the hall that her uncle had went with a similar face.

* * *

Once Luca got over the shock of the fact that the Noah had walked through a wall. Actually _through_ the wall without touching it. She walked over to the wall and pressed on it. Nope he had walked through the wall alright. Shaking her head Luca started back over to her friend. Looking down at what her foot had kicked she saw the Noah's top hat sitting innocently on the ground. It must of fallen when she launched him into that building. Looking over at it she winced a bit. That would cost a bit to fix. With a grin Luca bent down and picked the hat up. Pulling her hood down she set it atop her head. Luca called Harlequin back to her and turned to Daisya as she jogged back over to stand next to him.

"Are you okay?" He turned to face her after putting the Charity Bell back in it's place at the end of his cowl while Harlequin wrapped around her arms.

"I think so. You showed up before he could do any lasting damage." She smiled at him.

"Good." Her hand grabbed him by the ear. "Then what the hell were you thinking?" she roared in it as she started dragging him with her as Scor led them to where the others were supposed to meet up with them.

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow! Luca that hurts! Let go!" Daisya protested trying to free himself from her vice like grip.

"No! How could that possible seem like a good idea? You knew nothing about him! His fighting abilities! His own personal ability special to him! Each Noah has a special ability the same way each piece of innocence does! What would you have done if I hadn't shown up or God forbid not even been in Barcelona? There were too many akuma for Kanda or Marie to come save you, you little cretin! I was worried sick! I was almost too late! How could you be so irresponsible? It wasn't just the battle! How could you throw your own life away like that? Does the fact that everybody who cares about you would've been heartbroken at your death not matter? Do we all really mean that little to you?!" Daisya had long since stopped protesting. One of the things that Luca was good at was making you feel bad when you did something stupid. All he was trying to do was free his ever reddening ear from her hold. Kanda and Marie came into their view as Luca dragged him around the corner over to where the others were standing still in the middle of her tirade. Finally stopping in front of the two taller exorcists she thrust him at Kanda releasing his ear. "This dolt belongs to you."

"What did you do?" Kanda asked looking down at the shorter man who was rubbing his ear. Daisya mumbled something under his breath that Kanda didn't catch. Unfortunately for him Marie did.

"You almost got yourself killed by a Noah?" he asked. Kanda looked from his two teammates over to the still silently fuming girl who had taken to glaring at the Turk.

"How did that seem like a good idea?" Marie questioned.

"That's what I said!" she snapped. Daisya was saved from answering by Kanda's question.

"What's with the top hat?" All three turned to face her. Daisya's look matched Kanda's disgruntled one. Marie kept quiet as he didn't have an opinion on the matter.

"Oh," just like that Luca's anger melted away by her distraction. "It was the Noah's. It fell off when I punched him. Daisya and I's combo hit him before he could retrieve it and then he retreated." she shrugged.

"That doesn't explain why you have it." Marie pointed out.

"Ooooh, I'm keeping it. It's a souvenir for the first time I fought a Noah and didn't die." She grinned at them.

"First time? You plan on doing it again?" Daisya finally decided it was safe to speak to her again. Her eyes snapped over to glare at him again causing him to shrink back away from her; making sure his ears were out of her reach. Sighing to rid herself of the anger she answered.

"They've declared war on us by attacking the generals. It's no longer retrieve the innocence and destroy the akuma. It's about to get a lot more complicated. Whether we like it or not I have a feeling that we will be seeing a lot more of them in the future. The real war has certainly begun." Her eyes drifted up at the daylight streaming over the city. It was finally quiet, all the akuma were either destroyed or had retreated yet it did little to diminish the uneasy feeling.

"It's why we've all been deployed to protect the generals. Several pieces of innocence was lost along with General Yeager's life. The Order cannot afford to let that happen again." Marie continued where Luca left off. He turned to her. "Perhaps you should travel with us for a while. If the Noah retreated he may hold a grudge against you Luca, he may even come after you." Daisya's eyes widen. His stupid mistake could get his friend killed? Would the Noah really hold a grudge against her for saving him? All his worries and thoughts showed in his facial expression. Only Kanda saw it though. Luca was still facing Marie.

"I'd love to but I can't. I need to head east and it doesn't look like General Tiedoll is heading that way. I'm already several days behind the rest of my team. I can't afford to be any more late then I already am." Marie nodded in understanding. He didn't like it though. In truth none of them did. Stretching until she heard a crack from her back Luca looked back up at the sky. "I should be heading out. I need to go to Sassari, Italy. I should make use of the daylight."

"Shouldn't you get some sleep first?" Marie asked.

"Yeah Sassari is a long way from here." Daisya piped up. Luca shook her head.

"It will only take about 3 hours to get to Sassari."

"Sassari is 620 km away." Kanda pointed.

"I know. Harlequin can travel 200 km in an hour. I'll be fine." Luca answered suppressing a yawn. Marie's face grew more worried.

"Come on L, just get some sleep first." Daisya pressed despite how she presented it changing Harlequin's form so many times was exhausting. That was before she used Shadow to create the bells. Making things on the fly took more effort and concentration. She glowered at him before smirking. He immediately moved out of her reach again.

"I'll get some sleep if you guys do the same." All three stopped. She had cornered them. If they said no she wouldn't sleep and it would make her think that they thought she was strong enough, but on the other hand they would be farther behind their mentor.

"Fine. If it will only take you 3 hours to get to Sassari then we can all afford a nap." Kanda gave in. Luca grinned while Daisya openly gaped at the Japanese teen. Marie just smiled to himself. The four made their way to a hotel.

"I'll catch up with you guys in a minute." Luca called after they had been given their rooms.

"Not trying to ditch us are ya Luca?" Daisya asked. Luca shook her head in response a small smile on her face.

"No, I was suppose to check in with Komui when I got here but things were such a mess that I didn't even have time to stop. All of us have been up all night destroying akuma. He's probably worried as it is. Like I said before, I'll be there in a few. I just need to call and check in with him." Daisya just laughed at her.

"I wish you the best of luck."

"Thanks a lot." she snorted at him. His laughter echoed down the hall. Shaking her head she turned to the desk attendant. "May I borrow your phone please?" nodding she handed it to her. "Thank you very much." taking the phone Luca handed the line to Scor which allowed her to contact Headquarters.

"Hello?"

"Hey Reever, it's Luca. Is Komui around?"

"Oh hey Luca! Yeah it's a good thing you called. Komui was about ready to send a legion of finders out to find you." Reever sounded as tired as he always seemed to be.

"Is everything okay?" she asked. She heard him sigh over the phone.

"Yeah it's just a mess as usual. Anyway I'll get the Chief for you."

"Thanks Reever." she smiled even though he couldn't see her.

"No problem. Here you go." Luca didn't get to respond as Komui took the phone and started right in.

"You said you would check in every night! Luca I was worried sick!" Shaking her head Luca cut in before he could completely lose it.

"I was going to. When I got in to Barcelona the akuma were already attacking. I've been up all night with Kanda, Marie, and Daisya trying to fend them off and it only got worse as the night went on." She was dreading telling him this next part.

"How did it get worse?" At least he was calm now. Taking a deep breath to prepare herself and hopefully calm down a bit.

"It got worse because Daisya ran into a Noah." she heard the sound of pottery hitting the floor.

"Did anyone die?" he was calm but she could tell he was preparing for the worst.

"As usual we lost finders but Kanda, Marie, Daisya, and I are alright."

"The Noah just let you leave?" He questioned. This was the part that she was dreading.

"Not exactly."

"Luca tell me everything right now." She sighed, he was completely serious and it was no longer the time to be messing around.

"Daisya and he started fighting. I wasn't there for the beginning to know how it started. If you want to know that part call Kanda or Marie. Daisya's golem is totally trashed. It hardly comes in. It was part of why I was worried. We were all in different parts of the city but close enough that the golems connected. Weird noises were coming from Daisya's golem and strange words. I got a strange feeling and suddenly he stopped answering. I couldn't just assume he was okay. I went to check on him. When I got there Daisya was hanging like an upside down cross from a lamp post. He was still alive and the Noah had yet to kill him. I had Harlequin snatch Charity Bell before he could destroy it." she was giving him the short version.

"He?" Komui cut in.

"Yeah it was a man." she could hear things rustling and clattering around on his end.

"Okay tell me everything you remember about him and speak clearly, I'm having this recorded."

"Alright. He was tall and well built. Mid 20s I would say. Wore a suit and top hat. Gray skin, gold eyes, dark wavy hair and cross like scars across his forehead. He was handsome with a mole under his left eye." she paused trying to recall anything else.

"How tall Luca? As specific as you can be." Komui urged gently.

"I came up to," she paused again trying to figure out when they had been close enough to really measure "like his shoulder so maybe a couple inches shorter than you, very broad shoulders, looked like he had well defined muscles underneath the suit. I would pin him at about 27? Definitely not over 28. It was strange to see him there."

"What about it was strange?" he inquired.

"He was so well dressed that he looked strange around Daisya and I in our uniforms. If we were normal he looked out of place until you saw the killer grin spread across his face. Does that make sense?" she asked as she leaned back against the wall looking around the quiet hotel. She was still on the look out for akuma but was desperately hoping that there wouldn't be any. She was beyond tired and her body was starting to ache.

"That was your instincts trying to protect you. If you were close enough to get this kind of description you were in danger. How close did you get to him?" She chuckled nervously.

"Pretty close." Komui's eyes narrowed on the other end of the line. He knew what that laugh meant and he didn't like it.

"How close is pretty close?" he almost growled at her.

"Um...well," she was drawing out the L as much as she could. "I may have...okay fine, I punched him." She winced upon hearing his chair clatter to the floor.

"You did what?!" he roared.

"He was gonna kill Daisya! What was I supposed to do?" she protested defending her snap of the moment decision.

"Please tell me that none of you are hurt or have lost your innocence." he begged.

"I managed to save Daisya and Charity Bell." she answered.

"What about you and Harlequin?"

"Both here." she said softly to quell his fears. She heard him sigh in relief.

"Can you tell me about his powers?" She grimaced.

"Sorta?"

"Sorta?" he repeated.

"Honestly I don't really know what they were. What I saw didn't make sense. Daisya said that we he kicked Charity Bell at the Noah the he repelled it without touching it. When I got there he didn't do anything. Though I did see him walk through a wall." Truthfully she had no idea how he had done any of it.

"He broke the wall?" he asked not seeing what she didn't understand.

"No, he walked **through** the wall. I even went over and checked the wall. It was completely solid. I have no idea how the two things match." she answered.

"Yep that doesn't make any sense. I'll see if the science division can come up with anything. Alright so what happened after you saved Charity Bell?" he asked getting back to the story.

"I had Harlequin rise out of the ground and take in from him. While he was busy staring at it I used the rest of it to use Shadow creating a pair of gauntlets and land a solid punch to his face before he saw me. As he was pulling himself from the building that he demolished when he hit it I cut Daisya down. Daisya told me what he had seen and I told him that because we didn't know much if anything really about his powers we should incapacitate him form afar. I used Shade to make four bells around him and Daisya kicked Charity Bell through them causing them to ring loudly. He was caught in the middle of all the bells. When he tried to remove his hands from his ears and couldn't I attacked. I punched him several times before sending him crashing through the bell behind him. Apparently he decided that we weren't worth the trouble and walked through the wall." she yawned as she finished up her story. Komui sighed from his end. She and Daisya had been lucky. It only made him worry for the future. Tonight Luca had saved a life but now he couldn't help but wonder if she had done so by putting herself in danger instead.

"You've done well Luca." He told her softly. It broke his heart to have to send them out to fight monsters as far as he was concerned. They were just children but he didn't have any other choice. This was war all he could do was pray for their safety and enjoy the fun moments when they were allowed to be kids. "Daisya is alive because of you and we have more information on the Noah. Now get some sleep." She yawned again.

"Yeah, I'm already at a hotel. Kanda, Marie, and Daisya are with me. They agreed to get some sleep if I would do the same. I'm gonna go catch up with them before one of them comes looking for me." Komui chuckled at that.

"Tell Kanda to call me before they head out. I want to talk to Daisya, see if he got a look at the Noah's human form or not." she nodded again until she remembered that he couldn't see her.

"Okay." Komui could tell that she was falling asleep on her feet and probably hadn't been sleeping well lately.

"Sleep well Luca." He sounded just like a big brother, maybe that's why Lenalee put up with his crazier side.

"Bye." Scor dropped the line as Luca hung up and handed the phone back to the bewildered attendant. "Thank you." Heading down the same hall that Daisya had earlier she wasn't all that surprised to find all of them waiting for her.

"We were beginning to think that you weren't coming back." Daisya spoke form his place on the floor against the wall.

"Komui wasn't exactly thrilled with what I had to tell him. Took longer then I was expecting. Sorry about that." she yawned again.

"Get some sleep." Kanda ordered as he stepped into the room he was sharing with Marie. She smiled as Daisya held the door open for her.

"Sleep well." Kanda only grunted while the other two smiled.

* * *

 **So that went well! Poor Tyki, his ears are going to be hurting for a while. I always felt bad that Daisya died. He was one of my favorites so Luca saved him. I had so much fun writing the part with Road and Sheril and their reaction to the whole thing. Let me know if I missed any mistakes and what you thought about the interactions or if they characters are OCC and I'll do my best to fix it. So what will happen next chapter? You'll have to wait until next week to find out! Later! Chess is out!**


	7. Ah! You!

**I'm so sorry that this chapter is late! I've been sick and really feeling under the weather the last 48ish hours or so. However I'm very excited to bring you this chapter I apologize that it is kinda short. I promise that the chapters are going to start getting longer. Due to the fact that I am only human spelling and grammar mistakes are a given but I do my best to catch them and get rid of them. As usual I don't own DGM I only own Luca, Scor, and Harlequin! Please read and review!**

* * *

Daisya, Kanda, and Marie had walked her to the shore to see her off. Luca couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Kanda could be as grumpy as he wanted, he truly cared for her and even the others. She hadn't told Daisya the way Kanda had sounded when she went to check on him. She had remembered to tell Daisya to call Komui though. Looking around Luca was pleasantly surprised to find that she was almost to Sardinia, Italy. The small island was her first stop.

"Maybe we'll finally get some real sleep in Sassari Scor." The little golem didn't move from it's place nestled in her hair on the top of her head. Luca knew that while the golem like Timcampy was intelligent and understood her it still could not speak but she just couldn't stand the quiet anymore. It was starting to drive her mad and she knew it was a short drive. "Scor play some music, I don't care what." The ocean was beautiful and all but when you sat for three hours with nothing else to look at, it quickly grew old. The song that the silver golem had picked was upbeat and had the exorcist tapping her foot against her innocence after stretching out along the board.

"How can I help you?" Luca smiled at the young man behind the desk.

"May I have a room for the night please?" Writing something down in his book he turned around to grab the key for her.

"Room 201, is there anything else I can get for you?" he smiled pleasantly at her.

"Actually do you have a phone I could use?" He nodded.

"Yes there is one in the lounge that you are free to use. If you go down the hall on your left you'll find the lounge. Take the left staircase when you are done. That will lead you to the hall that your room is in." she nodded.

"Thanks." Following the clerk's directions into the lounge she picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Komui sounded tired and she could still hear him sipping his coffee. She didn't suppose that was anything new it was starting to get late.

"Hey Komui it's Luca. I'm checking in for the night."

"Luca! I'm glad to hear from you. I was starting to get worried." he seemed more tired than usual.

"Yeah I slept longer than I meant to."

"That's fine. I'm glad you slept." Luca bit her lip trying to decide if she should ask him or not.

"Did the science division come up with anything about the Noah?" she asked.

"In general or the man you fought?"

"Well I meant him but anything would be nice." she stated.

"Why? Do you think he's following you?" he questioned narrowing his eyes.

"No, I was just curious. He was strange. You know how I feel about not knowing things." Komui couldn't help but chuckle. Luca was always curious and found herself in some interesting situation because of it. However on the other hand she was better equipped for whatever was thrown at her. But never upset her, the blackmail she has can send anyone to their knees grovelling as fast as they can.

"I'm sorry I was thinking for a moment," he responded upon realizing that she had said something else to him. "what was it you said?" Luca rolled her eyes at him.

"I asked why you think he's following me." Komui sighed. "Komui," she warned. "I know what that sigh means so just tell me right now and then we can get past this."

"We know so little about the Noah that we have no idea if they hold grudges or not." Luca raised an eyebrow at this.

"Isn't that a person to person kind of thing?" she asked now confused.

"Normally yes. Kanda for example does hold grudges but my sweet Lenalee does not. However there are certain things that all Noah possess. It's not just their appearance. They all hold a deep seated hatred for innocence."

"Okay the innocence thing I get but grudges? Seems a little far fetched if you ask me." Komui sighed.

"Maybe. I just want you to be safe. Because you have already battled a Noah and in a way won we need you. At the moment you are the only one who can identify him."

"Did something happen to Daisya?!" she practically yelled into the phone. Looking around Luca was happy to see that the lounge was empty.

"No no no no no no." Komui was quick to quell her fears. "Daisya couldn't really give us a description. The one he gave was nothing like yours. And I quote: Tall, strong, and fast with a hat end of quote." Luca snorted at that.

"Wow, you can practically draw a picture with that description." Komui chuckled happy that she had calmed down so fast. He hadn't meant to scare her.

"We only know of two Noah at the moment. The one who identified herself as Road Kamelot to Allen and Lenalee and your mystery man."

"He's not mine! Don't say it like that!" Looking around to make sure that nobody heard her and thought that she was out of her mind she found that the lounge was still empty. That was weird. It wasn't late enough that all the patrons would be in bed. Thinking back she found that the lobby had been empty when she walked in.

"In the morning I want you to head to Olbia. When you get there call me. Depending on the situation I may have you head straight to Rome and not wait another night."

"Actually Komui," Luca leaned against the wall to look out the window down at the street below. Everything was still eerily quiet. No carts, people, children, hell Luca couldn't even find a dog or a cat. "I'm gonna check things out here first. Things are weird."

"How so?" he asked calmly still sitting at his desk. In the corner of his eye he saw Reever checking in on him, the taller man waved his division member over as he pressed the phone to his shoulder. "See if you can find any recent reports about Sassari lately." Reever nodded and hurried off.

"When I got in the lobby was empty, the lounge was empty and still is. I have yet to see another person besides the desk attendant who just seems off to me. He wasn't surprised to see me at all nor did he question me at all. He's too young to have seen many of us. I'm just gonna poke around for a little while. I'm probably being hypersensitive. It happens when you travel alone but I'd just like to check. It's probably nothing." Komui listened to her quietly. Reever stuck his head in the room a little only to shake it. He hadn't found anything.

"Well I believe that it's better to be safe than sorry. Check in before you leave the hotel in the morning and when you get back so I know if you found something or are heading out to Olbia." Luca nodded.

"I'm gonna head to bed. I'll call before I leave but it will be quick." As she had promised the conversation in the morning had been quick. Wandering around town with no real destination in mind she kept her eyes peeled. "I just can't place it Scor," she murmured to her golem as she walked down the outside of the road to avoid most of the people. "Yeah it was empty last night, which was what felt off yet now there are tons of people and it still feels wrong." Ducking down a different street she found that this one was less crowded. "Maybe being on my own again is overloading my senses." Drifting from street to street she groaned. "Yeah I've lost it. Time to head back."

RING! Luca's eyes darted over to the building to her right. RING! The payphone was ringing. RING! She blinked a few times before it rang again. Looking around the brunette found herself alone. Shrugging her shoulders she walked over to the still ringing phone and picked it up.

"Hello...?" she asked not entirely sure what she was going to get. Perhaps it was Komui, maybe they could hack payphones or something. As a woman who knew absolutely nothing about science she had no idea if this was even possible.

"Tyki-pon?" Green eyes grew wide as their owner recognized the voice of the Millennium Earl. "Are you coming down with something?" With a yelp Luca threw the phone back on the receiver.

"I just hung up on the Millennium Earl." She looked over at Scor who looked just as shocked as she was. "Why did he call a payphone?" was her next question. RING! Luca looked back over at the phone which was once again ringing. "What?" When the phone didn't answer her, not that she thought it would she picked up again.

"We must have gotten cut off-" Slam! Small pieces fluttered away from the receiver.

"What is he doing?" Luca looked around. There was nobody else on the street. Just her. The Earl couldn't possible be calling her and even if he was, why would he do that? "Also who or what is a Tyki-pon?" RING! "I feel like I shouldn't pick this up but I'm gonna do it anyway."

"Tyki this isn't fun-"

"Funny to me." Luca grinned at her golem as she waited to see how many times he would call. RING!

"Tyki-" Grinning she cut him off.

"Frank and Lynn's Zoo: Snake Department Jeffery speaking how may I help you?" There was silence on the line for the next couple of seconds.

"Uhhhhhh I think I may have the wrong number." The Earl didn't sound very sure of himself.

"That is quite alright sir! Have a fantastic day!" The phone didn't ring again immediately. "Guess I scared him off." she shrugs setting the phone back on the receiver. She was only a few steps away when it rang again. "Or not." She picked up the phone again.

"Tyki?" the Earl sounded hopeful.

"Pardon?" she had lowered her voice. "This is Paul from Henry's Hat House. May I help you?"

"You sell hats?" Luca had to stifle a giggle. She had heard rumors that the Earl always wore a different top hat every day. Guess it was true.

"Yes we do in deed sir!" she filled her voice with lots of enthusiasm.

"What kind of hats?"

"All kinds of hats! Bowler hats, tricorn hats, Amish hats, buccaneer hats, top hats-" the Earl cut in here.

"Top hats?"

"Yes we do sell top hats. All kinds of top hats with all different designs."

"Um, aren't you supposed to be calling Tyki?" A young girl's voice came from behind the Earl it sounded like. Perhaps this was Road Kamelot? Allen had said she looked to be several years younger than him. By her voice Luca would have pinned her between 12 and 14.

"Ah yes, that I am. I will have to stop by Henry's House of Hats at some point. Where are you located?"

"In London sir. Not far from Big Ben." she answered as best as she could. Honestly she hadn't thought that it would go on this long.

"Have a good evening Paul."

"You as well sir." The Earl hung up after her farewell. "I can't believe that worked!" Luca shouted for joy. The phone began to ring again and in her joy she forgot who was probably on the other side she picked it up with a grin.

"Tyki I-" tossing the phone back onto the receiver with a shriek, jumping away. The phone ended the call with a slam.

"I've got to stop doing this, probably do something productive like tell Komui about this though maybe leave out the part that I picked up the phone like four more times even when I was pretty sure I knew who it was."

"This way master Noah." Upon hearing the hissing voice of an akuma along with the magic word Luca abandoned the phone and ran around to the other side.

"Harlequin, up!" The harsh whisper scratched at her throat but she didn't dare make anymore noise. Using her innocence to reach the roof she crouched low. RING!

"Hello?"

"Scor get in close enough to record the conversation." she ordered. The little golem flew over to the edge overhead where the Noah had picked up the phone. She couldn't understand what was being said only that the Earl was yelling at the Noah probably for her shenanigans. She struggled to keep her giggles under wraps as the Noah tried desperately to defend himself but the Earl wouldn't have any of it. Soon the Earl stopped yelling and she could no longer hear what he was saying. Luca leaned over subtly to see if she could catch a look of him. All she saw was a top hat with a silver buckle on it. The akuma most likely a level 2 was a man in his late 40's wearing a bowler hat. "Huh, not the desk clerk." she mumbled to herself.

"Understood Millennium Earl." the Noah hung up the phone and Luca retreated farther back even going as far as to lay down on the roof. Scor fluttered back to her once the Noah was gone.

"Replay Scor, skip the yelling. I listen to it later." Luca pulled herself up into a crouch.

"I know I gave you a list of people to delete but I need you to pick up this piece of innocence. The akuma have managed to keep quiet about the piece so the exorcists don't know about it. I need you to get it before it gets out."

"Understood Millennium Earl." Scor ended the recording.

"Better pick it up. Komui would kill me if it gets destroyed." Deciding that it was best to stay out of sight for now Luca jumped from rooftop to rooftop following after the akuma. Upon seeing several akuma who had already shed their skin she sunk low. "Gotta get rid of them without the Noah noticing me and before he destroys that piece. So they can't see me. Activate." Dipping her fingers into the floating metal she coated the tips. Flicking her fingers forward the innocence shot forward spearing straight through the first akuma and into the second one. The third looked around as the first exploded.

"What's going on?" he asked. Not even having time to see anything Harlequin shot from the second one and through his head. Sliding from her hiding place she darted across the roof and jumped to the next one. She saw four more akuma ahead. One was a level one while the other three were level two. The level two akuma were bickering with each other. Luca wrinkled her nose at the one that looked like a giant demented baby.

"Go!" she ordered. Snapping out Harlequin wrapped around all the bickering ones.

"What's happening?" howled one.

"Exorcist!" another shrieked.

"Come out!" the final one hollered.

"Crush." she demanded. All three akuma exploded as Harlequin flew by the level one slicing it clean in half. Crossing the roof she saw that only the Noah and the original akuma remained. Sliding around to she could see both Luca's eyes widened. The Noah already had the innocence. "Well that's just peachy." Jerking her fingers liquid metal shot forward sending the akuma crashing into the Noah causing him to drop the innocence and his hat as he stumbled a few steps. The innocence bouncing several feet away.

"What the hell?" he snapped whirling around fully intending to yell at the akuma but it was gone. "Useless creatures." he rolled his eyes in annoyance. The akuma struggled and tried to yell but Luca merely looked at it in boredom. With a single hand motion it's head rolled across the ground. Slinking across the roof she saw the innocence. _He's gonna reach it before me_ , she cursed silently in her head until her eyes landed on his hat laying innocently on the ground.

"I can work with that." she whispered as Harlequin formed a whip. Climbing up to the peak of the roof she snapped the whip out. Flying forwards it knocked the innocence up in the air while it wrapped around the hat. Yanking it back the innocence fell neatly into the hat as it flew back to the exorcist.

"What the hell?" The Noah's eyes followed his hat. Catching the hat Luca dug her hand into it.

"Let's see what I can pull out of my hat." she grinned as her fingers wrapped around the shard. "Well well well would you look at that." she spoke as she pulled the piece out. "Now that's what I call a rabbit." Tucking the shard away Luca finally took a moment to examine the Noah now that the innocence was safe. Metallic green met gold.

"Ah! You!" The shared moment of realization was rather anticlimactic. Luca's immediately started laughing. Her hood fell from her head as she leaned back attempting to get more air into her aching lungs between fits of laughter.

"Well you look better than the last time I saw you." she giggled as her braids bounced against her waist.

"How did you get here so fast?" he questioned. She smiled at him. Tyki decided that she was entirely too entertained by this.

"Ah well that's a secret. Sorry." She wasn't actually sorry at all but the face he was making was far too entertaining to stop. "I will tell you one thing though. If your akuma hadn't been so obvious I would have already been gone by now. It's only thanks to you and that phone call that I even knew about this piece." His gold eyes narrowed at that.

"Were you the one that kept picking up the phone and then hanging up?" Her grin only grew. "I got yelled at for 15 minutes when I tried to say that it wasn't me."

"I know." she started to laugh again.

"I got in trouble because he thought that was me!" The face he was making was totally worth the trouble she would get when she told Komui how she had obtained this information.

"Come now it was just a little fun. Nobody got hurt." she pouted.

"I'm pretty sure my ears are bleeding." he snorted at her.

"That could also be some lasting damage from the bells." Her smile returned causing her green eyes to glow with mirth along with all the crazy hand motions that she made whenever she spoke.

"Yeah I didn't appreciate that either. My brother thought I had lost my mind."

"Why is that a bad thing?"

"Losing my hearing for several days? How cou-" She cut him off.

"Having your brother thinking that you've lost your mind."

"Because than he bothers me all day."

"But you just said that you couldn't hear him, so what does it matter?" Tyki blinked at her several times. What was wrong with this exorcist?

"Because it meant a truly awful game of charades with him and Road." he huffed.

"What's wrong with charades?" Once again Tyki found himself questioning the sanity of the woman before him.

"Are you mad?" It was a completely honest question on his part however this only brought a grin back to her face.

"We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad." He groaned.

"Lewis Carroll?"

"Know it?"

"I do." he sighed dragging his hand down the length of his face. "Wait! What does this have to do with anything?"

"Beats me." Luca shrugged at him content to stand where she was and annoy him. The poor Noah made such wonderful faces. "You brought it up."

"I did not!" he couldn't help but snap. The voice in the back of his head which was probably the sanest he had was telling him that not only did he not have the piece of innocence but he was also having a childish argument with an exorcist. The same exorcist that a few days ago had broken several bones, stole his hat, saved another exorcist from him, and almost made him deaf. "How's that other exorcist?"

"Daisya?" She asked as she sat on the roof, green eyes still trained on him. "Oh he's fine."

"Shouldn't you be trying to kill me?"

"But you're all the way over there." she groaned while flailing her right arm in his general direction halfheartedly.

"The effort you put into your job is absolutely astounding." Every one of his words dripping with sarcasm.

"I know," she threw her hand over her face so that the back of her hand rested against her forehead. "It's so exhausting." Taking the opportunity he lept at her. Rolling back onto her hands she pushed herself back. As he moved forward and she backwards their eyes met for they were face to face for a moment.

"Still quick on your feet I see." He noted as he landed where she had been sitting mere seconds ago.

"That was scary." she mocked covering her mouth with her hand.

"I doubt that." he chuckled.

"You could've hurt somebody doing that."

"That was the point."

"And here I thought we were starting to get along." She was pouting at him. A thought suddenly occurred to him as he took a drag from his cigarette.

"Where's your weapon?" She smiled at him. Bursting through the roof from under his feet the liquid grabbed him in a vice like grip, smashing him through several buildings across the road before flying back to it's mistress.

"Well that's gonna hurt. Bye bye!" she called heading back for town with a grin on her face. Weaving through the crowd was easy as she had years of experience doing it. Ducking through the alleyways to stay away from the crowd should he find her again. "Oh man Scor! What a rush! Danger! Life and death situations! I haven't felt like this in a long time." Luca couldn't keep her excitement in check. She huffed to catch her breath as she came down from her adrenaline rush.

"Welcome back Miss." Luca waved at the desk clerk as she slowed from her jog to walk through the lobby on her way to the lounge. Walking over to the phone she handed Scor the line and called Komui still grinning with excitement. The logical part of her brain told her that she almost died, every time she ran into the Noah she was putting herself in danger but the rest of her brain was still craving the rush that came with almost dying. Her brain made her own personal drug of choice. All she had to do was find a situation that would cause her brain to make it in an attempt to preserve her life.

"Komui here!"

"Komui it's Luca!" she couldn't help chirping nor could she remove the grin from her face.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" he asked happy that she was in a good mood but worried at the same time. He knew that Lenalee worried about the shorter girl. While Allen threw himself in dangerous situations to try and save everybody, Luca did it because she was bored. Komui was almost certain that Luca was an adrenaline junkie. Which in a way was worse than Allen's hero problem.

"Okay so don't be mad but I got myself into some trouble." he had to stop himself from groaning at the cheerful tone of her voice.

"What did you do?"

"So I ran into that Noah guy again-"

"He followed you?!" he shouted cutting her off jumping to his feet. She could hear him crashing around his office obviously looking for something. Probably where the closest finders were to give her an entourage.

"No! No no no no no no. Komui calm down. It was a chance encounter." Luca tried to calm him down before he injured himself or made her late for her meeting, well more than she already was.

"How do you know that?" he questioned suspiciously.

"He was just as surprised to see me as I was him. He wouldn't have been surprised if he was following me." Luca listened carefully. Hearing Komui pick up his chair and sit down again she sighed glad that she managed to calm him down before he went full big brother and made her life harder. Not only would a bunch of finders hamper her travel time as she couldn't travel using Harlequin with a bunch of finders and it would only endanger them. There was no way that any of the finders would be able to stand up to this guy.

BOOOM! The explosion along with Luca shriek caused Komui to jump to his feet again.

"Luca? Luca? Luca?! Luca!" he could hear the aftermath of the explosion, rocks crumbling and falling, things cracking, and somebody walking towards the phone. "Luca?" he called again hopefully. Somebody picked up the phone.

"I'm so sorry, she can't come to the phone right now." Komui's stomach dropped at the smooth baritone voice that floated in through the phone. It was the Noah. It had to be. He followed her. "Have a good day." with that the Noah dropped the phone not bothering to end the call allowing Komui to hear him walking away from the phone.

"Luca? Luca? Luca?! Luca! LUCA?!"

* * *

 **Well...that went about as well as can be expected. Leave it to Luca to find her way into trouble and be excited about it. She's got a few problems. Pretty sure Komui just lost several years of his life in those last 15 minutes or so. She'll get an earful for that I'm sure. I rewrote this chapter several times before I was happy with it. The rest of the occupants of the house are less thrilled because I listen to music (at strange hours of the night) when I write and sometimes that means the same song is on repeat because it fits. Whether the lyrics fits or the actual music of it fits. Some chapters have more of a music influence than others. I honestly can't even remember what song I've been listening to. So in this chapter we get to see Luca and Tyki meeting again. Luca is more entertained by this than he is. Poor man has no idea what he's getting himself into. I apologize about the crappy chapter titles, if I come up with something better I'll be sure to change it. As always please read and review. Well I'm still sick and I should be going to bed (see if I can actually get some sleep tonight) so Chess is out (of her mind) enjoy!**


	8. Swinging from the Chandelier

**So I'm back with chapter eight! I will admit that I had a lot of fun leaving the last chapter where I did. It was a mean thing to do but I still had fun. However it is Tuesday and that means an update so here's chapter eight. Hopefully Luca will survive Tyki. As always I only own Luca Blackwood, Scor, and Harlequin. Everything else belongs to DGM. Enjoy Swinging from the Chandelier!**

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"Come out, come out! Aw come on don't tell me you're already dead little Butterfly. I was so hoping that we could continue playing." Phasing through the rubble that was once the lounge of the hotel Tyki continued to look for the exorcist. Dead or alive he needed to find and destroy any piece of innocence she had on her. He would thoroughly enjoy destroying her personal piece. Words could not express how he hated it. It was the only piece to ever escape his grasp not once but twice. It needed to end here. Nothing would be able to save him if the twins or Road for that matter were to ever find out that an exorcist more than a head shorter than him kicked his ass and escaped three times. The torment would never end and Sheril would do nothing to stop it. Not to mention that the Earl would get on his case about it. "If you don't come out I'm going to go kill that desk clerk slowly and painfully." he called hoping to draw her out. He wouldn't believe she was dead until he saw a body.

"Come now, My Love there's no need to be like that. I'm right here." A black arrow shot through the akuma that had caused the explosion before the innocence led the Noah back to it's mistress' position on the banister. Dusting herself off Luca balanced easily on the rail. "I thought you would play nicely but here you've gone and ruined by coat." she tutted examining the damage to her coat before brushing her pants off. They were ripped at the knees showing her bloody scrapped up skin. She was missing a few layers of skin but they would grow back quickly. Luckily the durable material of her gloves had held up and her hands were fine. Her leather belts that held all her pouches was scrapped up but not seriously damaged.

"I must say I'm rather impressed you survived." He took in her wounds. Her knees were banged up, she was bleeding from her shoulder, and had a cut across the edge of her left eyebrow with blood dripping down the contour of her cheekbone to her jaw. "What's more you're hardly injured."

"I could say the same thing to you My Love. I slammed you through several buildings. From the way you're moving I know that I rebroke your ribs and it hurts you to breathe, your left leg must be injured because you're limping and favoring it and you have a concussion and I'm almost certain the ringing in your ears has returned."

"You are better at this than I thought you would be." He paused for a moment. "My Love?" he questioned upon realizing what she had called him.

"Butterfly?" she shot back.

"Fair enough." he shrugged. They watched each other for a moment, both sizing the other up along with their wounds and powers. A cry diverted their attention. Recognizing it as the desk clerk the exorcist made a break for it. Running towards the hall to the lobby she jumped from the banister to a piece of rubble to the floor. She could here his footsteps behind her. He was gaining. Taking in a huge breath Luca pushed her body faster. She had to make it.

Tyki's head snapped to the side. He had completely forgotten about the clerk. He wasn't important. Butterfly was the one that was important. He needed to get her. Tyki had paid no mind to the others in the hotel when he ordered the akuma to blow a hole in the wall upon finding her. His moment of distraction allowed her to make a break for it. He wouldn't allow her to lose him in the crowd. Watching her run along the rail was interesting. Her balance was impressive. She hit the ground running from the piece of rubble. Sighing he took off after her. His longer legs started to close the distance in no time until she picked up speed again. Unfortunately for her she didn't know about the akuma in the lobby that was waiting for her on the off chance that she got by him. _Which she had_ , his mind helpfully supplied. _Shut up_ , it wasn't a great response especially when he was arguing with himself but it was what he had at the moment. His pride warring with the logical part of his brain.

As she came thundering from the hall into the lobby Luca found a level one with it's gun's trained on the terrified desk attendant. She could still hear the Noah behind her. She needed to move quickly and be able to fight without worrying about civilians.

"Harlequin Activate!" Upon her shout the akuma turned to her. Seeing her coat it fully turned, it's guns now trained on her. Grinning she dove out of the way as it fired allowing her pursuer to take the brunt of the bullets. She doubted that the akuma blood would harm him but that wouldn't stop the bullets from actually hurting him. "Go! Get out of here!" she yelled at the clerk. Without wasting a moment the clerk took off running out into the chaos of the streets that the explosion had caused. The liquid innocence shot forward hurtling through the akuma destroying it before it could fire again.

"That hurt Butterfly." his arm snaking around her shoulder grabbing her by her neck as he growled in her ear. Hissing he let go and jumped away from her. As she rolled away from him he looked down at the burned spot on his arm. "How did you do that?" Tyki watched as Butterfly blinked at him a few times before something dawned on her.

"Oh it must have been this." Unbuttoning the first couple buttons on her jacket Luca pulled it open. The green necklace glowed angrily. "I forgot about that."

"You have two pieces of innocence?" her love growled at her, apparently he didn't enjoy being burned.

"Nope. I just picked it up. It's not mine. I'm just protecting it." His eyes drifted from the glowing necklace to the strapless top she wore underneath her jacket to the scar he could see peaking out from the edge of her jacket on her right shoulder. "I guess it doesn't like you being near it."

"I don't particularly like being near it either." Tyki sighed as he stood up.

"What's wrong My Love?" she asked a smile making it's way onto her face. The adrenaline was still pumping in her veins.

"As fun as this has been our game must come to an end." Luca watched curiously as he spread his arms out wide. Something told her that she better pay attention. Her eyes widened as hundreds of butterflies came flying out of his body. Jumping back she observed the quietly as they rushed towards her. The first one to reach her bit down on her arm. Smacking it hard the butterfly hit the ground.

"Carnivorous butterflies? That's a new one My Love, I'll give you that." With a wave of her hand Harlequin formed thousands of little needles. Upon receiving the order the needles flew forward shooting down all the butterflies. "However I do not like being bit by insects."

"Would you prefer if I bit you?" His voice came from behind her. Whirling around to face him, his kick connected with her side sending her crashing into the wall. She winced prodding her ribs gently as she pulled herself from the wall. _Well he returned the favor_ , Luca thought.

"Buy me dinner and then we'll talk." He smirked at her as he considered the offer.

"Perhaps."

"Oooh now I'm all tingly." She held out her hand allowing her innocence to fly over to her, Sliding along her skin like silk forming her gauntlets. Summoning another butterfly to his hand Luca watched as it grew into a large star shaped shield. "Ready to dance My Love?"

"Of course." His smirk matched hers. Charging innocence met dark matter in a clash of sparks and lightning. "Your willpower is exceptional Butterfly. Many exorcists your age wouldn't be able to stand up to me."

"What can I say? I just can't stand to be away from you My Love. I need to be able to match you or the game would end." He pushed her back with the shield, the force causing her to skid back several feet.

"I'm honored that I meet your standards Butterfly." She smiled at him as her gauntlets split to form armor over her boots. Lashing out her foot connected with the shield. Jumping up Luca swung her other foot over the shield and into his face before landing on her feet. "My, my, my, it seems I need to stop underestimating you. That's the second time you've landed a hit on my face." He lunged out at her from the smoke that had exploded from the wall when he hit it. Grabbing her by her jacket but avoiding the necklace he swung her into the wall. A cry broke free from her lips as the hit jostle her broken ribs. "What a pretty sound that was Butterfly." he cooed at her. "Let's see if you can make any other noises?" with that he flung her into the ceiling.

"Spikes." she ordered causing her innocence to hold her to the ceiling by her armored boots the spikes sticking into the ceiling. She hid in the cloud of dust to formulate a plan.

"Oh dear did I throw her through the roof?" Tyki questioned to himself when the exorcist didn't come back down.

"Worried about me?" her voice called to him from above; looking up Tyki found her standing on the ceiling as if it was the floor.

"You're just full of surprises aren't you Butterfly?" he chuckled.

"Well it wouldn't be any fun if I wasn't now would it?" she asked shaking her head, her long twin braids swayed as they hung down. The gauntlets melted from her skin into a whip.

"What's the matter? Don't feel like being up close and personal all of the sudden? I thought you liked being near me?" He knew why she had retreated. That didn't stop him from mocking her as the whip struck the floor where he had just been standing.

"I never shy away. I j-" A loud train whistle cut her off. "Oh francba (shit)." she groaned upon hearing it. "Well as much as I love the time we spend together I have a train to catch." He raised an eyebrow at this.

"Do you think that I'll just let you walk out?" She smiled at him.

"No of course not. However you have something else to catch."

"Oh?" He didn't get to say anything else as she ripped the three tier crystal chandelier from it's place on the ceiling and flung it at him.

"Come on now Butterfly you should know that can't hit me with something that's not innocence." Smiling as she fell she answered him.

"Of course I do." Right on cue Harlequin covered the chandelier as it crashed into him. Landing on it she shot through the doors of the hotel and down the street. Her innocence flying after her as she chased the train. "Up!" Wrapping around her boots again the liquid gave her the strength to leap to the roof of the building in front of her. Thundering over the rooftops Luca vaulted onto the train roof. Sliding into the safety of the train compartment that she had been shown to Luca collapsed on the seat. Her entire body ached and the adrenaline was starting to wear off.

Opening her bag she dug around for her medical kit. Upon finding it she locked the door before discarding her jacket and shirt to wrap her ribs. She moved on to her bleeding shoulder. Pulling the shard of rock that had been embedded into it she hissed. Scor bumped her head into her mistress' to comfort her.

"Don't worry about it Scor, it's not bad." Luca patted the silver golem on the head before she went back to cleaning up her shoulder. It would need better attention but it was what she could do in a train compartment. "Damn, Komui's gonna kill me. I'm gonna have to call him first thing when we get to Olbia."

"I can't believe she threw the chandelier at me." Tyki growled as he finished phasing his body from the rubble of the hotel. "I can't believe I fell for it. I can't believe I lost another piece of innocence to her!" By this point he was more than a little pissed off.

"Who threw a chandelier at you?" Tyki groaned as his niece's voice came from behind him. Turning around he found Road standing by her door swinging Lero around by his handle. His ribs ached from making that noise.

"You lost the piece of innocence?" Lero shrieks freeing himself from the girl's grasp to get in Tyki's face.

"Hey!" she whined.

"I don't want to talk about it." he grumbled pushing the umbrella away.

"Aw come on Tyki! Share!" Road whined as she flung herself onto his back.

"Ouff. I don't want to." he grunted as she knocked his broken ribs around. He pressed his hand against them in an attempt to ease the pain.

"Come on! Don't be like that."

"Please get off." Tyki started coughing which caused more pain in his chest. As the coughing fit continued he found his vision fading and blurring with black spots. Road lept off his back and rushed forward to steady him when his knees gave out. Pulling his hand away he found blood covering the white glove.

"One of your lungs has been pierced." Road panicked once she saw the blood. Helping him stand Road kicked open her door to get her uncle home. The innocence would have to wait. "Earl!" she screamed half dragging Tyki into the room with her. Both the Earl and Sheril came running.

"Road what's wrong?" Sheril asked worriedly. His eyes widened when he saw his younger brother hanging off his daughter. "What happened?" he rushed over to take the man from Road as her lithe form was having trouble holding her uncle up.

"He said that somebody threw a chandelier at him." Sheril stopped for a moment and blinked at her.

"That's a new one."

"Bring him in here Sheril." the Earl ordered motioning to a room.

"Do you know who?" Sheril asked Road who followed doggedly at his heels.

"No. They were already gone."

"He said her." Lero spoke from where he floated by the smallest Noah's head.

When Luca came to she found herself in a hospital room. The noise of the machines around her pulled a groan from her lips. She hated hospitals. Sitting up she looked around. Her bag rested in a chair while Scor lay on the table next to her. When she saw that her mistress' was awake the silver golem flew right over to her.

"Hey Scor." her voice was all scratchy. She yelped when the silver golem opened her mouth and bit down on her nose. "What the hell was that for? That really hurt!" Luca yelled out partly in surprise. The shout of course had doctors and nurses alike running into the room.

"Miss are you okay? What happened?" Luca gave a sheepish smile to the doctor.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. She bit my nose because she's mad at me." She pointed at the silver golem still attached to her nose. With a tug Scor released the flesh. Neither the nurse nor the doctor knew what to say to that. "How long have I been asleep and how did I get here? Also could I have some water please?"

"I'll go get that." The nurse rushed off while the doctor sat down.

"You've been asleep for three days. You gave that poor train attendant such a fright when he found you in your compartment unconscious and bleeding. He called for an ambulance as soon as he saw you. I'd like to ask you how you ended up like that but I have a feeling you wouldn't tell me." Luca smiled at him sadly. He was caring. "I've seen your kind before." he waved his pipe at her. "How you exorcists manage to do this astounds me. And at such a young age. You can't be more than 17." Luca gave a dry laugh.

"We fight in a war. There is no age limit. Whoever is compatible becomes an exorcist. I've been training for this since I was 7. It's funny that if the war ended tomorrow I wouldn't know what to do. 9 years is a long time." she paused for a moment. "How did you know I was an exorcist?" He pointed his pipe at her tattered coat that was draped over her bag.

"As I said, I've seen your kind. I dealt with you personally once I saw your coat. So many humans are completely unaware that all of you exorcists are putting your lives on the line so we may continue to live in peace. I wish there was more I could but the best I could do was make sure that you pulled through." Luca reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"That's all that we need from you. Despite the fact that you don't have a way to fight you still help by saving us when you find us. Thank you for treating me." The nurse came back in with a glass of water. Green eyes snapped over to her.

"Here you go, Miss exorcist." The doctor jumped away with a yelp as the nurse turned into a level two akuma.

"Activate, Shadow Stitches." Spike like threads shot off Luca skin into the akuma.

"You will not last long little exorcist. Master Noah has his eyes on you." it hissed as it died.

"Are you okay Doctor?" she asked sliding out of her bed.

"Yes," he shook himself a bit before continuing "but you shouldn't be getting up yet. Your injuries haven't finished healing."

"I'm afraid I must go. As the akuma said I have drawn the attention of the Noah. I can't have them following me here. If I leave they will most likely ignore you and this hospital to chase after me."

"But you aren't well enough to fight." he protested.

"I need to get to Rome though. My younger brother is waiting for me. I can't wait any longer." The doctor sighed thinking about his own younger brother.

"At least wait until I have some medication for you. To help with the pain, please." She smiled at him.

"That's fine. May I use a phone please?" He nodded.

"I'll have one sent in. Until then please stay in the bed." She nodded. The nurse brought in a phone.

"Thank you." Handing the cord over to Scor she took in a deep breath. "Wish me luck Scor."

"Komui here." he sounded depressed. Taking another deep breath Luca prepared herself for the yelling of her life. "Hello? Is somebody there?"

"Komui it's Luca." One moment of silence followed by another and finally another one. "Komui?" she tried again a bit worried about the Chinese man when he didn't respond to her.

"Luca? Is that really you?" He spoke slowly as if he was waiting to wake up.

"Yes it is. It's really me Komui."

"Say something only Luca would say." Sighing she took a breath.

"I will tell Lena about how you tried to turn me into her doppelganger so she would never have to go out again."

"Okay okay okay it's you. Please don't tell her about that. It didn't go well." If he had been in front of her she would have glared at him.

"I know it didn't go well. I was the one that you did it too!" she snapped. Her normal personality seemed to remind of what had happened.

"Where the hell have you been Luca?!" he roared in her ear. "I have been sending finders from hospital to hospital and morgue to morgue. You've been missing for three days! I nearly lost my mind! I was trying to figure out how to tell Lenalee who would have to tell Allen that you were dead. I had no idea how I was gonna tell them! How was I suppose to tell your brother that you died doing something stupid. I-I-I-"Luca cut in.

"Komui! Breathe!" she gave him a few seconds to catch his breath. "Now before you freak out on me let me explain. No he didn't follow me from Barcelona. He did however follow back to the hotel. Yes we got into a fight. Again I still have the innocence."

"Wait there was innocence?" Taking another deep breath she prepared for the worse.

"Okay first thing's first, you let me talk and don't interrupt me got it?"

"Fine." She could hear him pouting.

"Remember what I said, now I've figured out a few things. There was a piece of innocence there in Sassari. I was walking around when the payphone started ringing so I picked it up and the Millennium Earl was on the other end. He called several times. Then I heard somebody coming so I hid. Anyway long story short he calls the Noah with a payphone to tell them where to go. I had Scor record the phone call and stole the innocence. He followed me to the hotel and attacked. I managed to drive him off before I jumped on a train. I'm in Olbia right now. I collapsed in the train compartment. The train attendant who found me freaked out and rushed me to the hospital. I've been sleeping for three days. I'm gonna head to Rome as soon as I get out of here."

"Luca Blackwood you will not move from that hospital bed until you are fully healed and the group of finders that I am sending are there!" Luca rolled her eyes at this.

"Komui I will do no such thing. We are at war, I am a soldier. I can't wait for the finders nor will I put them in danger. Yes he put me in the hospital, however I also did damage to him. Harlequin and I can contend with him. With every encounter I learn more about him. I can deal with him. I can't do that with a bunch of finders slowing me down. I can't protect them. I know that as much as you hate it but you need to let me be. I've got this. So no more freaking out. I got you valuable information so can we just leave it at that?" She could hear him sighing on the other side.

"I guess that even if I did send a bunch of finders to watch you I doubt it would take you long to ditch them. As you said it's safer if you don't have to protect other people. Now can we go back a minute?" Luca raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, where?"

"How did you know that the Millennium Earl called several times?" Luca gave a nervous laugh.

"Well I may have picked up the phone several times."

"Why did you do that? Did he know it was you? Was he calling you? Luca why would you do that?" She could hear him freaking out again.

"Komui you need to breathe and keep calm. I kept picking up because it was funny. I changed every time he called. First it was a zoo and then a hat shop. I know that you think it was stupid but if I had just walked away we would've lost a piece of innocence because we didn't know about it. As for your other questions no he wasn't calling me and he didn't know it was me because like I said, I changed everything each time. I even changed my voice." Luca got up from the bed to walk over to the window. She was still sore but now she was stiff from laying in the same spot for three days. Opening the window she let the cool breeze blow through her greasy hair. "Ugh I need a shower. As soon as the doctor comes back I'm gonna clean up and check out. I'm heading to Rome. I'm already several days behind them than I was before. I need to get going." Komui sighed.

"I know, I need to let you go and I can't be overprotective of you all because it is true. You are all soldiers but that doesn't mean that I won't still worry about you. Promise that you will take care please Luca."

"Yeah I will. The doctor's coming back. Please make sure to pay this hospital and the doctor generously. He treated me personally." Komui hummed for a second.

"Of course I will. Please be safe." Luca laughed.

"You already asked me to be safe and to take care, get some sleep Komui clearly you need it." she paused for a moment. "Thanks for worrying about me and my brother. Later Komui." Komui couldn't help but smile as the line went dead.

* * *

 **Well she survived! Granted she nearly gave Komui a heart attack. It's kinda fun writing Komui's reaction to Luca's habit of dismissing her own personal safety. Nicknames have also appeared. Get used to them cause their sticking around for a while. At the moment Luca and Tyki don't know each other's names and Tyki has a habit of calling people nicknames anyway. I can't honestly say when Tyki's nickname came to me. I just found myself writing it. It just fit him from her perspective and stuck. I know I said that the chapters are going to get longer but the next thing that happens in important and I really needed to separate certain points so this chapter is around the same length as the last one. Well that's all for today so Chess is out!**


	9. Demon's Dance

**Okay! So yes I know I'm cutting it fairly close it being almost Wednesday and all but I actually had a hard time writing a part of this chapter and I didn't know if I really liked it or not. Still kinda on the fence about it really. I am going to come out and say this right now LUCA IS NOT THE HEART. I personally believe that we don't know enough about the heart to make it into a character. I know I couldn't. I'm not hating on anybody's who's character has the heart of innocence but I wouldn't make one. As always I edit this to the best of my abilities but things do slip by feel free to message me if you see one! Anyway as usual I own Luca Blackwood, Harlequin and Scor. DGM and all it's characters belong to Katsura Hoshino. That being said enjoy chapter nine!**

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"Luca," Turning her head, green eyes landed on the tall form of her teacher. Luca turned to face him even though he was facing away from her. It was common for him, an attempt to distance himself from the pair of children who depended on him so he didn't get attached to them. "How many times do I have to tell you?" he didn't pause long enough for her to answer him. "Don't get attached to Allen."

"Why Master?" she took a couple steps towards him through the tall grass of the field. "You keep saying that but you never give me a reason. If you think that he's going to die then train us more. What's so bad about having a family, I don't care if he's not my blood. Real family is the people who are there for you." Cross sighed letting a stream of smoke past his lips.

"Just do as I say brat."

"That's not an answer Master." Luca protested ignoring the nickname, having long since been used to it.

"Brat-"

"Luca!" Allen's voice calling out to her cut off whatever their Master was going to say. Spinning towards her brother 's voice Luca found him standing right in front of her.

"Ahh!" Involuntarily shrieking Luca couldn't stop her fist in time before in connected with her brother's face. "Allen! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit you." She offered her hand to pull him back to his feet.

"It's fine. I should know better than to be so close without you knowing." Accepting her hand Allen let's her pull him to his feet.

"So what was it that you needed? Was it Master?" Allen didn't even look over her shoulder at their master.

"It's time to go. Lenalee and Lavi are waiting for us." Luca blinked once, twice, and again.

"Wait what?" Allen raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are you okay?"

"What about-" she turned around slowly only to find the field and their master gone, as if neither had ever been there. "-Master...?" she trailed slowly.

"Maybe you should sit this mission out. I could talk to Komui about it." Luca looked down and found herself wearing her exorcist coat. Which hadn't been there moments ago.

"No, no, no, I'm fine. Let's go."

"Great! We're heading to Paris." Allen led the way.

"Remember what I said Luca." Upon hearing her master's voice again, she looked behind her again for him. Still there was nothing behind her.

"I think I'm losing my mind." Luca sighed. When Allen didn't respond she whirled around to find him several feet ahead of her. "Allen?" she called jogging to catch up. When he didn't stop or slow down she tried again. "Allen?" Instead of gaining she was actually losing distance. "Allen!" Picking up her pace Luca started to run after him. "Allen!" Luca came to a complete stop when the darkness consumed Allen. "Allen! Come back! Allen!" Looking around Luca found herself completely and utterly alone. Allen and Master were both gone. Suddenly she could no long breathe. The darkness was closing in on her. There was no escape. She was trapped. Her family was gone. She was alone. All alone.

Shooting up Luca looked around wildly trying desperately to remember where she was and what was going on while trying to untangle herself from the sheets that were wrapped around her like a spider's web. Her body was still shaking and covered in sweat making the sheets stick to her like a second skin. Startled by her mistress' sudden movement Scor flew around the room for a few seconds looking for the threat. When she found none the little golem fluttered back over to comfort the terrified exorcist.

"It's okay Scor. It was just a nightmare. I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay." her attempts to calm the golem and more likely herself were weak at best. However she was far too rattled to try anything else. As her breathing started to return to normal Luca untangled her legs from the sheets before walking over to the bathroom. The bags under her cat like eyes were more pronounced than usual and her face was as white as the sheets that now lay on the floor. Turning on the sink she splashed water onto her face. Hoping that the cold would rid her of the nightmare. Finally awake enough to convince herself that it was just a nightmare and everything was fine she staggered back over to the bed. Her legs were still wobbly and unsure as if the floor was about to give way right out from under her bare feet. Picking up the clock Luca found that it was only 3:37 in the morning. Despite the fact that she had only slept for a couple of hours she knew that she wouldn't be getting anymore sleep that night. She never managed to get back to sleep after a nightmare. Some times Allen could calm her down and coax her into sleeping but he wasn't here at the moment. Sighing she shuffled over to her bag which still lay on the chair where she had tossed it when she had climbed into bed. Digging around for a few minutes as she was still not completely awake she found what she was looking for. Climbing back onto the bed Luca started to repaint her toenails. Doing her nails always had a calming effect for her. It didn't take a lot of concentration but enough that she didn't have to think about anything else. Luca yawned as she moved onto her fingernails. She had chipped a few when the hotel wall exploded so now they needed to be redone.

After having a shower and hunting down breakfast Luca began her hunt for a few things she needed before getting on a train to cross Italy. Currently she was near Rome and the train would take her to the edge before she would once again use Harlequin to cross the sea.

"Let's see, I need to restock my medical kit, nail polish, nail polish remover, snacks, water, see if I can find a new deck of cards," Luca muttered to herself and Scor as she walked down the road looking down at her list. "another pair of pants, boot polish, leather polish for my belts and pouches. Geez he really did a number on my stuff." Luca complained looking at the list. Her new Noah friend had added several things to her shopping list with his interference. The young woman groaned rubbing her head trying to ease the headache that was slowly but surely growing. The concussion that she still had from a couple days ago also wasn't helping and the few hours of sleep that she actually got did little to ease any of it.

"Excuse me," Luca looked at the person who had grabbed her arm ready for it to transform into an akuma. "Are you an exorcist?" The man was tall with short limp brown hair and bags underneath his eyes.

"I am." she answered narrowing her eyes. Perhaps it was a level two? He pulled her closer to his body.

"Please Miss exorcist you simply must help us. We have no one else to turn to. We are desperate." She raised an eyebrow at his begging.

"We?" He nodded hastily.

"Yes if you will only listen to our plight." When she didn't immediately respond he spoke again. "Allow me to treat you to lunch while you listen to my story." Sighing Luca realized that she didn't really have a choice as she was pretty sure that he wasn't just going to let her walk away.

"Demon children?" Luca blinked at him skeptically. He nodded. "Demon children." she repeated. Again he nodded.

"Yes the children of our village have been possessed. As an exorcist you can save them. So many children have been afflicted that the mothers are beginning to lose hope. It spreads like a plague. Please save them." Luca had just finished her pasta and was now finishing off her drink. Slowly chewing what was left of the ice in the glass she silently debated about what to do. Normally it wasn't up to the exorcists to investigate at this stage. That was left to the finders however if it was akuma or even worse innocence and she missed it Komui would be mad. At the same time the use of the word plague made her wonder about the authenticity of it all.

"I will look into it. It may be something that I can't help with but it might be something that I can deal with. I won't know until I see them and poke around a bit. I make no promises though so keep that in mind." He grinned with her answer pleased that his desperate pleading had swayed the exorcist. He had been surprised when he noticed a short woman wearing an exorcist coat weaving through the crowd. He had only met one other exorcist and it had been a man with a long sword. He eyed the small silver creature flying by her head. He had never seen anything like it. Honestly he wasn't even sure if it was a creature or not.

"Let me go pay for the meal and then we can be on our way." The dark haired woman watched as he practically ran to go pay. He certainly believed that the children had been possessed. She was still suspicious of how he had known that she was an exorcist. The thought that he had been paid off by the Noah to lead her into a trap crossed her mind. She would certainly keep an eye out for them and one on him. As he helped her up into his wagon he remembered something. "Oh my, how rude of me. My name is Dario."

"Luca Blackwood." she smiled at him pleasantly. There was no need to alert him to her suspicions.

"It's very nice to meet you Miss Blackwood." he tipped his hat to her.

"Likewise Dario." The wagon ride to the village was short and quiet. Luca kept watch for akuma and Noah alike but found none. She spent most of the time playing with her card deck. Even showing Dario a few slight of hand tricks. The village that they pulled into was small and quiet made of wooden structures mostly with lamp posts lighting the town as twilight began to fall.

"I'll get you set up at the inn and bring you to meet the children tomorrow." Luca nodded as he pulled up in front of the inn. They entered together.

"Evenin' Dario." the innkeeper greeted.

"Good evening Enzo." Dario removed his hat from his head.

"So what can I do for you? Did the missus kick ya out?" Enzo grinned his dark eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Nope, she still loves me. However," Dario stepped to the side allowing him to see Luca. "this is Miss Luca Blackwood. She's an exorcist who's agreed to help."

"Bless you Miss Blackwood. I'll set you up with our master suite as thanks for your help." Luca smiled politely.

"Oh that's not necessary." Enzo grinned at her.

"No, no, no. I insist. Free of charge as well. We've been trying to get help for a while and one of the children is my own so I can't thank you enough."

"Alright then." Luca conceded.

Luca didn't sleep well that night either. Despite a rather comfortable bed especially for where she was, the teen tossed and turned all night. Giving up after a few hours she got up to dig around in her bag. Maybe her tarot cards would tell her something. Luca hadn't brought them out due to the townspeople being rather superstitious. The last thing she need was to be called a witch. She had just barely started her reading when she heard something. Upon hearing something coming from the street below her window. Getting up she slid across the floor silently. Pushing the curtain out of the way slowly she watched as several children were gathering in the square whispering quietly to each other.

"Possessed huh? More like badly behaved. Looks like they are just milking this to get away with misbehaving." Scor bobbed up and down agreeing with her mistress. "Well at least this will be a quick detour. Granted I don't know if the townspeople will believe me." she sighed. "Why me?" The golem didn't have an answer. "Well since I'm not going to get any sleep might as well follow them. Scor get in close and record the conversation." The silver golem nodded and flew out the window.

Luca returned to her room just as the sun was rising. She could hear the roosters crowing. Taking a quick shower she got dressed hoping to get something good for breakfast. She still wanted to test her theory about the children. If she was right it would be fun. Descending the stairs Luca was met with Enzo.

"Good morning Miss Blackwood."

"Good morning." Luca ignored the fact that it wasn't actually been a good morning but it would have been rude to say so but at the same time she hated mornings so it might have just been her. Allen was a morning person much to her and their master's chagrin. "Where would you suggest going for breakfast?" He grinned at her.

"Right here! My wife makes the best food around. Her eggs on toast are to die for. Do ya like eggs on toast?" Luca smiled.

"I love eggs on toast. Though I don't know. Our chef's cooking is pretty good." she teased lightly. His grin grew.

"Well now you have to try it."

"I'd love to." With that he led her into the dining hall where he seated her at a small table by the window.

"Is there anything I can get you to drink while you wait?"

"Coffee please." she tried to mask how badly she needed coffee.

"Sugar and cream?"

"Cream please." Nodding the Italian man left to go tell his wife and to get the coffee for his tired guest. The eggs on toast had been very good but silently Luca still believed that Jerry's was way better. "So when do I get to meet the children that are under this spell?" she asked stretching until her back cracked. Enzo and his wife both looked a bit concerned by the noise but Luca merely shrugged it off. "Relax, I'm fine."

"Well if you say so. Dario should be gathering all the children, I'll run upstairs and get Flavio and then we can go." Luca turned to Enzo as his wife left.

"Can you fill me in on some of the things that you have noticed? Anything strange that Flavio does?"

"He and the others will start convulsing wildly. They scream about things that nobody else can see or hear. They share pain with no cause at all. As a parent it's utterly terrifying and I have no idea to help him at all."

"They?" Enzo nodded.

"Flavio and the other children who are possessed." Luca hummed but didn't say anything. She was almost certain that her theory was correct now. A few more tests were still needed.

"When did these incidents start happening?" Enzo thought for a moment.

"I believe it was a couple weeks ago. When it first started we thought that it was something medical but doctors haven't been able to find anything. Since then we've been looking for an exorcist. Dario said that anyone wearing your coat is the real deal. Do you really hunt demons?" Luca looked down at her coat. She had changed it when she left the hospital in Olbia. Currently she was wearing her spare. She would really be screwed if something happened to this one.

"It's a bit more complicated than that. There are certain criteria that must be met." she answered cryptically. Luca wasn't sure how the villagers would respond when she told them what was really going on if her hunch was correct. She doubted it would go over well. "Everything isn't what it seems usually."

"Flavio can you say hello to Miss Blackwood please?" Luca looked up at Eva who had come back down the stairs with a young boy around 8. He had straw blond hair and brown eyes. He eyed her warily, almost as if he was afraid of her. Luca raised an eyebrow at him when he just stared at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Shying away he hid in his mother's skirt.

"Flavio? Are you feeling okay son?" Enzo walked over.

"It's fine. Kids don't really like me. He's not the first nor will he be the last." Luca left out the part where she didn't like kids either figuring that wouldn't really help anything.

"I'm so sorry about that." Eva apologized but the exorcist waved her off telling her once again that it was fine. When they reached the square they found that Dario and the mayor had already assembled the rest of the possessed children and their parents.

"This is Miss Blackwood! She is an exorcist who has agreed to help us!" The mayor Danilo Turba proclaimed. The gathered people clapped and cheered. _Well this is gonna be awkward_ , Luca thought watching them. "So we will now allow Lady Exorcist to conduct her experiment! Please do anything she asks." Luca sighed and stepped forward.

"Every child that is possessed needs to come forward now." The parents pushed their children forward. Luca shocked everyone by choosing to sit on the ground. "Now I need the rest of you to leave. Demons are very tricky and will do whatever it takes to stay in their host." Nervously the parents left the children with the teen. She smiled at them. "Well come on and sit." Still the children did not move. "I won't bite I promise." They stood like stone statues.

"Why should we trust you?" The boy who had finally broken the silence looked at her with contempt. He was the one that she had observed as the ringleader.

"Will you tell me your name?" He raised an eyebrow at her question, she hadn't answered his.

"Angelo Russo."

"Well Angelo it doesn't really matter if you trust me or not. Your father's the village doctor right?" he nodded here but now he was suspicious. She continued anyway. "The truth of the matter is that I already know you are faking." All of the children jumped back in horror. "Your little sister Gabriella is very sick isn't she? Your parents are paying more attention to her than you right now and this is upsetting to you. In reality all of you are looking for more attention or just want to get away with bad behavior. Whatever the reason is it doesn't really matter. So I'm going to give you a choice. Either you can come clean or I will tell your parents-" Angelo cut her off.

"You can't prove that we're faking it! Why would they believe an ugly prostitute posing as an exorcist?! Simple they won't! I bet they know you're not a real exorcist and are just getting a good laugh about the fact that you think you've fooled them you dumb bitch!" Angelo went to spit in her face but she simply dodged. "I'm gonna get you arrested. I'll make my possession worse so they blame you. Then I'll laugh at you when you are behind bars." Instead of begging or crying or pleading like Angelo was expecting and hoping for Luca stood up and brushed her pants off. Looking down at him with nothing more than a bored expression she turned away to looked out of the village. Somebody was coming, they were getting closer to the village except they were coming from the opposite direction that she had come. She turned back to the child.

"You can certainly try if you would like." She cracked her back again and winced when her bruised skin pulled. Her body still ached and some movements were painful. Her headache from they other day was starting to reemerge. Why anybody would want this little monsters was completely beyond her. Glaring at her with venomous blue eyes Angelo threw himself upon the ground and began to convulse as if he was having a fit. Luca eyed him with little interest. Upon seeing that the woman was unswayed the other children began to writhe upon the ground. "Children." Green eyes rolled in their sockets. One of the girls began to shriek, the others followed.

"I thought women were suppose to be good with children but you appear to have broken these ones." Luca looked over her shoulder at the familiar voice. A smile pulled at her lips.

"I've missed you My Love." The Noah came to a stop by her side holding up his hand to the akuma still in disguise to halt several feet away.

"It's been a couple days Butterfly." The smile grew into a grin.

"Aww you've missed me too." The children stopped their seizures slowly deciding to just watch. The man that had just walked up was different. He was different from them and the woman. Standing a head taller than her despite the rather large heel of her boots his most distinct feature was his gray skin and gold eyes. His dark curly hair was pushed back away from his face allowing the mole under his left eye to be seen. Unlike the exorcist's strange uniform he was dressed in a full suit with a top hat decorated by a shiny red ribbon wrapped around the base.

"Perhaps I did. You certainly are interesting, I'll give you that." he let out a stream of smoke with those words. Luca's emerald gaze drifted up to his hat eyeing the pretty red ribbon. The first hat she had stolen from him had a gray ribbon while the one from their encounter in Sassari was white with a silver buckle. She really liked the red with the black fabric of the hat.

"Anyway what are you doing all the way out here?" He looked down at her.

"I'm looking for innocence though I'm going to assume that you already have it since you got here first." The woman didn't look at him and kept her voice steady.

"Why would you think that there is innocence here?" He raised an eyebrow at this. _What on Earth is she playing at?_ he wondered.

"The Earl thinks that the innocence is using mind control on these poor children." the sarcasm that dripped from the word poor was almost visible. Luca giggled at it.

"So sorry to break it to you My Love but there is no innocence, just badly behaved children." The children watched as the man dubbed My Love by the exorcist dropped the butt of his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out. His molten gold eyes glared down at them. He was terrifying yet the woman showed no fear, in fact she seemed happy to see him. Flavio noted that is was the happiest he had seen her since she entered the village. Then again it was the most expressive he had seen her too. She was polite but frigid with the villagers and held no interest in the children. She had been onto them for the first moment she had seen them.

"Wonderful." he spoke annoyance plainly in his voice.

"The joys of children." Her grin grew as her eyes darted over to him. "Just can't wait to have your own little angels eh?" she asked knocking her shoulder into his arm. He didn't even budge not even noticing her weight against him nor the fact that she was leaning on him; he was to busy grimacing at the mere thought.

"Hell no! Road is bad enough. Why on Earth would I want one?" Luca chuckled to herself. Her friend seemed to share her opinion on children.

"Road?" she asked quizzically tilting her head to the side.

"My 13 year old niece." he groaned.

"I am **so** sorry." He hummed in response.

"Yeah me too." She looked up at him.

"I didn't know you had siblings." the comment was lazy but interested none the less.

"Brother." Tyki almost snorted at the thought of Sheril meeting Butterfly. That would be a day to remember.

"Huh me too." He looked down at her noticing for the first time that she was leaning on his right side.

"Really? Older or younger?" She smiled up at him.

"Younger, you?" The children just stared at the bizarre couple who were completely ignoring them and had been for the last several minutes.

"Older."

"Ya don't say?" They older pair were quiet for a moment. The man seem to be debating something.

"So can I kill them?" His blunt manner in asking had the pack of children's mouths dropping. They waited for the outcry from the girl.

"You could. I'd take it as a personal kindness if you didn't." Slowly the children began shuffling back. How could this woman not defend them? Second of all what the hell was wrong with the man?!

"Why?" She sighed in response.

"Because I don't really feel like getting in trouble for letting you kill children. It's not very nice My Love." The lackadaisical manner in which she answered him had him grinning. Both knew that the other was joking but the looks they were receiving from the kids was hysterical. Angelo observed both of the adults. While he had no idea what the exorcist had in the pouches attached to the belts that hung of her hips he saw no gun on the man nor a knife, but maybe he had something tucked away. They way she answered him sounded like the girl believed that he could do it.

"Well I do apologized then Butterfly." Bracing herself for the attack he flung her into the building on his left by her jacket. The children shrieked and scrambled to get away from him. He motioned for the akuma to attacked. The screams grew louder as they watched in horror. The giant metal creature that exploded from the other man's skin floated towards them massive guns trained on them.

"That was quite rude My Love." Luca shook the dust and debris from her body. "Harlequin activate!" Fascinated by the shadow like liquid that slid from the exorcist's skin the children forgot to run opting to instead watch it slice through the monster with a single command. "Go."

"Wow." one of the little girls whispered.

"That was awesome!" A boy called. The teen stood between the strange man and them.

"She's really not a prostitute." A different little girl whispered to Angelo who growled at her.

"Of course she is! Didn't you see the way she was with him. He's her customer." Tyki looked around the exorcist to see the angry blue eyed boy.

"You're a rather rude child aren't you? That's no way to speak to or about a lady." He already didn't like this kid. Yes Butterfly annoyed him and yes at some point he would kill her but she did have his respect. The thought of her being a prostitute bothered him. It just wasn't something that she should be doing, it didn't fit her.

"She's not a lady. She's not even a girl," Angelo spits angrily.

"Maybe you should stop talking." Luca spoke eyeing the Noah. He was being unusually quiet, especially for one of their battles. Normally she could get him to be quite talkative. Angelo ignored her instead opting to continue talking and kick a rock at her legs.

"just a dumb bitch." he finished.

"I think that is enough of that." Luca whirled around as her love appeared behind her looming over the small Italian boy. "You should learn to show respect. Especially to the woman who is the only thing standing between you and I. Were she not here I would have already ripped your heart from your chest." The boy staggered back away from the man's threatening form and killer grin. His eyes wide with fear. He was terrified that he was truly going to die. He backed away from the hand that was reaching for him before tripping over his own feet. Trying to scoot away along the ground wasn't getting him very far. The man's taller frame and longer legs easily covering any distance he made.

"Come now My Love there's no need to get violent. He's not worth it." the liquid metal wrapped around the man preventing him from moving any farther. He hissed as it burned his skin.

"Why not? He was being rude and disrespectful. I'm merely teaching him to respect his elders and people who can kill him without a second thought. Don't think that I don't know that you are capable of killing him with your bare hands. You just choose not to. It's one of the things that I love about you Butterfly." His killer grin morphed into a smile for her. She smiled back at him.

"Well as much as I love your protectiveness I really will get in trouble if you kill them." she tugged him back several feet. "So you'll have to play with me instead." Pulling him away she swung him around several times before flinging him into a house. "If you kids want to live I suggest you get out of here and never misbehave again. Now scram!" Not waiting for anything else to happen the village kids took off running for the safety of their parents.

"How did you put it again? That was quite rude Butterfly." he brushed his suit off.

"Well you did fix my problem with the children so I should thank you." He smiled at her.

"But you aren't going to?"

"Would you like it if I did?" His smile grew.

"It'd be nice." She appeared in front of him.

"Thank you." He ducked the swing at his head.

"It's hard to believe you as you try to punch me in the face." He jumped over her leg before swinging his own at her ribs only for her to catch it against her side. He tried to pull it from her grasp but she held fast.

"It was sincere but you did throw me into a wall. Nice shoes by the way." He chuckled at her randomness.

"You threw me into a wall too so we are technically even." She tugged him forward causing him to lose his balance. Releasing his leg she summoned Harlequin to create a helmet before cracking her head into his sending hat flying down the road. The pair separated with Luca putting some distance between the two. "Son of a bitch! That hurt Butterfly!" Pulling his hands away from his wounded forehead he glared at her.

"So did hitting the ceiling. It comes with fighting My Love." For a moment she swore she saw him pouting.

"How cold of you Butterfly."

"You know I love you." she smiled sweetly at him.

"Now I feel special." He rushed her.

"As you should. I don't love very many people." She jumped back away from him. She was starting to regret hitting him with her head. Her headache was back with a vengeance and she was starting to feel the strain of changing Harlequin's form. She could feel the exhaustion sneaking up on her and the sweat starting to drip down her skin.

"You have a concussion. I want you to take it easy for a little while. Try not to draw attention or fight too much. The more you jostle your head the longer it will take to heal." Luca recalled the doctor from the hospital explaining to her. _Well that was a bad idea on my part_ , she groaned internally. He took her moment of distraction to grab her. She cried out as her back hit the wall, his hand wrapped around her throat.

"You should pay more attention when in battle." his lips brushed along the shell of her ear. She opened one eye as he pulled back.

"Your beauty is just too distracting. I can't focus." she croaked out a sly grin played upon her lips.

"Pity that you have to die this way then." She struggled in his grip, choking. She could still see the angry red mark on his forehead. _I can work with that_ , she thought grinning wryly. Flicking her fingers by her leg to summon her weapon she used the other one in an attempt to pry his hand from her windpipe with little success.

"I'll admit that I am impressed. You've picked me up completely off the ground as if I don't weigh anything." He chuckled.

"You aren't as heavy as you think. Why do all girls think they're fat?" She laughed at this as Harlequin slithered up over and around her boots making armor.

"Never said I was. Muscle is heavier than fat." Bringing her leg up above her head his eyes widened. She brought her heel down in the center of his forehead aiming for the middle stigmata. Dropping her he staggered away to cover the wounded area in an attempt to ease the pain. Luca skittered away rubbing her throat. _That's gonna hurt for a while_ , she grimaced.

"That was bold. I should have seen that coming. I really would appreciate it if you would stop hitting me in the head. It hurts a lot. Especially there." She didn't say anything, she didn't trust her throat. "Nothing to say? Don't tell me you can't talk now? I don't know how I would handle the silence." he teased.

"And here I thought you would revel in the silence. Doesn't sound like you get much at home." her voice was a little scratchy but she couldn't not wouldn't her pride COULDN'T, stand for that kind of teasing talking to him while trying to kill each other was their thing.

"You have no idea. I would give anything for the twins to shut up for five minutes." he groaned his mind drifting away for a second as he imagined five minutes where the twins couldn't make noise or talk.

"I'll do it for a 20." she offered humorously with a smile. He returned the favor.

"As much as I would love to see that I'm going to have to decline. The Earl would not find it as amusing as I would. I'd pay for it in more ways than one." She laughed hurting her throat more but she couldn't help it.

"Pity." Eyeing each other for a moment he attacked. Her movements weren't as smooth as they normally were. She was jerky and kept shaking her head. Concussion most likely. Jump back onto her hand and away from him he saw her almost falter. Definitely a concussion. With each swipe he took she dodged swinging out of his reach. _What on Earth is she doing?_ he pondered as he continued his assault hoping to grab her. Seeing the moment as she went to land on her hands and spring away he grabbed her by the ankle. His skin sizzled when it came into contact but he ignored it. He had his prize now. With a spin he hurled her into one of the houses that was still intact. Looking down at his burned glove with distaste, he glanced over when she didn't pop right up. He took a couple steps towards her. One of her legs stuck out of the rubble but didn't move.

"Butterfly?" he asked moving a bit closer. Still no noise or movement from the exorcist. With every second that she remained motionless he moved closer. Finally giving into his curiosity he walked all the way over to her. Pushing the rocks, wood, and other debris off he found her unmoving with the golem tugging on her hair trying to rouse her. "Are you really unconscious?" Knowing that this was a bad idea if she was faking he knelt by her. Pressing two fingers to the side of her neck he found her pulse. "Well you're alive," he paused. She was completely unguarded. He could take her out right now. "well now Butterfly, I guess I win. It's too bad you're not awake for it. The look in your pretty green eyes would've been gorgeous." The golem hissed at him revealing it's teeth but he just batted it away.

 _You didn't win. Not really. If you won she would be awake. Killing somebody who's defenseless isn't winning. You're cheating. She still wins_. Tyki reached for her heart, trying to ignore the voice in the back of his head. _This just proves that you can't actually beat her. Butterfly would have never killed you if you were out cold. You're weak._ the voice pressed on hissing like a poisonous snake in his ear.

"Shut up." he growled. His hand faltered just above her chest; fingertips scarcely brushing the fabric of her jacket. "I won, she lost." he realized that he was trying to convince himself but it didn't matter his hand dropped but didn't move through her skin. Instead it just rested on her chest above her heart. He could feel it beating steadily. It didn't realize that it was about to be pulled out. "There were no rules to our little game." _But there were._ the voice whispered softly. _You know there were._ "I don't have a choice. She has to die." he resolved pushing the voice as far away as he could. Despite his best effort he couldn't summon his bloodlust, it just wasn't there. "Goodbye Butterfly." Before he could reach for her heart again her legs shot out connecting with his stomach and sending him flying away from her. "Damn it! You were awake! Why the hell did you wait so long to attack?" he asked wiping the blood away from his mouth as he got up. She didn't.

Tyki watched, mouth agape as the innocence slid from her legs along the ground.

"I guess the name was spot on." He halted for a moment. "Or that's why." he said looking at the female harlequin that stood between him and it's mistress. Unlike a normal harlequin this one lacked color being completely black like the innocence it was made from excluding it's eyes. Pure innocence blazed green from the masquerade like mask on it's face attached to it's hat. The ornate mask seemed out of place on the jestress. "Very nice Butterfly." he called. He was shocked when he gazed past the creature to see that the exorcist had yet to move. She wasn't awake. The harlequin tilted it's head at him. Startled by how much it reminded him of it's owner he took a step back. "Are you the heart?" he inquired. It shook it's head no. Rather it turned and pointed to the teen. "You're her heart?" Tyki questioned quizzically. This time it nodded.

Forgoing anymore conversation he rushed the innocence. It met him head on catching his hand before the blast of dark matter could fire. Yanking him forward directly into it's headbutt he heard the bells on the hat jingling. It's knee caught him in the stomach before he managed to kick the thing's feet out from under it. Harlequin jumped right back up.

"Must be nice not feeling anything." he mused rubbing his stomach. Ducking the foot swung at his head he slammed his elbow into it's stomach. The harlequin staggered back from the force of the hit but just smiled at him before throwing a barrage of rapid fire punches. Using his arms to block his face he didn't see the kick prior to it connecting with his chin sending him up into the air. A well aimed kick sent him crashing backwards. He stood up and glared at the innocence. "What are you? You fight like her yet she's over there." It didn't answer him at all so he continued. "She's not even alert yet you move as if she is. Actually this is smoother than if she was controlling you. However there's no innocence here so I'll retreat for now."

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 **Yes I know I have to stop with the cliffhangers but I couldn't help it. Chapter seven's is still my favorite. I know I'm a mean person but it was so much fun. Anyway I said it at the top and I'll say it here again LUCA IS NOT THE HEART OF INNOCENCE. I really want this point to come across. Her's is just a regular piece of innocence. What happened in this chapter will be explained later. It's a little complicated but I will explain it.**

 **Edit 6/21/18: So I forgot to explain something about this chapter. I have a headcanon that Tyki doesn't like children. I know the First argument is Eeez. Now as somebody who has a younger brother and has babysat before (never agree to babysit twin six year old boys. Just don't do it!) I can tell you that Eeez is very different from other children. He's very well behaved and doesn't actually act much like a child which is why I think that Tyki actually likes him. This is my own person headcanon. You are welcome to tell me yours, I'd love to hear it.**

 **This was actually one of the first chapters I had planned. It just kinda came to me early on when I first started creating Harlequin. It changed a bit when I added Tyki in. He wasn't originally the one she was fighting but I changed it when I decided to make the pairing. My original pair for Luca was cute but it didn't have any chemistry and was rather dull. They were too boring. They didn't bounce off each other the way Luca and Tyki do. I don't know about anybody else but my characters as soon as they are born know everything about themselves, it's my job to figure the details out. It's gotten to the point where I only have a vague idea of where the story is going. Luca tends to be in control of what is going on. Some things get cut and somethings she adds in. It's not just her either. Angelo wasn't suppose to be so awful but he just turned into a little monster. Anyway now that I've babbled enough that it is actually Wednesday and I'm late *sigh* I'll be going. Extra points to anybody who catches the Firefly reference! Chess is out~!**


	10. A Fiddle of Gold Against Your Soul

**I'm so sorry! I know I'm two days late, but I've been really busy this last week. I have a standing appt. every Wednesday morning which means I can't stay up late, I'm currently farm sitting for somebody, I have regular work, and I'm in the process of applying for college. I had to write an essay for it and you'd think that as a writer that would be no problem but I hate writing essays partially because I'm really bad at them and I never have an idea on what to write. So that was fun.**

 **Dear guest who reviewed on the 15th, I'm so excited to have gotten a review. I actually spent 15 minutes freaking out when I suppose to be working! I'm really glad you like Luca, I've found that she's taken on a life of her own and is very dear to me. I also appreciate that you shared your thoughts on her and her relationship with Tyki. I really try to make them work together without forcing it or making Tyki act out of character. As I have promised I personally promise to you that you will learn more about her innocence, I'm really excited to share more of it with you when the time comes. As for the voice in Tyki's head that's just him. I find that when I am debating something I argue both sides in an attempt to make the best decision that I can. Without saying too much I will tell you that no it wasn't his inner Noah, Joyd and Luca will indeed meet but that won't be for a while but he will get a chance to meet her and decide for himself if he agrees with Tyki.  
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 **Edit 6/21/18: Yes I know I need to stop changing things. However this is only one and doesn't have that much of an impact on the story. So I ran my idea about Luca being Transylvanian by a close friend and she told me that it made things too confusing and convoluted so I've decided to scrap that idea and go with something else. All I'll say is that there is more to Luca's mother than she's letting on. Anyway I've changed Transylvanian to Hungarian and it's going to stay that way I promise! I'm putting this here so everybody sees it.**

 **Anyway my terrible excuses aside I still only own Luca Blackwood, Scor, Harlequin, and any characters I make up for the chapter and obviously I own the plot. DGM belongs to Katsura Hoshino. Enjoy A Fiddle of Gold Against Your Soul!**

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Luca groaned. Getting up she staggered out of the wreckage. Looking around she found that she was alone. The Noah was nowhere to be seen. Looking down at her arms she found that Harlequin was wrapped around them deactivated.

"I'm still alive...?" she questioned pressing a hand to her chest to feel the beating of her heart. "What did I miss?" The young woman walked over to the hat that still sat in the road. "He left his hat. Did he do that on purpose or did he forget?" Scor came zooming over to her. The golem didn't stop in time and smashed into Luca already pounding skull. "Ouch! Geez Scor. I'm okay...mostly. What happened? Show me your recording." The golem opened her sharp toothed mouth and revealed the recording. Luca winced seeing herself not only crash through the house but also take Scor down with her. The image was dark save for the small streams of light coming from the spaces between rubble. It shifted as Scor tried to wake her.

"Butterfly?" she could hear the Noah call out to her. As his footsteps got closer Scor's efforts to awaken her mistress grew more frantic. As the rubble was moved from her body the Noah came into the picture having cleared her off. Scor started tugging on her hair. "Are you really unconscious?" he asked. Luca watched as he knelt down and checked her pulse. "Well you're alive," he paused. "well now Butterfly, I guess I win. It's too bad you're not awake for it. The look in your pretty green eyes would've been gorgeous." Scor hissed at him revealing her teeth but he just hit her. The image disappeared as the golem was now trapped but Luca could still hear him muttering like he was arguing with somebody but didn't hear another voice. The noises changed to battle sounds with his occasional comment or question.

"What happened? Who was he talking to? What's my heart? What drove him to retreat? What the hell even happened?!" she vented in annoyance using her fingers to push her bangs back along with the rest of her unruly hair. She noted that the ribbons hold her braids snapped when she got up. "Perfect." Giving the battlefield one last glance she turned back heading to town. "Let's keep this to ourselves until I figure out what happened. Don't tell anyone. Definitely not Komui or Allen." Trudging back to the inn that she had stayed at she was met with the villagers. Flavio was the first to react. Rushing forward he hugged Luca around the waist.

"Thank you for saving our lives from the monsters. I'm so very sorry about what we did and I promise I will never do it again." Luca hugged him back.

"Treasure your family. They're the best thing in the world." Letting go Flavio returned to his parents. Angelo's father pushed him forward. Luca noted with dry humor that he didn't meet her eyes this time.

"Apologize right now Angelo." She could see that the doctor was livid but couldn't bring herself to even feel a smidgen of pity for the boy. "Now Angelo." he growled when the boy didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry." the blonde boy muttered still glaring down though he had moved it to her shoes. Doctor Russo opened his mouth to speak but Luca jumped in.

"It's fine. Really." Mrs. Russo took a step forward to stand next to her husband behind her son.

"It's really not. Him faking a possession is bad enough but the things he said to you and the names he called you appalled us. I had believed that we had raised a good child but we were so wrong. Yet you still risked your life to save him from that man. We cannot thank you enough. Is there anything we can do for you?" Luca smiled at the woman.

"One thing. Should your daughter or anybody else for that matter, die and a man appears telling you that he can bring them back run the other way. He takes advantage of people who are suffering and turns them into monsters. Monsters like the one I killed today. It will only cause more suffering and will doom whoever you try to bring back more pain. Please don't let him talk you into it." The villagers were horrified but nodded all the same knowing that they would be chasing nightmares away for a while due to the monsters their children had seen.

"Thank you for helping us despite the fact that their was no demon. You went out of your way to help us." Mayor Turba spoke. Dario stepped forward.

"Allow me to return you to Rome please."

"Actually if you could just direct me to the nearest train station that would be great. I actually need to head to Vasto." Dario looked surprised.

"Are you sure you don't want a ride? It's a long walk."

"I hunt monsters and demons. They all look like humans so we exorcists wear these coats. It draws their attention so we can be suspicious of anyone who approaches us. I would hate for you to get hurt or killed because one of them saw me. Besides you'd be surprised how quickly I can move." Luca left out the part where she also wanted to avoid awkward silences or small talk. It was worse than the silence besides Scor could also play music. She had several songs stored.

The train ride to Vasto was only a couple hours long but it allowed Luca time to come up with a believable story for Komui when she reached the hotel about what happened while she played with her card deck. She really need a new one. She had decided to leave out the part about the Noah appearing until she could explain the audio Scor had recorded. The first part she had assumed that he was talking to himself until the part where he started talking to her like she was awake. After that it didn't make any sense despite listening to the file several times on the train when she wasn't trying to nap.

"Well this hotel looks nice. Why don't we stop here?" Luca asked the golem sitting on her shoulder as she looked up at the fancy hotel. She pushed open the gold plated and glass door open. The lobby was spacious and the deep red carpet looked soft. Luca really wanted to lay down on it. _Wow I really am tired,_ she thought to herself.

"Welcome! How can I help you miss?" Luca looked up at the man standing behind the counter snapping her out of her tired daze.

"Yes I would like a room please." The man smiled down at her. He wall tall with graying brown hair and beady eyes. His name tag identified him as the manager of the establishment.

"Of course! Let's see how about a room with a view of the water for the lovely young lady?" He looked down at the book yet his eyes still jumped up to stare at her chest periodically. Luca couldn't decide if he was looking at her breasts or the rose crest on her jacket. Either way he wasn't very subtle.

"That's fine." Every single fiber in her being was telling her to run far away from this man.

"Room 307 is open. How does that sound?" His dark eyes met hers.

"Great. Is there a phone that I can use? I need to make a call." He smiled at her.

"Calling friends to tell them where the hotel is?" She shook her head.

"No. I'm just letting them know that I've stopped for the day. I'll head out again tomorrow." she spoke causally.

"I do hope you won't be too lonely all by yourself." She waved him off.

"Oh not at all. I will be fine." He nodded.

"Well room 307 is on the third floor. Take the stairs up, when you reach the top take the left hallway all the way down at the end your room is the last on the right." Luca nodded.

"Have a good night." she waved as she answered.

"You too Miss." As soon as she disappeared up the stairs he grabbed the phone from under the desk and dialed right away. No longer trying to hide his grin. This foolish young exorcist was going to make him very rich.

"Hello?" the male voice that answered

"Good evening Master Noah. How are you?"

"Mr. Palazzo, nice to hear from you. I'm doing well." Tyki answered looking down at the small piece of paper. Each broker had a different phone. It had taken him a moment to find which phone was ringing. The paper had the name and place where the broker was. He could tell that the older man was very excited to tell him something. "Is there something I can help you with?" he asked politely.

"I have a business proposition for you." Tyki raised an eyebrow at that.

"Oh really?"

"I happen to have a lone exorcist staying at my hotel that I could hand over to you." Tyki looked up from the book that he had been lazily reading before the phone rang.

"Is that so?" His interest now peaked.

"Indeed." He could hear the smugness in the man's voice.

"I will check with the Earl about what he would like to happen if you would just give me a moment." Placing the phone down on the table gently he found the Millennium Earl speaking with Sheril.

"Yes Tyki-pon?" Tyki sighed at the horrid nickname from the Earl.

"Mr. Palazzo has an exorcist staying at the hotel. He is wondering if you would like to make a business transaction." The Earl grinned.

"Yes, oversee that please." Tyki nodded and headed out the door back to the phone.

"If the exorcist is still there when I arrive tomorrow we will triple the payment for a human soul. How does that sound Mr. Palazzo?" The man on the other side laughed.

"That's perfect. I'll slip something into her free dinner compliments of the hotel." Tyki paused after what the hotel manager had just said.

"Her?" he questioned.

"Ah," Mr. Palazzo stopped his laughing. "yes the exorcist's a woman." Mr. Palazzo wondered what the Noah was thinking. He was quiet for several minutes that the man was starting to wonder if the younger one had hung up on him.

"Tell me everything you know about her." The order from the Portuguese man startled the Italian. He took too long to answer. "Now."

"Um she's short, with long dark hair tied back in a pair of braids and a nice rack. She appears to be Eastern European yet speaks English very well. She has a silver golem. Her uniform is a short jacket with tight black pants and knee high boots. She was very tired and asked for a phone but I distracted her so nobody knows that she's here." Palazzo rattled off everything he remembered about the girl. He shuddered as silently as he could when the Noah growled. _He must know this exorcist. Granted the girl was hardly forgettable_ , he thought to himself before something else occurred to him. "Oh! She has bright green eyes like a cat!" he recalled when she had looked up at him after he greeted her. "They were very striking." The younger man growled again. This one was deeper and more primal. _Definitely knows her._

"Don't expose yourself as a broker. She's very dangerous and not to be underestimated. Make sure the drug doesn't do any permanent damage either." The command was unusually curt especially from this particular Noah, Lord Mikk if his memory served him well. _Must just be this exorcist_ , he shrugged to himself.

"Of course Master Noah what time will you be arriving? I believe she has plans to leave tomorrow."

"Sometime in the afternoon. Just keep her busy until I get there."

"I will keep her here."

"Goodbye Mr. Palazzo." Tyki didn't bother waiting for the man's reply before he hung up the phone. Picking up his book he headed to his room dodging his brother, the Earl, and Road. He wasn't in the mood for the chaos they brought. Closing the door behind him he set the book down on his nightstand. Of all the exorcists to walk into Palazzo's hotel it had to be Butterfly. She was still traveling East, he didn't know where she was going just that it was East. Tyki still didn't know how she had gotten from Barcelona to Sassari so quickly. He of course had used the ark gate that the Earl had made for him but how she did it still puzzled him. Each time they met he was more puzzled then before. He hadn't meant to growl at Palazzo never mind doing it two times but it had bothered him the way Palazzo had spoken about her. He silently wondered why the comments made on Butterfly had upset him as he stared at the fire crackling in his room. He ran his hand over the top of the fireplace. He still hadn't come up with an explanation for why he hadn't wanted to kill her when they last met. She was defenseless he could've ended everything but it had been about as easy as getting Road to do her own homework. He needed to figure it out quickly too. Sheril had noticed the difference. Tyki was no longer coming home unharmed. He shook his head trying to clear it. He was far too sober for this.

* * *

Luca stopped as she passed an empty lounge. Sitting by the window was a phone. Sighing to herself she walked over. Handing the cord to Scor she sat down in one of the plush chairs by the phone. Her head rested on it as she ran through her fake story one more time for Komui. The black leather was cooling against her heated skin. Her concussion was still there and she had no doubt that it was made worse when the Noah had tossed her into that house.

"Man I could just sleep for days. Why the hell does Master have to be so much trouble?" she demanded. Scor didn't reply just nudged the phone telling her mistress to just get it over with. "Yeah I know."

"Komui speaking." Luca sighed, he sounded relatively calm so she might get out of this without any major yelling.

"Hey Komui its-" she was cut off by him.

"You know Luca you aren't very good at keeping in touch. I think you are more like General Cross than you think." Luca could feel her eye twitching at that. "You didn't call yesterday or this morning. It's gotten to the point where I don't know if I should be worried or not when you don't check up."

"I got dragged off by a man to help his village yesterday. They didn't have a phone. The entire village didn't have a phone so I couldn't call you. I just got to Vasto." Komui noticed how tired she sounded.

"Are you okay? What happened in the village?" She almost laughed at how worried he sounded.

"I have a concussion that keeps taking more damage and I'm exhausted." She heard him take a sip of his coffee.

"Nightmares?" Luca looked up at the ceiling. Pretty much any exorcist had nightmares. Especially the younger ones. She knew for a fact that Lenalee and Allen both had them. Hell even Kanda did, he didn't tell anybody about it but she noticed. He was always grumpier that day and paid less attention to the world than he normally did. Sometimes she would hear him wake up or pace around his room. Most of the time he would go train in an attempt to get rid of it. Lenalee would cry and Allen would either eat or wonder around at night. Often she would sing for him. A lullaby or just nonsense words. Her voice wasn't amazing but it was adequate and he didn't really care either. When she had nightmares he would sing the song that Mana taught him or just hold her until she fell asleep again. Komui knew none of this, only that they had nightmares. Vaguely she wondered if Lavi had nightmares. She knew that his personality was fake it was part of being a bookman but still she wondered. He had seen so many horrors how could he not? Did Bookman himself have nightmares or was he completely desensitized to the violence?

"Yeah. Nothing big though just the usual." He hummed for a second like he didn't believe her. Not that it was surprising. Luca kept a lot to herself. Master had warned her that she couldn't share everything with the Order. Allen was too trusting so Master hadn't bothered telling him, instead he told his oldest to keep an eye on her brother after she had flat out refused to obey his commands about not getting attached. She could tell he wanted to say something else to her but decided not.

"You know you can talk to me about these things right? You and Allen. I'm here for all exorcists not just Lenalee." There was nothing of interest on the ceiling yet she was didn't care enough to pull her head up from the back of the chair.

"I do. It wasn't anything coherent. I couldn't really even explain it if I wanted." _Lies_ her mind whispered softly. _All lies, all you do is lie. Nobody can trust you. You are nothing more than a liar_ , it hissed. "Just that it scared me." She shook away the voice sending it back to whatever dark hole it crawled out of.

"Alright then. What about the village?" Komui dropped the subject for now. He was hoping that with Allen's appearance at the Order Luca would open up more and she had a little bit but not as much as he would have liked. She reminded him a lot of Lavi in that way.

"I was asked by a man to come help him with his village. Several of the children have been possessed and they couldn't fix it on their own. I didn't believe it but I knew that if I was wrong I would regret not at least looking into it so I did." Luca knew that the best way to sell a lie is to be as close to the truth as possible.

"And?" he prompted. This was where the lying would start but she knew she had no way to explain how or why she and the same Noah kept meeting. Komui would've flipped and demanded that she tell him everything before saddling her with a bunch of babysitters.

"There was no innocence. The children were faking to get attention. I had Scor record them meeting up to fake it. However there were some akuma. I took care of those and managed to protect the children, the experience was traumatic enough that the kids came clean to their parents. I hopped a train to Vasto," she paused wondering if she should tell him about the sleazy manager.

"Is there something else Luca?" he sensed there was something else from her voice.

"It's nothing big, just the manager of the hotel I'm at. He's kinda creepy. I think I'll head across the sea tomorrow after I pick up some supplies. Maybe in the afternoon. I might stay for lunch. I spend most of my time on the run a nice lunch might be nice. As it is I'm debating on ordering room service for dinner. I'm dead tired." Komui nodded keeping quiet on the other side of the line.

"Give me the name of the hotel and the manager just in case something happens."

"Mr. Palazzo I think." It took her a few more minutes to remember the hotel name. "Il Trascurare and I'm pretty I'm mispronouncing that." She could hear the scratching of a pen. _He must be writing it down_ , she thought.

"Be safe Luca and try to get some sleep." She snorted at that.

"Shouldn't you and the rest of the science division get some sleeep too?" He laughed.

"Yeah probably. Have a good night."

"You too." Ending the call Luca continued to her room. "What do you think I should do for dinner Scor? Maybe I should just sleep and eat tomorrow when I feel better." she wondered aloud as she unlocked her room.

The knock on her door woke her. Glancing around blearily it took her a moment to remember where she was and what was going on. Staggering over to the door she tried to figure out when she had fallen asleep. Luca rubbed the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hand as she stared at Mr. Palazzo. He smiled at her.

"I noticed that you didn't come back down for dinner so I thought I would bring you some dinner on the house of course. You poor dear, you must have been so tired falling asleep still in your clothes and everything. Here, having some food will allow you to sleep bettter." He gave the silver cart to her. She couldn't tell what it was because a pristine white cloth that covered it but the smell that wafted upwards from it was absalutely devine.

"Thank you so much. It smells wonderful. Honestly I was so tired I forgot."

"Oh it's no trouble at all. Really we live to serve here at Il Trascurare. Just leave the dishes on the cart and place the cart against the wall in the hall by your door when you are done. One of the staff with pick it up." He clasped his hands in front of him as he spoke subtly tucking the empty vial up his sleeve. With that dose she wouldn't wake until 2:30. "Have a good night Miss. Sleep well." he called as he closed the door to her room and made his way back down to the lobby. "You'll need it. You have no idea what's in store for you tomorrow. Foolish child."

Luca pulled the cover off with a flourish. The amazing smell instensifed. Tossing the cloth onto the chair where her bag sat. Having gone straight to sleep when she got in the bag hadn't been moved.

"Wow this is a lot huh Scor?" Her eyes darted from plate to plate. So many decisions, she counted three different plates of pasta alone. "You'll help me eat it all won't ya?" The golem nodded enthusiastically. "Oh! And dessert!" Taking a look at the door she paused. "I think I'm spending too much time with Allen. I shouldn't trust him." Eyes darting around she pushed her bag off the chair before dragging it over to the door and jamming it. "Just in case." Scor started right in eating, granted it wasn't all food that she consumed. _This is a bad idea_ , her mind whispered. _You know you shouldn't trust him_ , any thoughts of checking the food was destroyed by her stomach growling at her.

Placing the cart against the wall as she was told to Luca watched the floor sway underneath her. _francba (shit)_ , she silently cursed. _He drugged me! How could I be so stupid?_ She staggered back into her room slamming the door shut. Crashing to her knees she crawled over to the chair. Her balance was shot. She tried to use the chair to steady her movements as she tried to move the chair back to it's place jamming the door. Her stomach clenched before tossing and rolling like the sea out the window. Slamming the chair into place she heaved herself up. Luca flailed around unable to keep from falling, no longer capable of controlling her own movements. _Allen's gonna kill me_ , was the last intelligible thought that past through her mind before she hit the floor and her world went dark.

* * *

Tyki looked up at Il Trascurare. It was nice enough, though not his normal style. Nothing Sheril would ever deign to touch. Honestly his brother could be so prissy sometimes. Sighing he picked up the suitcase that sat next to his feet. Tyki couldn't believe he was about to pay a sleezy creep a huge amount of money to see Butterfly.

 _Try not to cheat this time. At least wait until she is on her feet again. Unlike last time_ , his mind hissed. Ever since the encounter with Butterfly's strange innocence the voice would come back to beat him over the head with his choices that day. His eye started to twitch. _Go away. She's not even here yet_ , he growls internally. Pushing the doors open Tyki stepped into the lobby. Mr. Palazzo was already waiting for him.

"Good afternoon Master Noah. I'm so glad you could make it." His dark eyes glanced sideways at the man.

"Hello." He held back a snort as the shorter man's eyes were on the suitcase and not him. _Careful. That could get you killed_ , he hissed internally at the man.

"The exorcist is still asleep. I did exactly as you said and made sure that the drug I used will have no lasting effects on her. I do have to admit that I'm rather curious why you asked for that. Why would it matter if it did have an effect?" He could feel his eye starting to twitch again.

"How much did you give her?" he demanded ignoring the man's questions. It had nothing to do with the obnoxious Italian man.

"Oh," Palazzo fumbled around for a few seconds unaware of the Noah's growing irritation. _Did this man do anything useful or was he always in the way?_ he silently questioned to himself. "I gave her this." He handed the younger man the empty vial. "Should I bring you to her room or check to see if she is awake myself? It wouldn't take long." Tyki raised an eyebrow.

"You just said she was still asleep. So is she still asleep or not? It's a simple question really." The manager stepped away from him as subtly as he could. Tyki rolled his eyes. He had forgotten that not all humans ran headfirst into danger the way Butterfly did. This man was a weak coward.

"What I meant was that I haven't checked on her but neither I nor the staff has seen her leave her room nevermind the hotel." he stammered wringing his hands.

"So you have no idea if she is even still here? This exorcist in particular has a habit of disappearing right out from under a person's nose. Is there a window in the room?" The man nodded dumbly.

"She's on the third floor." Tyki snorted.

"That doesn't mean anything. I've seen her jump off buildings taller than this hotel with little to no effort. Never underestimate an exorcist. They are better than you will ever know."

"Oh." was the silly man's response which caused the taller one to roll his eyes. _This is getting painful. How did someone so stupid end up being a broker? More to the point how did Butterfly fall for this? Maybe she's losing her touch_ , his thoughts were interupted by the Italian. "So what would you like me to do?"

"Send one of the servents. Have them say that they were worried about her when she didn't come down for breakfast. Send one of the maids actually. Girls tend to trust their own more." he instructed. Nodding the man called out to one of the maids that happen to be passing by.

"Maria! Go check on the lady in 307 please. She hasn't come down all day." The maid scurried away from the man barking orders and up the stairs. "I'm sure that she's still there. The dose was rather strong, but not enough to damage her!" he quickly covered when the Portuguese man raised an eyebrow at this. Sighing Tyki set the suitcase down again. He needed a cigarette. Digging his pack out of his pocket he went about setting it up keeping one eye on the manager to see if he would say anything. He opened his mouth to and then thought better of it. Maria came running back.

"She's not in her room Sir. Honestly had you not told me yourself I would have assumed that the number was wrong. There's no sign that there was ever anybody in room 307." she whispered in her boss's ear. Unfortunately for them Tyki's hearing was rather good and he caught the whole comment.

"What?! You lost her! How did you manage to lose an entire person!" Palazzo roared at Maria who flinched away from her boss.

"If I recall it was your job to keep an eye on the exorcist not Maria's." Tyki commented off handily. Normally he wouldn't care but the poor girl looked absolutely terrified. _It also really was his job as he's the one getting paid_ , his mind added on.

"The sign says no smoking My Love." Tyki looked up to see Butterfly sitting on the banister.

"I've never listened to anyone before Butterfly why would I start now?" She smiled at him.

"Now, now there's no reason to be rude." He sighed.

"As you wish." Licking his fingertips Tyki put the cigarette out and tossed it into the trash.

"Thank you." Her eyes darted down to the suitcase at his feet. "I didn't know you would be staying here. I would've waited for you." The glint in her eyes told him that she knew more than she was letting on.

"I just couldn't stand to be away from you any longer. These times apart tear at my soul so." He knew he was laying it on thick but it was fun. The mirth in her eyes was worth the look of bewilderment from Palazzo. Actually now that he thought about it, that look was pretty good too. Butterfly certianly thought so if her giggling was any indicator.

"Aww what did I do to deserve you?" He smirked up at her.

"Must've been a demon in your past life."

"But I adore you. How could you possible be a punishment?" her grin never left as she countered his comment. Maria watched the two in facination. She had never seen a pair like these two before. Not only was their flirting strange but the fact that neither used the other's name, just pet names. Granted the names were sweet but still unusual. The whole way this interaction was going was strange. Well strange wasn't the right way. By social standards this was completely inapproprate but so was the way that Butterfly as the man called her, was dressed. Not only was she not wearing a dress but her pants were skin tight. It was completely scandalous. Yet he didn't seem to mind. If fact he had paid more attention to Butterfly than any of the maids who had walked by despite their best efforts, even before the dark haired woman had showed up.

"Clearly you've forgotten who I am Butterfly." Tyki chuckled. Despite the fact that she kept getting away from him he had never had this much fun with any of the other exorcists that he had to deal with. They were all boring and died quickly but Butterfly was quick on her feet and savvy not to mention she could hold her own.

"How could I My Love? I've never found you scary before what would possess me to start now?" She crossed her left leg over her right so she could rest her elbow on it. Tyki gasped as he grabbed at his heart.

"Oh! You've wounded me so." Whatever she was going to say next was cut off. Both pairs of eyes snapped over. Tyki rolled his eyes upon seeing Palazzo running away with the suitcase but didn't pursue him. Technically he had kept his end of the bargain and delivered an exorcist. Looking back up he saw the absolute and unquestionable disgust in her green eyes.

"Harlequin." By the time that the meaning of the order reached his brain the deed was done.

"That was uncharacteristically cold of you Butterfly. He's dead." To prove his point Tyki walked over to nudge the body with his foot ignoring the staff who were now screaming and running away. "I would've never pinned you as someone to kill another human." Pushing herself to her feet the exorcist spared the corpse one last glance.

"He's a broker. He sells his own kind out for money. Any person who would betray his own people is no better than the demons he helps create. While some of the others are more idealistic," Luca's mind drifted to her optimistic brother from whom she hid so much. "I am not. I have lived in real world long enough to know that not all humans are good and those people are not worth saving nor can you save somebody who does not want to be saved."

"So he doesn't count as a person?" he questioned.

"I never said he wasn't a person. I said he wasn't worth saving. Besides by killing him I have saved others." Tyki watched her balance along the railing. The look in her eyes said that there was more to the story than she was letting on. Perhaps she had run into another broker when she was younger.

"Does this have anything to do with your younger brother?" Her eyes slid over to him.

"How perceptive of you My Love. It does, but that's not a story I feel like sharing." her tone told him to drop it so he did.

"Well regardless of why you did it my family is now down a broker. I'm gonna have to come up with a reason for killing him." he sighed looking over at the body once more.

Luca tilted her head at him in confusion, "You haven't told them about me?" The Noah shook his head with a shrug. She arched her eyebrow and waved her hand indicating for him to explain. "Well you have to explain because now I'm curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat." He smirked.

"Curiosity was framed. Ignorance killed the cat." she countered easily with a smirk of her own.

"Fair enough. I don't feel like ending our little game yet. Or sharing you for that matter. You're mine. My family tends to break toys rather easily and you have yet to disappoint me so I'd rather keep you to myself."

"Oooh I love a man that's possessive." she purrs. "It makes me feel oh so special."

"I aim to please my lady." he offered her a bow to which she laughed.

"It's too bad it couldn't end here huh?" she asked doing her best to hide the sadness in her voice.

"Ah but then it would be boring." She thought about it for a moment.

"Yeah you're right." Leaping from the banister she swung her leg at his head. He ducked only to realize that it was a horrible decision on his part as her gauntlet covered fist was coming in for an uppercut that he ran into head on. Wrapping her leg back around his head she flung him into the wall before landing on her feet.

"That was a pretty good move." he noted watching his hat roll away. He'd have to remember to pick it up on his way out as he had forgotten his hat when he retreated last time they met.

"I do try to keep things interesting." He appeared in front of her.

"I appreciate it. Wouldn't want to get bored." She crossed her arms blocking the punch aimed at her nose but it did little to stop the blast of dark matter from hitting her. She flew across the room into the wall. Shooting out from the smoke Tyki was surprised when she came at him with a sword.  
That's a new tactic." he commented dodging each swing.

"Thought I'd try it out. I've been training." she shrugged. He fired another blast of dark matter at her only for her to cleave it in two with the sword.

"I was hoping you'd do that." he was right in her face using the explosion to sneak up on her. "You've left yourself open. Remember the sword is long and the reach is better but if I get between you and it you're defenseless." he chided mockingly his hand rushing towards her chest where her heart lay. Letting go of the sword she pulled Harlequin to her feet and kicked his out from under him. Unfortunately he already had a fist full of her jacket and brought her down with him. She fell with a yelp.

The Noah hit the floor hard knocking the wind from his lungs causing him to release her jacket but it was too late. Luca's head hit his chest with a thump. Neither moved for a moment still processing what had happened. She could hear his heart beating madly. Her own heart wasn't much better. _It's just the battle_ , she convinced herself. _It has nothing to do with me laying on him...Oh hell! I'm still laying on him_ , when the thought crossed her mind she pushed herself up to meet his gaze.

"Well that just made things more interesting now didn't it?" she grinned. He smirked up at her.

"Didn't know you felt that way about me." he purred wrapping one leg around her hips he flipped them over his hands on either side of her shoulders. "However I like to be on top." She pouted despite the dull pain throbbing in her back.

"But I wanted to be on top." Tyki took a moment to admire how green the plush red carpet under her made her eyes look.

"Sorry Butterfly we don't all get what we want." He felt her try to free her legs from where they were trapped under his but he wasn't budging. Picking up one hand he reached for her chest once more.

 _Here's my chance_ , she thought. Reaching up she grabbed a fist full of his curly locks and pulled. He groaned as his head moved with his hair. Using her new leverage Luca shoulder checked him giving her enough room to throw him off and free up the rest of her body.

"No I guess we don't." she smiled as she stood summoning her innocence back to her.

"That was a very dangerous thing to do Butterfly." He growled his voice deep and gravely, also getting up.

"Why? Did ya like it?" she prodded smirking.

"You have no idea." he rumbled appearing right in front of her. Luca moved to jump back but he was faster grabbing her wrist and yanking her back to him his other arm wrapped around her waist holding her against his body as if they were going to dance. Freezing she lifted her eyes up to meet his. Metallic green met gold before he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You should be more careful." his lips ghosting along the rings on the edge of her ear. Grabbing the hand that was holding her wrist Luca spun bringing her arm in before throwing him over her shoulder with a bit of effort on her part.

"I'll keep that in mind. **Ciao** My Love!" she shouts running for the exit pausing to grab the suitcase filled with money and the top hat that sat next to it before throwing herself out the door and down the road. "Harlequin!" she called summoning the metal in board form.

Tyki jumped to his feet, the blow to his head brought him back to his senses. Rushing out the door he ran down the road after her. _Why is she heading for the sea? Even if she gets on a boat and it leaves right away it won't move fast enough to get away from me_ , his mind questioned thoroughly confused. His longer legs were slowly gaining on her until her innocence came zooming by in the form of a oval shaped board. He skidded to a stop at the water's edge watching the exorcist disappear across the horizon her innocence under her boots carrying her out of his reach.

"So that's how you've been getting around. Well now I know. Now how to I explain the dead broker?"

* * *

 **Well, that was exciting~! Luca has definitely spent too much with Allen letting her stomach get the best of her like that, granted she was tired enough that it really wouldn't have mattered but still she got drugged. I know that Luca's point of view is a bit dark but like everything I will explain it later. Tyki is right in the fact that Luca had a run in with another broker when she was younger and it didn't end well. I'd also like you to remember that Allen is very optimistic and Luca adores her brother enough that she tries to protect him from the darker side of humanity (well as much as she can, she can't fix what's already happen to him and that upsets her) so she's a bit (read: a lot) jaded. Please don't judge her to harshly. I can't remember if I've said this or not so I'll say it here Luca and Allen are not biological siblings. When Cross took Allen under his wing he already had Luca. She adopted Allen as her younger brother then. Again I'm really sorry that I'm so late. I really need better time management skills! Anyway I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I will be updating on Tuesday! Later! Cheshire is out~!**


	11. Stranger Things

**Alright! I'm back (and on time! I know amazing! I have surprised even myself) and with a new chapter and no horrible excuses because it's actually on time (what a concept) Well now that I've started carrying on about nothing that makes any sense. I swear I'm not drunk! Don't even like alcohol.**

 **Dear 15th, first off is it okay if I call you this? I'm incredibly ecstatic that my chapter made you grin like the Earl. I can't tell you how nice it is to hear that you like the fight scene. I always worry about them and hope that my readers see it as vividly as I do in my head. I just have to tell you how much your review meant to me. At the time that you were typing your review I had been out in a field in the rain chasing a horse for 45 minutes (took me another 15 to get him in the barn) when I got home my shoes squished they were that wet. I dry off and open my email to start working only to find an email with your review. It brightened my horrendous day and made me smile for the rest of the weekend. Not only was there another review but you spoke of the story, what you like about Luca, what you hoped to see, and your own thoughts on the entire thing. You spoke (wrote?) encouraging words to me, things that every writer needs to hear. As I said in my bottom author's note I will reveal the events that caused Luca's view of brokers at a later date and I'm happy that you understood Luca's decision about the broker even if some readers didn't like it. Cross will find out about Tyki and it will be an interesting conversation because he is the distant father figure! I'm very excited to see what you think of Joyd and Luca's interaction but that's not for several more chapters. I will say that China and the ark will be hard places for Luca to be. Also don't worry about your English, learning, reading, writing, or speaking another language is hard. English is my native tongue and I butcher it all the time! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **As always I only own Luca, Scor, Harlequin, and the plot. The rest of DGM and all it's wonderful characters belong to Katsura Hoshino!**

* * *

After having to double back to Il Trascurare to grab her stuff that she had hidden upon sensing the Noah's presence Luca didn't make it to Montenegro until after dark. Checking into an inn for the night Luca groaned upon remembering that she had call Komui again not to mention make up a lie about her love showing up agian. Getting up from her bed with a whine she went back to the front desk to ask for a phone.

"Luca! Why are you so bad at keeping in touch? I swear I cannot handle another exorcist like General Cross who just disappears on me all the time. Central is already annoyed that we can't seem to keep track of him but if I lose you too they'll freak!" Luca sighed as Komui started right in on her. "You better have a really good explanation for why you didn't call yet again!"

"Are ya done?" she asked blinking a few times while waiting for her hearing to come back.

"Yes now explain yourself young lady!" he snapped. _Young lady_ , she made a face at that thought crinkling her nose.

"Remember how I told you that the manager Palazzo gave me the creeps?"

"Yes..." he answered allowing her to continue.

"Well he was a broker and sold me out. He drugged my dinner. I didn't wake up until sometime in the afternoon and when I did I had company. There were a bunch of akuma that I had to deal with. Not to mention the broker." she sighed. The Chinese man was quiet for a moment.

"What happened to him?" She took a deep breath.

"He's dead. Can we please just leave it at that?" Komui thought for a moment. Perhaps it was best to not press the issue. He could here the fatigue in her voice and knew that sometimes Luca did things she wasn't proud of.

"Very well. Did you get out safely?" She smiled glad he was letting it go.

"Yeah I just got into Montenegro."

"I'm glad that you are safe. Go get some sleep but please try to check in with me in the morning." She laughed at his almost whining tone.

"Well hopefully nothing exciting will happen but I really will try." As the line went dead Komui looked at the phone for a second.

"Reever had we heard anything about Montenegro lately? I feel like I just read something about it." The Australian looked up.

"Yeah I think you might be right. I'll see if there's anything in recent paperwork." He rushed off muttering the name under his breath to keep it in his mind.

Luca slept later than she meant too and got a late start on her trek across Montengro. Instead of taking a train which would've taken longer give the terrain of the country she would be walking, flying, and hitching rides where she could. It would be an interesting few days she could already tell. Currently she was sitting on the back of a farmer's wagon heading northeast. She still needed to go up through Serbia to get to Romania and Moldova. At the rate she was going she would catch up with her brother and the others in Ukraine as she projected. Glaring up at the sun for a second a thought came to the girl.

"Harlequin." The liquid unwrapped from her skin allowing her to stick her hand into it. It slid smoothly across her skin like candle wax. Digging around for a second she pulled the top hat with the shiny red ribbon out. Leaning back she placed the hat over her forehead shading her eyes from the sun. "I knew that I would need this." she grinned at Scor who came to rest on her shoulder. The cart stopped moving.

"Oh look an exorcist sleeping on the job." Luca groaned hearing the akuma's voice which grated on her ears. Pushing the rim of the hat up with a single finger the exorcist glowered out at the group of level 2s.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to go away would you?" The group of akuma howled with laughter. She could hear the farmer making strange noises. "You've got to be kidding me!" She groaned looking up just in time to see the farmer himself change into an akuma. "Fantastic."

"Hold still little exorcist." hissed the one comparable to a lobster.

"Yeah, hold still. Hold still. Hold still." chanted the demented bird akuma as it dove for her it's large beak open wide ready to swallow her whole. Rolling off the cart she landed in a low cat like crouch.

"You think you can escape us foolish exorcist?" snarled the former farmer.

"Do you have a mute button?" she asked in annoyance. "Activate!" Harlequin shot through the farmer as it's mistress rolled under the cart to avoid the hail of bullets from the level 1s.

"Get back out here you nasty little creature!"

"If you insist." Twisting herself out from under the cart she summoned her weapon back to her over her arms into the familiar pair of gauntlets. Using the cart to gain height she jumped up onto the lobster who was still talking not that she was listening to it.

"Get off!" it hollered right before she punched through the shell protecting the head.

"Oh just die already." she groaned pushing off yanking it's brain out with her as she fell right onto another one who tried to buck her off. The level 1s trained their guns on her. "Great." Wrenching the akuma around she ducked down using it as a makeshift shield.

"You little witch!" it howled before she tore it's head off.

"You've left yourself open!" she groaned as the bird screeched.

"Did I?" Harlequin changed into a sword as she fell. "Or are you just stupid?" she asked though the severed head didn't answer, not that she expected it to do so. "What a mess," she looked over the cart. "and of course the wheel of the cart is busted and the horses ran." Grabbing her things from the back she jumped onto the newly formed board. "Guess I'll fly for a while."

The next morning was quiet and after finally getting a couple nights of real sleep Luca woke with the sun as she would normally if she were at home. It felt strange to call the Order home but she knew it was probably the closest thing that she would find to that word.

"Maybe today I'll actually be able to get my shopping done." she spoke to the little golem perched on her shoulder. The sunshine was nice and kept her warm giving a nice balance with the breeze that was blowing through. Wondering around longer than she should have the procrastinating girl was just about to head out when she heard whispering.

"That man hasn't come back yet." the apple vendor was leaning over next to the butcher's ear.

"Maybe he moved onto the next town. It is in that general direction right?" The apple vendor shook her head.

"That's not how you go to that town. Not a soul would have told that nice young man to go that way. Everybody knows that field is haunted." The butcher quirked an eyebrow.

"He's been gone for several days. If he didn't go to the next town they only thing out there that would provide shelter would be old man Jevrem's place. He couldn't be staying there could he?"

"Jevrem hasn't been seen in months. I'm almost certain he's dead. Probably in his house." the woman answered.

"Maybe he was just curious about the legend?" the butcher suggested.

"It's not very well known and he wasn't from around here. He looked I don't know I want to say Portuguese." Luca stopped walking surely the apple vendor couldn't be talking about him. After all he wasn't the only Portuguese man in the world. Obviously. She rolled her eyes. _It couldn't be him. Great it's like I'm looking for him or something. Man I need help, or it could be that I'm bored. Akuma are more annoying than entertaining but when being compared to him they didn't have much of a chance. Ugh I'm doing it again_ , she mentally groaned.

"He was very polite. Well mannered and pleasant." The butcher noted.

"Very handsome too. I don't normally like moles but the one under his eye was cute." the apple vendor grinned. The butcher laughed.

"Better not let your husband hear you say that."

"He was too young for me. He didn't really look like a traveler though." The butcher nodded.

"Yes you are right. His suit was too nice to be a traveling in." Sighing Luca made her way over to the gossiping pair.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but I couldn't help but over hear your conversation. You said that a well dressed young man went into a haunted field?" They looked her up and down a couple times.

"Yes he came here a few days back and spent most of his first day in town asking around about the field. The next morning he asked for directions to the field. Some of us tried to convince him not to go but he insisted that he would be fine. That was the last any of us saw of him." The apple vendor's brown eyes locked with hers.

"Are you looking for him?" the butcher ruffled his blond hair.

"Not quite. It's my job to look into strange phenomenons. However I wouldn't want anything to happen to him." _Well nothing that I don't inflict myself_ , she added on silently. "Could you tell me the legend please?"

"Back in the last century there were countless witch hunts. The field was where they were hung or burned for being witches. It happened so often that it's now called veštičenje. Witch torment. It's said that the last witch they burned there was the real deal and she cursed it. Now it's said that anyone who enters the field is cursed to do her bidding as he own personal slave." Luca nodded soaking up all the information.

"Though they are more like zombies." The blond man added on.

"What about the man you mentioned earlier. Jevrem right?" Luca winced knowing that she was killing the man's name.

"Poor Jevrem bought the field and built a house out there. His wife was pregnant and they didn't have much money and it was cheap. They lost the baby, then his wife Emilija went crazy and tried to kill him before taking her own life. He never really recovered from it. With each passing year that he lived there he grows more zombie like. He hasn't been seen in a while." She looked up at the taller man who was telling the story.

"That's terrible." It was all she could think of to say. Both nodded.

"It is." The apple vendor looked at her again.

"Are you going to check veštičenje out? You said it was your job to do so didn't you?" She nodded.

"Yes I am. I need to make sure that it's just a legend and see if I can't find the man in the top hat. Could you please give me directions?" After the green eyed girl left the apple vendor looked up at her friend.

"I don't recall saying that the man had a top hat." The butcher was quiet for a moment replaying the entire conversation in his head.

"You didn't." They stared after the strange young woman who left town in the same direction that the man had gone. Her heavy dark brown messenger bag bounced again her hip as she jogged over the the forest's edge. The leather was in very good condition but still had some scraps that needed to be taken care of. Their eyes widened in shock when the silver thing that had been sitting on her shoulder flew off.

"This is bad Scor, if My Love is here that means it's not an akuma and the Earl thinks it's innocence. He's probably already gone and the piece destroyed but I still have to check. Komui won't be happy. I really need to figure out how he's moving around. Nothing should move that fast. He's keeping up with me and Harlequin moves faster than any boat, train, or carriage. So how the hell is he doing it?" Luca was more than a bit frustrated with the Noah once again. Every time she thought she had something about the man figured out she found a new thing that didn't make sense. She was also losing her temper with all the branches that were at just the right height to hit her in the face or get tangled in her hair. Groaning she tucked her braids up and tugged her hood over it. "Why couldn't I be taller?"

Finally stepping out of the forest she found herself at veštičenje and staring at a bunch of akuma who were gathered around where the tall grass started. They hadn't noticed her yet, instead they stared intensely at the field waiting for something to happen. The puma like akuma pushed the strange human like one covered in spike forward.

"Go check on Master Noah." it ordered. The spiky one whirled around and growled.

"We can't get through the barrier! All I would be doing was getting myself killed. I'm sure the Master will be out shortly."

"Well maybe we aren't too late after all." the exorcist murmured to her golem. "Activate!" The liquid pierced the skull of the puma akuma before they even processed what they had heard.

"Exorcist!" the walking pincushion snarled before it too was dead.

"Thank you for telling me that the Noah is still here. I was worried that I was too late."

"You are!" hissed another one as she strode through the grass towards the group.

"If I was you all wouldn't be here. Besides you can't get through which means that the innocence is still active." Waving her hand the metal finished off the rest of the akuma. "Well time to visit My Love. I can't believe that I actually missed him. I can never let him know this fa-" she trailed off as she stepped through the barrier. Lying in the tall grass of the field was the Noah unmoving on his side with his back to her. "My Love?" she questioned walking towards him slowly. His hat lay on the ground on it's side. "What kind of a trap is this?" Bending down she rolled him over half expecting his hand to grab her by the throat but nothing happened. "Okay not funny anymore." she told him as she started to shake him. "Alright time to try and kill me now." she singsonged while shaking him a bit harder. Her eyes grew heavy before they started to drift close. _What's happening?_ she wondered struggling to stay awake. The Noah still didn't move, if anything all she was doing was tiring herself out which shouldn't be happening. _I'm getting really sick of this_ , was the last thought that crossed her mind as her world went black.

Luca opened her eyes only to immediately shut them again, the sunlight streaming in through her window burned her eyes. Blinking slowly to allow her eyes to grow accustom to the light she noticed an arm draped lazily over her side. Her hand rested on top of the bigger one their fingers intertwined with each other. She could feel his presence behind her, his breathing even and steady. _He's still asleep_ , she thought yawning as she glared at the rising sun. Looking back down at their hands she couldn't stop the grin that made it's way onto her face as she caught sight of the gold wedding bands. It had been one of the best days of her life. He was hers and hers alone.

"A good dream Butterfly? You're grinning like the cat that ate the canary." His deep baritone voice rumbled in her ear. She turned her head to look at him.

"Just thinking about our wedding day." He leaned over and kissed her cheek causing her to roll over to face him.

"I'm still convinced that you're an angel especially on that day." His dark eyes met her emerald ones. She giggled.

"My Love we've talked about this, I'm no angel." He pressed his lips against her forehead.

"You are to me." This time she laughed.

"Wow, who knew you'd be so cheesy when you first woke up?" He snorted at her.

"Way to ruin the moment." She grinned and pulled at the blanket so she could get up. His arms wound around her waist pulling her back down against his chest. "You think that you can just get up and leave after that? No you need to be punished." She grinned tracing the lines of his face, the shape of his nose, the line of his jaw. He was perfect in her eyes. She blinked a few times.

"When...," she trailed off for a moment.

"When what? What's wrong?" he sat up slightly, eyes narrowing slightly in concern. Tyki stared at his wife in concern. He knew she wasn't normally a morning person but now she was worrying him.

"When did we go to bed last night?" He blinked a few times at her.

"When did we get in bed or when did we go to sleep?" he joked trying to get her to smile, she sorta did smacking his chest lightly.

"You know what I mean." she paused again. "I can't remember what happened last night or how I got here. Were you with me or here before me?" His brow furrowed as he thought back trying to remember in an attempt to quell the fear that he could see rising in her eyes.

"It's okay, I-" he trailed off his own memory fuzzing, like it was missing a piece. Tyki watched his wife rise to her feet to go look out the window. "What is it?"

"You need to come see this." The tone of her voice told him that she was serious. He joined her at the window. Spanning out under them was a giant castle. Past that was the normal wall that protected it and a massive golden field as far as the eye could see. A knock at the door sounded.

"Your majesties? Are you awake yet?" There was a moment of quiet. "You have a big day ahead of you."

"Oh yeah we're fine if you could just give us a minute I need to discuss a few things with my husband in private." Luca called staring up at the Noah.

"What's going on?" he hiss quietly to her. She waited for a second until the maid's footsteps disappeared.

"How should I know? Okay can you use your powers?" He thought for a moment before putting his hand against the wall.

"No, normally I have to trouble phasing through things but nothing's happening right now. What about you? Do you have your innocence and if so can you use it?" Luca pulled at her skimpy nightgown to look at her arms and collarbone.

"No, it's gone but I'm guessing you didn't take it since you asked me." He shakes his head.

"Trust me I wouldn't still be here if I had. Even without your innocence I'm sure that you would still find a way to hurt me Butterfly." He reached over to brush a piece of her long hair out of her eyes. She looked up at him.

"You're right. I would've." she paused reaching up to place her hand on his face stroking his cheek with her thumb.

"What?" he asked wondering why she was staring.

"Is this your natural coloring? I've never seen you out of your Noah form before." He looked down at his own hand noticing his pale skin for the first time since he woke.

"Yeah, why were you expecting something different?" When she didn't answer him he looked up from his hand to her face. She was still staring at him.

"No not really, it was just strange. Despite never seeing you without gold eyes and gray skin I recognized you easily." She dropped her hand. "Okay so this isn't real. We need to retrace our steps to figure out how we got here and how do we get out of here. First question why are we married?" Both looked at the rings again.

"I have no idea really. I'm completely lost. Though if I woke up like that every morning I'm not sure I'd mind." he grinned down at her and moved closer.

"If you need to get back in bed and get up again to wake up from that dream then I'll wait." she answered in annoyance while pushing his shirtless chest away from her with a roll of her eyes. Groaning upon remembering her own state of undress. Digging around a bit she found her clothing.

"Aw don't change on my account." Tyki cooed. The vase that she threw at his head shattered the window when he ducked and fell into the courtyard with a loud crash upon landing in pieces.

"I can hurt you." she reminded him as she put her boots on keeping her back to him while he got dressed.

"You can't say that you didn't like waking up in bed with me. I saw the look on your face." He came to stand by her signaling that he was done and they could go. His grin never left his face despite having another vase tossed at it. The fact that she didn't hit him either time said that she was only throwing it halfheartedly. _I can work with that_ , he decided to keep that thought to himself.

Luca paused in the open doorway a grin pulling at her lips in a devious smile before she spoke, "I never said that I minded waking up in bed with you but if it had been up to me you would've been in handcuffs." She kept her giggles to herself despite the fact that she could only hear her own footfall. "Maybe I broke him." she hummed to herself. It was several more feet before he started jogging to catch up with her.

"When we get out of this I may just take you up on that." She smiled up at him innocently.

"I don't have the slightest clue what you are talking about." The brown haired maid rushed over to them.

"I was so worried, I checked your room but you both were gone. I was terrified that something had happened to you. Especially with so many people being unhappy. Not to mention that Lord Sheril has put a bounty on milady's head." The maid continued fretting while the pair just blinked at her.

"It's okay, is there a place that," she paused glancing up at the Noah for a moment "my husband and I could talk privately. We need to discuss what to do about Lord Sheril and it's best without an audience." the maid nodded.

"There shouldn't be anyone in the study at the moment and I will keep everyone from it if that is what you wish." Tyki nodded.

"That would be great." _I've seen her somewhere. Where was it? An exorcist? No couldn't be_ , Butterfly's the first female exorcist he had ever met. Until her he hadn't known they could be. _Where was it? Had to be some place. I know I've seen her before_ , he racked his brain for where he had seen the maid but couldn't come up with anything. Blinking he looked around and found that while he was thinking Butterfly must've pulled him into the study with her.

"Well that just made things a lot more complicated. Does the name Sheril ring a bell for you?" she asked looking over at him. He sighed sitting down in one of the leather chairs while she moved to the window.

"Sheril is my brother's name but he can't possibly be here." She looked over at him.

"Would he be trying to kill me if he knew?" The Portuguese man raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm trying to kill you." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Not very well, besides there seems to be rules to our game." He huffed at her.

"I just don't feel like ending the game so soon. You're the most fun I've had on this side of my life in a while. I'm not bad at my job or anything."

Luca couldn't help but giggled at him. _I would've never thought that a full grown man would be cute when he was pouting_ , her train of thought was cut off by a realization.

"It screws with our minds!" The Noah jumped several feet in the air clearly startled by her sudden shouting which probably didn't make any sense as she didn't bother with any context whatsoever just yelling her revelation to the world.

"Do you want to explain what you just said or are you going to leave me in the dark?" he questioned glaring mildly at her as she rushed over to sit next to him in another leather chair.

"This! All of this isn't real. It's in our heads. Which explains why you can't use your powers and I can't find my innocence." He blinked at her a few times. He could see the logic in that.

"Okay so how do you know I'm not a figment of this place?" She laughed in response.

"I don't know your brother's name yet you didn't even blink. Had you been a figment you wouldn't have known either. The maid would have had to tell you who it was. Thus you are real." He pondered the idea for a moment.

"So how do I know that you aren't a figment of this place meant to fool me?" She paused looking away to make a face while thinking.

"Hmm that is difficult. I don't have an answer at the moment." He leaned back in the chair.

"This isn't the first one you've been in. So why should I believe that you are the real Butterfly?" Her eyes darted back up to him and she opened her mouth to say something but was cut off.

"Your majesties you must flee!" A maid with blonde hair rushed in. Francesca has sold you out to Lord Sheril and he has sent an assassin! Francesca let him in!" Luca groaned rolling her eyes. "Run!" Grabbing the Noah by the hand she yanked him out of the room just in time to see a tall man with short dark hair and a familiar gun standing in the hall.

"There you are! I've been looking for you!" Eyes wide she ran the other way still dragging the very confused Portuguese man with her.

"Who's that?" He glanced over his shoulder only to see one of the bullets fired just barely miss the end of his nose.

"Somebody I never wanted to see again." Her voice shook as they darted down corridor after corridor trying to escape the madman the fear evident. She was clutching his hand so hard their knuckles were white. The part of her face he could see was white as snow.

"Run, run as fast as you can!" Tyki looked over his shoulder again.

"Why is he shouting nursery rhythms at us?" Instead of terror now she only groaned.

"Well that's how you know that I'm real." she jerked him into a closet and shut the door as quietly as she could. They heart the assassin go thundering by and down a different hall. Opening the door just a crack she peaked out.

"I don't see how that proves you are real." he stated staring down at the exorcist.

"That gun he had. It's my Master's. Why I'm so good at dodging is because he would shoot at us to teach dodging, pain tolerance and increase our stamina. He'd yell that as we ran. Either he was trying to be funny or encouraging. Either way that's from my mind. So know we know that the other is real." They moved silently down the deserted halls creeping around checking before each corner.

"I don't recall an exorcist general who looked like that." She paused to listen to his whisper before turning away from him.

"I said the saying and gun was from my Master. The man..." the girl trailed off.

"He's from your past isn't he?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" He sighed looking around before taking the lead. Whoever the man was he had certainly rattled the girl.

"Because the maid Francesca is from mine. She attended a ball that my brother hosted. She and a partner used the ball to kidnap Tricia to use as leverage against my brother. We were less than thrilled." She nodded slowly absorbing the information.

"Well that helps with my theory." He blinked at her.

"It does? You just said that it screws with our minds. How does Francesca help?"

"She betrayed the trust you and your family put in her by kidnapping Tricia. Therefore you don't trust her now and she betrayed us in this world." she explained tapping him on the shoulder pointing to a hidden door behind a tapestry.

"So what about the assassin? I highly doubt that your master really tried to kill you." She shook her head.

"No, Master was only training us. Despite what he says and how he acts sometimes he truly cares about my brother and I. No this man, he was the first to ever try to kill me. I've..." he waited for her to take a deep breath to calm herself. "I've never forgotten him because of it." Tyki didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth only to close it again. He repeated this process several times.

"I guess that explains why you weren't surprised when I tried." She smiled as she shut the hidden door.

"No I wasn't. It's been almost ten years since that day. I'm used to people trying to kill me now," He raised an eyebrow at the sudden stop in the middle of the sentence like she was thinking of something. "But you are by far the cutest that's tried to kill me." Using the wall to find her way in the dark she led the way. Luca could faintly hear him muttering.

"Not cute. I am definitely not cute. Girls are cute. Puppies are cute. I am not!" The Hungarian struggled to keep her giggles under wraps. Finding themselves in the kitchen of the castle they relaxed. The assassin would never look down here for them.

"If you're done," he glared at her but she just grinned. "We need to find this piece of innocence so we can get out of here."

"That's great and all Butterfly but we have no idea where to look. This castle is huge and no clues to go on." He pointed out. She thought for a moment.

"Okay let's start from the beginning. Did the Earl send you or did you stumble upon it?"

"The Earl sent me. I thought that it might have just been a rogue akuma, it happens once or twice. I heard the legend and dismissed it as such. It wasn't until I stepped into the field that I realized it was innocence but it over took me before I could get out. I've been through several different "worlds" is what I guess I would call it. Now what about you?" She shook her head.

"I was just passing through. It's quicker than taking a train because there are no straight route across Montenegro. I was shopping for a few things that I needed when I heard some vendors whispering. I started to eavesdrop. The more they spoke the more I knew I had to check it out and then they started talking about a foreign young man that sounded like he was Portuguese I realized it was you which only worried me more." she shrugged.

"I'm going to go ahead and assume that the akuma I left outside the barrier are dead, right?" he sighed when she shrugged again.

"They would've been dead anyway. When I got there one of them was trying to push another to go check on you. I did you a favor."

"Idiots." He groaned resting his face in his hand. _Why were they all so stupid? I don't have time for that_ , he thought realizing that the list was way too long for this moment.

"Yeah, kinda." she shrugged again.

"Okay so you killed they akuma and then what?" He asked getting them back on topic.

"I stepped through the barrier. You were on the ground unmoving. I walked towards you slowly because I couldn't decide if it was a trap or not. You didn't move. I shook you and still got no response from you. All I did was make myself tired. I passed out and then woke up in bed with you." He nodded.

"I still don't see how that helps us know where to start." She sighed with a roll of her eyes.

"I actually listened to the legend. There are two people that could have activated the innocence. The witch who cursed the field or the wife." Tyki blinked at her.

"Why the wife? She's dead. Why not Jevrem he's the only one that's still alive." He pointed out but she shook her head.

"It's possible but I wouldn't count on it. Think about it. A woman who's just lost her baby? You might as well hand her to the Earl on a silver platter yet she didn't become an akuma. I think that something about losing her baby caused the innocence to activate to protect her from the Earl."

"But she's dead. Every time I've killed an exorcist the innocence's power deactivates." The girl smirked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Is she?" He blinked at her several times.

"They said she was." She sighed.

"Oh My Love, believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. If I just lost my baby and I had actually wanted it," she muttered the last part under her breath but he still caught it. "and I had a piece of innocence that would allow me to create any illusion I would create my own perfect world where my husband and I were happy and safe and our child was alive. Maybe a better life where my husband didn't have to struggle to put food on the table and I could just take care of my baby without having to stop to do housework." His eyes widened.

"You think she's in here?!"

"I can't say for sure whither or not Emilija's physically alive but I believe that she's here mentally. I think that when her body started deteriorating because she refused to deactivate her innocence because that would force her to come back to the real world, she moved her entire consciousness here."

"So how does she survive?" She gave a sad smile.

"Jevrem. He desperately wanted to make his wife happy and in their perfect little world they both were happy, but they couldn't survive like that. Jevrem would leave to get food and water to sustain them. It's why the townspeople said he was like a zombie because he basically was. He has to eat enough to keep him and his wife healthy. I think that Jevrem is dying or just died. They only have a little time left until you stepped into her reach. I think that they have built a world around our memories to make it seem real to keep us here so they can use our bodies to survive." There was nothing but silence between the two. Luca herself was struggling to pull her emotions from Emilija's who was starting to take over.

"Well we need to get out of here quickly. I'm still in control of my body but I can feel Jevrem eating away at me." She nodded silently agree with the Noah.

"My best guess is Emilija is the host and she has the innocence with her. I think we should check the nursery."

"I have no idea where that would be." he stated. She sighed.

"Me either."

"I thought woman were supposed to know everything about children." he groaned at her. She smacked his chest.

"I know nothing of children except that I'm pretty sure I don't want one." She snapped back at him. H _ow on Earth does he manage to get under my skin all the time? It's so infuriating_ , as soon as the thought crossed her mind the entire castle shook.

"Do I wanna know what that is?" She looked up at him as he steadied her.

"It could be a number of things. A monster from your mind, a monster from mind heaven knows I've got plenty, or something Emilija's conjured up to keep us busy. Either way I don't want to stick around to find out. If it was me I would keep the nursery up high to keep the baby safe." The floor started shaking again and the pair fell back against the wall. Once the quake had subsided Tyki released the girl from his grip.

"Good plan." Racing up the stairs was hard especially when the floor shaking under them. "I'd really like to know what that is." he hissed as they moved down the hall.

"I really don't think you do." He supposed she was probably right. _How come she's always right?_ he questioned mentally. The hall was surprisingly quiet. "I think we're in the right place. She wouldn't want something crashing through her scaring the baby." she whispered in his ear.

"I think I hear somebody singing." The pair moved silently until they reached the door where song was coming from.

"Emilija?" Tyki was surprised when the girl slowly opened the door to the nursery announcing her presence.

"Go away. Why can't you just enjoy this last day that we've given you. We tried to make it painless." Luca looked at the woman dressed in a deep mahogany dress with her blonde hair tied up in an elegant updo and a gold crown on her head, the giant ruby glistening in the sunlight streaming through the window.

"Emilija, you know this is wrong. Our lives are not for you to take. I know that you miss your child but this one," she pointed to the babe that the queen was rocking. "isn't real. You are already dead and your husband is or will be soon. You need to let go. You can't move on like this. You can't find peace here. Please don't deny Jevrem or yourself that peace."

"But I-I-I-" the woman struggled to control her tears. "I don't want to lose my baby. I can't stand to be alone." Luca smiled gently.

"Your baby is already in heaven just waiting. Your real baby. If you let go everyone will find peace. You and Jevrem can be a family again with your child and my mother won't spend the rest of her life wondering why my fiancé and I didn't come home." Emilija broke down.

"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." Luca smiled at her.

"There's no need." Emilija smiled one last time before the entire world dissolved.

Luca opened her eyes to the sun for the second time that day only to immediately close them. Groaning she rolled over onto her side. Slowly opening her eyes a second time she found a pair of gold eyes staring back at her.

"Well I think we're back in the real world now." She groaned again causing him to snort.

"I think I liked waking up the other way. There was a bed and you were actually happy to see me." Luca pushed herself up but didn't turn away from him.

"It has nothing to do with you I just hating waking up in general and now I really need another cup of coffee." He nodded sitting up though he crossed his legs.

"So it's not me." He paused for a moment. "Another? How many cups of coffee do you drink?" She smirked at him.

"Several. At least three. In the morning." He raised an eyebrow at that.

"I don't think that's healthy." She shrugged at him.

"So I've been told. It's not going to change."

Fair enough." he thought for a second. "I thought the Order didn't allow contact with family." She glanced over at the Noah with an arched eyebrow.

"They don't?" He pulled a cigarette from his pack and started digging around for his matches. Sighing Luca reached into her bag and pulled out her lighter and lit it. He blinked at the offered light a few times before using it.

"Then why did you say that your mother was expecting us back?" She shook her head at him.

"Because as a mother that would have the most weight with her, but it doesn't matter my mother hasn't worried about me in a long time." Her eyes lost their glow.

"Bad relationship?" he prodded gently careful not to set her off.

"She's been dead for 12 years so I guess that would put a damper on the relationship, yeah." she gave a dry laugh.

"I guess that could cause problems." He blinked at her a few times thinking. "Alright can I ask you a question?" A lazy smirk pulled at her lips.

"Besides that one?" He made a face at her.

"You know what I mean." She laughed.

"Yeah, okay. What is it?" He sighed when she shrugged.

"You know that I'm Portuguese but I can't place where you're from. You don't have an accent so where are you from?"

"I'm from Hungary, I was born on the boarder in Transylvania. I don't have an accent because I was eight when I learned English. It's the one I use the most."

"You speak more than one language?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"How many do you speak?" He debated on answered her counter question or not.

"Two. Portuguese and English. You?" She grinned.

"I win! I speak three." _She's such a child_ , Tyki thought with a laugh though he was intrigued.

"English and..?" he prompted.

"English, Hungarian, and Romanian."

"Huh. What happened to the innocence by the way?" Luca grinned and held up her hand, the green glow seeping through her fingers. He held out his hand for it but she just shook her head. "Butterfly," he warned giving her a disapproving look but she just kept grinning.

"I can't give it to you. You know that." He lunged for it but she rolled away and onto her feet.

"Give it to me Butterfly." Luca didn't bother waiting for him to get up merely picked up the hat and hightailed it across the field.

"Nope! It's mine now!" Scrambling to his feet the Noah took off after her still yelling.

"I'm serious! Get back here Butterfly! Give me the innocence!" She didn't slow down.

"Nevah!"

* * *

 **I hope you all liked this chapter! I try to mix things up so it's not always the same thing. I know it would get boring like that. As always I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes that have slipped past me, feel free to let me know if you see one and I'll fix it right away. I know the top author's note got a little long but it needed to be said. I hope you all enjoyed Stranger Things (bad title pun I know but I couldn't help it!), I'll be back next week with chapter twelve: Get Out Alive! Chess out~!**


	12. Get Out Alive

**Yay! I'm back! Still late but back! Anyway I had so much fun writing this chapter. I laughed through the whole thing. It's not as long as the last chapter but pretty close. I due try to keep them at a decent size without trying to fill space. In the last chapter I said Tyki was looking for his lighter, I can't remember if he uses matches or a lighter. Both were around in the time of DGM unfortunately I do not have a hard copy of the manga that shows which one he uses (still collecting the manga slowly but surely) I know in the anime he uses matches but the anime changes things. If anyone can tell me which he uses I would be grateful and would change it if necessary. Now on to the reviews~**

 **Dear HoboHeartLover, I'm really glad that you think they are cute together. I love that other people see them the way I do! The fact that you think it enough to tell me makes my heart swell.**

 **Dear 15th, I'm glad you got the joke. I snickered to myself when I decided on it. I went through several nicknames before deciding on that one. I was also too lazy to keep writing 'Guest who reviewed on the 15th' because it was long. As for your lateness don't worry about it. I am constantly late. This chapter is late so I can't really throw any stones. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you love the chapter. I actually had a hard time with the concept for that chapter first. I wanted to do something different and thought that them having to work together would be fun as well as help building a relationship that differs from the ones she has with her friends and other enemies. Yeah Road likes Allen but it's not the same. I want their relationship to be built on solid ground. I've found that Luca and Tyki are very natural around one another. I think it has something to do with the fact that they are both rather laid back. Their siblings who they spend the most time with are rather excitable. Sheril is incredibly high strung and Allen is prone to panicking (see any Komlin interactions) so it falls to them to be calm. They are also just comfortable together. I loved both scenes, I had so much fun throwing the their married out like that. Just casually adding it like it was completely normal. Luca's thought process is rather sporadic and she can kinda have a one track mind at times. Tyki is fun so she's actually looking for him. Though she would deny it if you asked her. ;D**

 **As always I don't own DGM and never will. Luca, Scor, and Harlequin belong to me as does the plot. Not sure anybody else is this crazy. Hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

After she managed to ditch the Noah in the forest Luca looked down to examine her new prize. The piece of innocence was hidden in a dark emerald broach set in gold that she had seen Emilija wearing in the castle. The small glow that emitted from the gem allowed it to look bigger than it was. All in all it was a pretty ingenious place to hid the piece of innocence. It was small enough to be carried around and if needed hidden by just about anything. It didn't take up room the way that Harlequin or the Dark Boots did. Nor was it obvious like Lavi's hammer or Mugen. Sliding the broach into her pocket she decided to examine the better prize. The top hat that she had pilfered still had grass on it. Picking the grass off the hat she smiled. Another hat to be added to her collection. This one was black and the fabric was soft against her fingertips. Once she finished removing the grass she turned her attention to the navy blue silk that wrapped around the bottom of it. She was enjoying all the new colors that he was adding. The last hat's ribbon was red and this one was blue.

"It's nice of him to change it up for us." Luca could've sworn that the golem rolled her non-existent eyes at her mistress. Huffing she continued "I was worried that he'd be like Kanda and just have the same hat seven times but I'm pleasantly surprised." With one last fond look she placed the hat into the depths of Harlequin for safe keeping with the other hats that she had. She put them on the wall of her room when she got home which is where trophies belong. After of course her hour long argument with Allen about how she shouldn't be collecting trophies especially from "dangerous Noah who are trying to kill you" She chuckled to herself. It hadn't even happened yet she already knew how it would go. They had the same argument every time Luca did something remotely dangerous which also happened often. "Better head out, I should be crossing into Serbia today. Can't fall behind, the others are going to wait for me in Ukraine." Scor nodded as the girl summoned her board. Flying high over the scenery of Montenegro was beautiful but she didn't have time to admire it as she sped by. She didn't know at which point she crossed into Serbia deciding to fly high over it all for a while.

Her stomach rumbling had decided when to drop down from the sky to stop for the night. The hotel had been nice enough and Komui was more than happy to hear that she had picked up another piece of innocence. He was less thrilled about the Noah's appearance but she quickly pointed out that if he hadn't shown up she would've just passed it over. Granted the phone call ending on the argument about Luca endangering her life by continuing to take the Noah's appearance lightly had put her in a bad mood for the rest of the night and continued to do so into the next day.

"Why does the whole world think they can tell me what to do and how to live my life?" she growled under her breath as she stabbed at her lunch. She could see the waiter eyeing her warily almost scared to ask if she needed anything but he had to.

"Miss?" he flinched when the vivid furious green eyes snapped up to meet his. "Can I get you anything else?" the dark haired boy did his best to not stammer. He saw her take a deep breath before sighing clearly trying to let go of whatever or whoever as he guessed by her muttering, that was upsetting her.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to startle you. Another coffee with creamer in it please." He nodded and rushed off. As he prepared the coffee he glanced at her, taking her moment of distraction to observe her carefully. When she wasn't glaring venomously especially at him she was pretty with long locks of inky hair pulled into a loose fishtail braid over her left shoulder and messy bangs that she kept blowing out of her face as she played with the small silver spoon. She was around his age if he had to guess. What she was doing all by herself out in public in such strange clothes was beyond him. A girl of her age should be dressed modestly in a dress with at least one chaperone.

"Andrej! Stop staring at the girl and just serve her the coffee." Andrej jumped when his coworker Boro hissed in his ear.

"I wasn't staring, she just interesting. She's obviously not from around her. Maybe from Hungary? Her coloring is about right and she seems comfortable enough, she even pronounced my name right and yet she's dressed so strangely. Despite that it's like she blends in just disappearing into the crowd. I didn't even see her until she was right in front of me. And why is she so angry about people telling her what to do? Isn't that what parents are for? Why would she think that she gets to choose what she does with her life?" Boro blinked at the dark eyed man several times.

"Andrej, everybody is different. Maybe her parents have let her grow up making her own choices but want to make sure that she has a good husband? Maybe she doesn't like him." The older man shrugged. He had decided not to tell the younger about the girl. He knew that she was an exorcist. Andrej would be disturbed to hear that she would probably die before she turned 20. He had seen several exorcist in his time and never seen the same one twice. Hell the last exorcist he had seen died right in front of him.

"Then where's her chaperone? Also she wasn't wearing a ring." The taller man sighed.

"Just bring her the coffee and let it go. It doesn't matter, after she leaves you'll never see her again." The younger sighed but knew the other man was right.

"Here's your coffee Miss. Let me know if you need anything else." Luca nodded deciding not to tell the boy that he wasn't very good at whispering.

"Actually," the boy stopped only a few steps away from her.

"Yes?" She smiled politely.

"Is there a quick way to get to the next town over? I need to catch the train that leaves tomorrow morning." Andrej blinked at her a few times.

"The road to your left will take you to the next town but the carriage wouldn't get there until mid afternoon I'm afraid." She made a face at this.

"There really isn't any way to get there by the morning?" He sighed internally debating on if he should tell her or not. "Please? You look like you know of another way." He caved when she pouted sadly, her bottom lip jutting out and quivering slightly.

"Well if you cut through the cornfield," he pointed in the direction of the field that you could just see peaking over the hill past the edge of the town, "you would be able to make in to the next town by nightfall if you left now. We're not really suppose to send travelers through the corn but I'm sure you wouldn't run over anything would you?" she smiled sweetly.

"Of course not! It would be rude to destroy somebody's crops. That's how they make their living and feed their families. Especially if they are being nice enough to allow me to cut across their property to make it." she jumped to her feet grabbing her bag quickly. "Thank you so much! You're the best!" Planting a quick kiss on his cheek she took off in the direction that he had pointed. Boro laughed as Andrej's entire face bloomed bright red.

"Well then." Andrej suddenly looked up at his coworker.

"She didn't pay." he stated dumbly following after the girl with his eyes until she left town moving quickly over the hill.

"She doesn't have to. She works for an organization that covers all her expenses. We send them the bill and they pay for everything. It's part of why she wears that uniform. Didn't you see the rose crest on her jacket?" Andrej nodded still in a bit of a daze. He hadn't been expecting any physical contact from the beautiful stranger.

"What about it?"

"You're young so I'm not really surprised that you didn't know what it was or means. It's the symbol of the Vatican. That means that she works for them. She can go wherever she pleases and do whatever she wants. She has their authority. She could tell the chief of police to place a 7 o'clock curfew on the entire town and he would do it. The Vatican pays for everything she needs and all of her living expenses for her service and they back her up all the way about everything. Don't worry about the bill I'll deal with it."

* * *

"Well that almost ended badly. I can't believe that I almost missed my train. Komui would've been even angrier at me than he already is. Granted at the moment I don't give a picsába (damn) about that. Seriously! It's not like I'm looking for the **fasz** (dick) he just keeps showing up. It's not my fault that he entertains me. He's interesting especially compared to the akuma that I've been fighting for so long. Is it wrong to want a challenge?" she questioned angrily to the golem. Her muttering continued as she walked towards the cornfield until she was at the edge of it. For directly in the middle of the wall of corn was a path. Not one that had been walked on but one that was cut and cleared for the exact purpose that she needed. "Well that just got creepy..." the Hungarian looked around getting a funny feeling about the corn suddenly. The field raised the hair on her arms and back of her neck up, her gut clenched despite having just eaten recently. "This such a bad idea." she groaned. Stepping onto the path she felt something wash over her but could see nothing. "Well let's see if I can get out or if we have to go through the...maze?" she asked upon seeing the twists and turns. Turning around she walked out of the corn only to find herself back where she started. Cursing some more she sighed. "I really hope that this won't take long. Why does everything have to be a big hoopla? How come it never goes smooth?"

Wandering around (lost) in a corn maze was not how the girl had planned to spend her afternoon. As she passed a particularly tall stalk that she was pretty sure she had already been by at least three times she began to wonder if she could just fly out of the top or not. Her train of thought was quickly cut off by something growling in her ear. Feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand up only for warm breath to blow it back down Luca closed her eyes and slowly turned around. Coming face to face with the leather one of a scarecrow was the last thing she expected. Pulling back it's stitched up lips in a snarl Luca let out a rather girly shriek before taking off running with no idea where she was going. Scor clung to the end of her braid with her sharp teeth desperate as to not fall off her fleeing mistress. The teen could hear the scarecrow fumbling after her. By the sound and the fact that she was getting away it seemed likely that one of it's legs was broken. Unwilling to look back to see if it was still there she skidded around the corner almost falling over; due to her speed she didn't have time to even slow down before she crashed into something. Scrambling to her feet she jumped back several feet praying to whatever god was listening that it was not a scarecrow.

"Butterfly?" The familiar voice and nickname caused the jumble of fast paced swearing in Hungarian to calm down a bit. Tyki blinked at her a few times as he pulled himself up from the ground. Of all the things he expected to find in this ridiculous corn maze that he couldn't for the life of him find his way out of was to run into the Hungarian exorcist only for her to start yelling something at him in Hungarian if he guessed correctly. He was also surprised by the fact that she had not only taken him down but jumped back up with enough air in her lungs to go on a tirade that had yet to end. "Are you going to start speaking in English any time soon?" He asked brushing corn from his black coat as she stopped to take a few big breaths, chest heaving.

"I can explain." It was the first time that he had ever seen her look so sheepish. He couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped his lips at the face she was making.

"Well I can't wait to hear this." He laughed even more when she mimicked him childishly.

"The uh...," Luca paused for a second kicking a stray piece of corn along the ground nervously. She knew that without the scarecrow showing up he wouldn't believe her and laugh even more. She really didn't want to tell him. Losing his respect was about the worst thing she could think of when it came to him. _That's pretty bad that his opinion means more to you than what your supervisor thinks_ , she elected to ignore the voice in the back of her head. "There was a scarecrow." she finally muttered. The Noah took a drag from his cigarette.

"Well it's nice to know that I didn't hallucinate that. Would've been pretty embarrassing." She looked up at him.

"You saw it too?" The hope glittered in her eyes.

"Yeah it was chasing me for a while but I broke it's leg to get away. For some reason it could touch me." He stopped for a second eyes widening slightly. "Please tell me that you have your innocence because if this in another fake world I swear I'm going to lose my mind." Luca nodded, pulling up her sleeve to show him the black metal in it's normal place.

"It was just chasing me. Hence why I just ran over you like a cat with is tail on fire." She felt less embarrassed now that she knew that even he had run from the creepy scarecrow. He looked down at her again.

"Wait a minute was that you that shrieked?" She pouted but nodded not meeting his eyes, finding the corn stalks to her left far more interesting.

"Yeah." she mumbled.

"That was adorable." She looked offended.

"I am NOT adorable!" Tyki started laughing again. Most women wanted to be adorable but not Butterfly. Nope, she was offended by it. "Stop laughing it's not funny!" she was practically whining now.

"What are you even doing here Butterfly?" he asked once he got his laughter under control. She was still glaring at him but it wasn't having the desired effect because she had yet to stop pouting. Her bottom lip quivering ever so slightly.

"I have a train to catch in the next town but I spent so much time this morning arguing with my supervisor that by the time I found out that the time it would take to get over their by regular roads I would miss my train. I was told that if I cut through the corn I would make before it got very late."

"And how's that going for you?" Glaring at him she snatched his cigarette from his mouth.

"About as well as anything else in my life is." Dropping it she stomped out. "What are you doing here?" His mouth hung open for a moment still processing the fact that his cigarette was gone.

"I was still using that." She rolled her eyes at him.

"You're gonna set the entire field on fire doing that." He made a face at her.

"How would you even do that?" She rolled her eyes again.

"What are you even doing here?" she asked again. He sighed.

"There's an akuma in here somewhere. It keeps transmitting a bunch of weird stuff. The Earl asked me to deal with it." He decided to lay the blame on the Earl. He'd die if Butterfly found out in reality that Road had sent him to do it rather than doing it herself.

"So basically you're the errand boy?" Luca sniggered at him. His nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Thanks for putting it that way. I don't know why he keeps asking me to do these things. I'd rather do nothing. This is turning into a lot of work. Not to mention that you are the main cause of everything being more of a pain than usual." She smirked as she started walking the way that he had come with him trailing after her.

"So how long have you been in here?" He stopped walking and gazed up at the sun.

"Uhhh I don't know. It's been a while." She turned to him.

"Well keep walking. I really don't want to meet that thing again." He nodded and caught up to her only to crash into directly into the scarecrow it's eyes glowing angrily. "Run!" Turning on their heels both bolted down a side corridor.

"And how did that work out for you?" The girl decided that he was way too smug for her tastes.

"About as well as the Earl having you retrieve a piece of innocence." she snarked backed as they took another turn.

"That was uncalled for." Their fast pace made it hard for him to glare at her but he still managed. She smirked back.

"Your face is uncalled for." He almost tripped over his own feet at her retort.

"Are you always like this or am I just special?" She shrugged halfheartedly. Luca didn't answer immediately just glanced over her shoulder to look around for the scarecrow to see if it was still chasing them.

"I get like this when I'm tired, hyper, or just in a good mood." Unaware that he had stopped after leading them down a dead end Luca crashed into him once again. The pair fell into a tangled pile of limbs.

"So which is it for me or is it a mix?" Luca shifted around trying to untangle her heels from his dress shoe laces as she sat up a bit. It would've been easier is she could use her hands but those were stuck too.

"I'm normally happy to see you." He snorted and shifted a bit. "Ow! You're on my hair! Get off! Get off! Get off!" she cried arching her back in an attempt to alleviate the pain in her scalp causing him to move again.

"Okay now I think I'm offended. You're supposed to be scared of me. I can kill you." She rolled her eyes and shifted against him a bit more. _I think my heels are more tangled now then they were before_ , she groaned mentally.

"You're much more fun than akuma. They all have the same lines and it's bori-" she cut herself off to look up at him in amusement. "Me? Scared of you? That's real cute My Love." She managed to pull her hand out from under him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her higher up off his waist.

"Stop thrashing around damn it." he hissed. She glared at him.

"I'm trying to untangle my heels from your shoes but I can't do that because our legs are tangled. If our legs weren't tangled I'd just get off you and use my hands but I can't. So a bit of patience would be nice." She snapped in irritation.

"We wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't run into me in the first place." He grumbled rolling his eyes at her.

"Well then you should have warned me that you were stopping!" Her retort was quick as she yanked a bit harder on her left heel.

"Why weren't you looking where you were going?" he countered his breath brushing along her lips.

"Because I was looking to see if we lost the scarecrow that is apparently chasing us!" The sudden jerk that came along with her retaliation due to her unconsciously trying to flail her hands around as was normal for her in regular situations, caused them to crack foreheads.

"What the hell Butterfly?!" He snarled unable to rub his sore head as he was still holding her and himself up.

"Kurva életbe (god damn it)!" Tyki listened as she started swearing in Hungarian he assumed, again. It seemed to be her go to language when she was upset. Granted the fact that she was from Hungary probably had something to do with that. He winced as she squirmed more, her hips digging into his.

"Do you always have to aim for my forehead or is it just luck?" Her features contorted in anger at his comment.

"Nyald ki a seggem (fuck off; kiss my ass)!"

"If you're going to swear at me could you at least do it English so I can at least respond?" He sighed in annoyance.

"You seem to be managing just fine as is."

"Would you just get off?" he huffed.

"That depends do you care about your shoelaces and pant legs?" Her snide remark made him groan.

"Just shimmy up slowly. That way you don't rip anything." He sighed hoping this would work.

"Would you make up your mind already? Move, no wait don't move, oh wait move again." Her mocking was starting irritate him not to mention every time she moved, it seemed like it was getting worse and more uncomfortable.

"Are you done yet Butterfly?" Instead of retorting she took a deep breath and wiggle up from his waist so she was sitting on his chest. Allowing her heels to tug his laces free allowing her to move them again.

"Okay move your left leg and I think I'll be able to get up." Doing as was instructed he also released her waist.

"Are you free?" She nodded as she rolled off him.

"Yeah we're good." It was at this point that the scarecrow returned wielding sickle, waving it around wildly. Instinctively Tyki grabbed the exorcist; he tucked her head under his chin into his chest and rolled phasing them through the corn stalks.

"The sickle was new right?" She pulled back enough to look up at him.

"Yeah I didn't see it before. However as comfortable as this is I think we should keep moving." He nodded.

"I believe you may be right Butterfly." Releasing her he got to his feet and offered her his hand.

"Okay so it can't leave the corn nor is it able to cut a new path. It didn't follow us through which means that it has to stay on the paths." The pair was more cautious this time as they moved through the maze.

"If that's true than I could just phase us through the corn." Luca peered around the corner while the Noah watched their backs for it. She looked up at him at this comment. His fingers were twitching slightly. _Probably wants to smoke again_ , she observed.

"I don't think that will work. When I first stepped in I tried to turn around and leave the way I came but I just found myself back in the maze. I think we have to actually go through the maze like a normal person. I think that the exit is the only exit that will work. So even if we were able to find the edge of the corn I would bet that it would be like hitting a wall. We're clear by the way." Nodding he followed her around the corner.

"Do you think it's innocence?" Their pace was steady despite the diminishing daylight.

"Which part?" He looked down at her.

"I assumed the whole thing." he snorted.

"Well us being unable to leave once entering is a classic innocence thing however the scarecrow could just be a maniac who thinks he's funny but it's more than likely that the scarecrow has innocence. The question is what is it attached to? It would be easier if the scarecrow wasn't trying to kill us."

"You know for a god given gift it sure has a funny way of trying to kill you." She fixed him with a glare.

"Don't start with me. We can have this argument when we don't have to work together. Then I don't have to worry about wanting to punch you." He started laughing.

"Sounds like you don't have a comeback at the moment." She elbowed him in the ribs before leaning around to check the next corner ignoring the scuffling sound, _He's probably kicking some stray pieces of corn_ , she thought to herself.

"I think that we're all goo-" she paused feeling his warm breath against her skin. "My Love don't you think you're a bit close?" Her eyes grew wide as something wet and slimy ran along the back of her neck. She whimpered before turning around. "Why?" she whined as the scarecrow roared in her face. "Activate!" The metal shot along her skin just in time to cover her arms from the sickle that came down at her face. The hit sent her skidding back while the sound rang in her ears loudly.

"In-ino-in-ino-inocence." Her eyes grew wide as she stared at the scarecrow that was still hissing at her.

"Is there a person in there?" The scarecrow didn't answer choosing instead to kick her feet out from under her. Her shoulder banged against the ground with a dull thud. "Gonna feel that in the morning," she paused to rub it. "actually I feel it right now." Rolling away to avoid the foot coming down to crush her head she jumped to her feet again. "The one time that I actually need him around and he vanishes! Useless rohadék (son of a bitch)!" A gray hand shot through the chest of the scarecrow.

"I don't know what you just said about me but I have a feeling it wasn't very nice." Luca glared at the smirking Noah as he pulled his hand out.

"Just where the hell have you been? You ditched me! The least you could do was say "hey! I'm gonna be a **fasz** (dick) and leave you to do all the work but I'll cheer you on from the sidelines until it's time to swipe the innocence right out from under you!" Is that so much to ask?!" His smirk dropped.

"That's rich coming form you. You continuously steal the innocence out from under me. It's a game to you. I have to practically hide from my family so I don't have to answer why I keep coming home without the innocence and my hats!" Luca snarled at him.

"You don't even like your family! You never want to do anything anyway! If anything I'm helping! If the Earl thinks your incompetent which you are, then he'll stop sending you on his errands and find somebody who can actually do the job!" He glared at her.

"I never said I didn't like my family! I said that they were trying sometimes! Besides I didn't ditch you! It flung me through the wall." He snapped.

"How long does it take to go through one wall?"

"The corn closed up on me afterwards!"

"It was still only one wall!" His eyes darted away from hers almost sheepishly.

"So it might have been several walls and I may have gotten turned around a few times." he muttered the last part so quietly that the exorcist almost didn't hear him.

"Okay, I guess that's a pretty good excuse." Her own awkward mumbling was delivered with her rubbing the back of her neck. Luca's eyes widened as the scarecrow got up again.

"I'm guessing from the look on your face that it's still not dead." The Portuguese man grimaced turning around the face the monster. The hole in it's chest closed up filling with straw until it was like new. "Okay now that's just cheating."

"It's all fun and games until you're not the only one with a healing ability." He looked down at the Hungarian who was smirking, clearly very pleased with herself.

"Is this really the time?" She snorted in response as they backed away slowly.

"Logically it's never the time when we're with each other yet it doesn't seem to stop us." Tyki sighed. _She's got a point_ , he mentally waved that particular voice away. It was always less than helpful. He grabbed her by the hand and ran off down a random corridor.

"That's a fair point." He acknowledged. "So how do we get rid of this thing? It has no internal organs for me to remove and it just patched a hole up without even blinking so that takes care of all of your bladed weapons leaving us with nothing except running away." She pulled him down the right side of a fork in the corn.

"Unless we find the piece of innocence that's controlling everything." He stopped turning to face her while they caught their breath.

"That could be anywhere in this damn field Butterfly." He waved his arm around at all the corn to emphasize his point. "Not to mention but it's almost dark now," her eyes flew up to the sky to find the sun was gone. "and we don't have any kind of light source." He sighed dragging his hand down his face.

"That's not entirely true." Tyki looked up from his hand more than a bit confused.

"Okay, this I can't wait to hear." Luca scrunched up her face at him in annoyance. Unclipping her belt she knelt on the ground to dig through it. "Well are you going to tell me what you're planning on doing or what?" He leaned over to watch what she was doing.

"Survival is the first thing my master taught me. I know how to bandage wounds, track, find water, build a fire, and more importantly at the moment. Make a torch. My love for fire had to start somewhere. Grab that stick in the wall over there." He followed her pointing finger with his gaze. The stick she was motioning to was more of a branch than a stick, about the length of his arm and the width of his wrist.

"You have all the necessary items to make a torch in those bags?" he questioned pulling the stick free of the corn. Silently he swore that if he ever got out of here he was gonna kill Road for blackmailing into taking this mission. She's the one that should've been here. She could've just left but no she made him come instead.

"Not everything but I can make do with what I have." She was tearing something into long pieces.

"What's that?" She looked up at him from the cloth.

"Extra shirt, it's actually one of my brother's but I can just get a new one. I figure it's best to use this just in case I end up needing the bandages before I make it to the next town." She held out her hand for the stick. "Keep an eye out for the scarecrow if you would. Since it's not a living person I can't sense it's presence." He blinked at her a few times as she wound the strips of cloth around one end of the branch.

"Wait what do you mean sense it's presence?" She sighed tying the end of the cloth into a tight knot to secure it.

"I just said I couldn't." His nose wrinkled slightly as she uncorked the bottle of oil. It wasn't one of his favorite smells.

"Is that how you seem to know when I'm coming? Like the time with the children. You weren't surprised to see me at all." If anything it was like she had been waiting for him. Had it not been for the children he would've assumed she was.

"Yeah, every living being has ki. It's basically your life force. I can sense it. Each person feels different. I can even sense your bloodlust. It's why acting doesn't work on me." Replacing the empty bottle into her bag she reattached the belt around her hips before getting to her feet. The teen reached for her lighter only for the Noah to already have a match lit .

"I owed you a light." he mumbled but she smiled and lit the torch. "Okay so we now have a light. Only problem is now it knows where we are."

"It's what we've got."She sighed with a shrug.

"Do you know how to get out of a labyrinth?" he asked looking around.

"Yeah, I do but it's gonna take a while and not be any fun." She looked around for the scarecrow and sighed when she didn't see it.

"We don't really have another option right now." She looked up at him before turning to face the maze again.

"If you put your left hand on the wall and just keep walking you'll find your way out. It's just the really long way." she moved to show him forgetting that she still had the torch in her left hand. He jumped grabbing it before she set everything on fire.

"Maybe I should hold this." She pouted causing him to snort. "I can't believe that earlier you were worried about me setting this place on fire with a cigarette."

"Do you want to get out of here or keep pestering me?" she huffed but he only grinned.

"Why can't I do both?" She turned to glare up at him.

"Because then I'll punch you and you would drop the torch and everything will catch on fire and we'll both die." He wasn't very concerned.

"We need to hurry the torch is starting to die." Luca looked up at him and then the torch. They had been walking for at least a few hours and the torch was growing dim.

"Yeah you're right. I think we must be getting close. Despite the torch we haven't seen the scarecrow at all." He looked around. The corn was too tall for him to see over without using his powers but he felt that was a bad idea.

"Maybe we're out of it's range?" As if being summoned by the words the scarecrow popped out from the corner.

"Ya had to say something didn't ya?" the wry comment along with the look she gave him told him that she still managed to find the humor in it.

"This is your fault." The scarecrow rushed him first waving the sickle wildly.

"Duck!" He was about to remind her that he could just phase through the sickle until it glowed green.

"Aw come on!" he groaned bending backwards underneath the swing.

"I'll deal with it you just try not to set the field on fire." she shouted as she tackled it away from him her gauntlets already on her hands. It growled at her and brought the sickle down aiming for he back. Letting go she jumped back out of it's reach. Swaying back away from each strike she ducked under the last one bringing her left fist into an uppercut. As it staggered back she stomped her left foot through it's shin unbalancing it.

"Butterfly I found the exit!" It was the happiest she had heard him sound since she ran him over earlier that day. She didn't have time to answer as he grabbed her arm and started dragging her towards it.

"Perfect, well except for the scarecrow that's still chasing us." she glanced back over her shoulder at the monster hobbling after them. It's broken leg debilitating it's advance. "I don't suppose the exit is close by is it?" as she asked this they turned the corner into the final corridor with the exit at the end.

"Yeah it's right there." She rolled her eyes at him and deactivated her weapon.

"I see it now." she told him though he didn't let go of her hand as they passed through the exit. They skidded to a stop as they ran right back into the maze with the scarecrow coming directly at them.

"Are you kidding me?" Luca ignored the Noah's complaining staring at the monster still closing in on them.

"Apparently we have to deal with the innocence before we can leave." Her eyes flicked from the scarecrow to the torch and back. The torch was almost dead.

"We can't even find the innocence." he protested.

"Give me that!" she ordered not even waiting for him to actually give it she yanked it from his hand.

"Light doesn't matter if we can't get out." She nodded seeing his point.

"Just let me try something. Put another hole in it. Aim for the chest." He raised an eyebrow but nodded.

"It didn't slow it down at all before but I'm assuming you have a plan this time." Dodging the swipe at his head Tyki shoved his fist through it's chest creating a hole.

"Get down!" Not even bothering to see what she was going to do he phased through the ground. When he resurfaced he found that she had stabbed the dying torch into the hole. The scarecrow swung around wildly trying to put out the fire that was quickly consuming it.

"Setting it on fire was your plan?" She looked over to him.

"Can't control the scarecrow if there is no scarecrow." The fact that she shrugged when she said that only gave him more questions about who the hell raised this girl. As the body fell apart the flames began to consume the corn. "Oh francba (shit)! I promised I wouldn't damage the corn!" Tyki sighed. _Why is she always like this?_ he groaned internally. Holding out his hand he rejected the oxygen feeding the fire until it died out.

"And you thought I was going to light the field on fire." She pouted at him.

"I didn't say that exactly." He rolled his eyes at her.

"I'm pretty sure you did."

"Did no-" Their impending argument was ended by their attention being drawn to the path where the body lay. Only the head was left untouched by the flames. The Hungarian walked over to the head on the ground and picked it up despite the fact that it was still growling at her. As she stuck her hand in the head the eyes glowed green and the barrier around the field vanished. "I guess the innocence was in the head. Whoever built the scarecrow must've thought that the glow of the innocence would ward off the crows better having no idea about what it really was." He snorted.

"Isn't that always the case with innocence?" She sighed tiredly as the stepped out of the maze into the grass.

"I'm much too tired to have this conversation with you My Love," as if to emphasize her point she yawned. "so I'm going to the next town to see if I can get some sleep before my train comes. Good night My Love." He grabbed her arm as she started to walk away.

"The innocence first. You can't have it this time Butterfly. You give it to me and I'll pretend that I didn't see you." Normally he wouldn't bargain with her but he himself was tired and he just really wanted to go home and sleep in his own bed. She looked up at him thoughtfully for a moment.

"I'll give you the head if you give me your hat." Tyki sighed. What was with this girl and his hats? Was she collecting them? She already had like four of them. Reaching up he removed his hat.

"Why do you want my hat so much?" She grinned up at him.

"I like the shimmery black ribbon on it. It's shiny!" he shook his head as she chirped.

"Here." he handed over the hat. It was a small price compared to the innocence. She took the hat but hesitated on hand the innocence over. "Butterfly..." he warned daring her to make him chase her.

"At least wait until I'm gone so I can pretend I wasn't here." Normally he wouldn't have cared but he couldn't resist the pout she was giving him. He knew it well. Road was a master of it and apparently so was Butterfly. Between her watering eyes and quivering bottom lip he just didn't have it in him to refuse. He couldn't.

"Fine just get out of here." he swiped the head from her grasp looked away. By the time he looked up again she was gone. "I can't believe she actually let me have it. I wonder if her innocence will punish her for it. I hope not, that would be a rather boring end to our little game." he hummed to himself glancing around the scenery almost expecting her to jump out and steal the head back. _Not to mention that it would mean that you would lose_ , the voice in his head was back again whispering unpleasant things. His lips drew back into a snarl at that thought. That's a problem for another day, he decided. Reaching into the head he felt his hand close around a small object. It didn't feel like innocence. Eyes widening he yanked it out of the head. Sitting in his hand was the small blue glass bottle that the oil had been it, a slip of paper taped to it.

"Sorry My Love maybe next time!" was scrawled across the paper marked with a little smiley face in smooth blue ink.

* * *

 **Well that's the end of this chapter! As usual it ends with Luca being a twit. Poor Tyki, I don't think he's ever going to get a break! XD I have to ask if anyone caught the references I hid in this chapter. I do apologize the title is bad, I just couldn't come up with anything better. Also who saw what Luca was going to do at the end? I have a lot of fun with that part because I'm prone to doing that myself. I'll ask if somebody wants a hand and then I'll start clapping. I've had quite a few things thrown at my head due to that trait. Anyway have a Happy Independence Day and rest of the week~! Chess is out~!**


	13. It's the Worst Day Since Yesterday

**Yeah I'm late again. I'm sure you're all shocked by this. I'd love to pretend that it's some outside force's fault but it's not. I can admit that I just have horrendous time management skills (read: no skills at all). I'm almost certain I'll be late for my own funeral. Sigh, anyhoo slightly shortish chapter, nothing too bad I promise.**

 **Dear 15th, I feel like I say it a lot but I really can't express how much your reviews mean to me! Any reviews make my day even if you just say something simple like that you like the way I did something or an interaction. I'm glad that you feel that my chapters are well written. I can't tell you how many times I edit them trying to produce the best writing that I can. As for the paying for things I just worked off the scene in the manga when Kanda leaves the hospital after recovering Lala's innocence. The answer to your question about Cross and Allen is if Cross had the Order pay for things than they would know where he was. I believe that he likes living below their radar. Hence why he send his debt to Luca and Allen. I'm really glad you thought the scarecrow was scary. I admit I was a bit worried of how you would take Luca running from it. I base it off the scarecrow episode of Supernatural and my own experience. Last Halloween I went to a bunch of haunted houses and cornfields. And before you ask yes I got lost. My friend and I were so lost that an employee had to come find us! XD It was rather embarrassing. Anyway the last haunted house we went to was actually an outdoors one and the last attraction of it we got chased out by a chainsaw wielding maniac and I swear I have never run faster. On another topic I'm glad that my endings are usually enjoyable. I just write what Luca says and does and hope for the best, usually it entertains me too. Your last comment about buying her act for a moment brought an Earl worth grin to my face!**

 **And now for the same old boring stuff that all of us already know but must be said. I don't own DGM. I only own Luca, Scor, and Harlequin. Well quit reading this and start reading the next chapter!**

* * *

Tyki was mad. That was a given. He just couldn't believe, well actually he could, this was Butterfly after all but that didn't make it better, that she had pulled another fast one on him, the little shit was in for it the next time he got his hands on her. She even had the audacity to draw a smiley face on the damn note. At least this time he didn't have to say that he lost the innocence. His family didn't know that there was any so he was safe in that regard. Still it was bad enough that she had managed to out run him in Montenegro. How she had disappeared he still had no idea.

"Welcome back little brother." Tyki did his best to repress his sigh when he heard his brother's voice. He was rarely in the mood for Sheril's antics. "It's rude to ignore people Tyki, no matter how beautiful you are." The groan slipped from the younger man's lips.

"Hi Sheril. Is there something you needed or are you just annoying me because you can?" Sheril raised an eyebrow as his brother turned around to face him. The annoyance clearly painted on his face.

"I was just trying to say hello. You haven't been around lately. I also wanted to know what you did to your jacket. You're covered in," he paused picking something off from Tyki's jacket to examine it. "corn? What on Earth have you been doing?" Tyki sighed. Despite his ire at the Hungarian he was definitely not ready to share her. Sheril would break every bone in her body rather quickly. She would be no fun if she was broken. A thought occurred to him just then.

"What do you know about Transylvania?" Sheril blinked a few times at the rather random question.

"I believe that it's a region in Hungary. Is Road trying to get you to do her homework again?" Sheril knew his daughter hated to do homework and often roped the rest of the family into 'helping' that didn't really ever work out for yet she still tried. Only the Earl every really helped. Tyki always answered with 12. Not matter what the question was. Sheril silently wondered why 12 and when Road would catch on.

"No, I think she got tired of hearing the number 12." The rather pleased look that graced Tyki's face made Sheril sigh.

"Then why are you asking about it? You've never been very interested in that kind of thing." Tyki offered a half shrug with no verbal answer as he started to walk away. Sheril didn't have the answers he was looking for so he decided to check the library once he got rid of all the corn.

"Are you going to tell me what Transylvania has to do with why you are covered in corn?" Tyki paused glancing over his shoulder at his older brother.

"No."

"I bet it has something to do with her." Sheril jumped slightly at the crack that came from Tyki's neck when he snapped it around to look at Road with wide eyes.

"Her?" Sheril questioned. As far as he knew there was no woman in Tyki's life despite his best efforts to get his brother to settle down with somebody.

"Don't you remember?" The small girl grinned up at her uncle.

"Road." Tyki warned, his tone said he wasn't playing.

"Tyki how could you keep something like that from me? Who is she? Where did you meet?" He paused his rapid fire questions to adopt a look of horror. "Please tell me that you were NOT rendezvousing in a cornfield with her? Why can't you just pick a respectable young lady and settle down?" Tyki groaned as Sheril's wails grew louder.

"Daddy it's not that kind of thing. I think she's an-" Tyki cut her off.

"It has nothing to do with that. I don't want to get married, and it's none of your business. If it involved you I would tell you now drop it please." Before anything else could be said Tyki stalked off now more annoyed at his family than Butterfly.

* * *

"Good afternoon Luca!" Said girl groaned into the phone.

"Could you please be a little less chipper Johnny?" She could hear him laughing on the other side.

"What's the matter did you not get enough sleep last night?" his eyebrows creased with worry when she snorted. "Are you getting enough sleep Luca?"

"Johnny you should know better than to ask that question. I never give you the answer you want. I've been fighting for several days and traveling." The brunette sighed to himself. Luca was pushing herself too hard. Harlequin took a lot of energy to wield and she was using it to travel which took even more. She expended energy every time she changed it's shape.

"Yeah I know but I still feel like I should ask. Do you want me to get the supervisor for you?"

"No, it's not a big deal. He's probably busy. No need to pull him away from his work. Reever has enough trouble getting him to do it in the first place."

"Still mad at him huh?" When she didn't answer he pressed further. "What are you two fighting about anyway?" Luca dragged her eyes over the people out the window. Holding the phone between her shoulder and her face she pulled her card deck out and began shuffling it randomly.

"He's trying to tell me how to do my job. He's mad at me because I've crashed into the same Noah a couple of times. More times than he knows." she mumbled the last part under her breath as she switched to a different shuffling method.

"How many times does he not know about?" Johnny questioned having heard the teenager's muttering. He could also hear the card sounds.

"I'm not going ta tell ya. That way you don't get in trouble." She answered. He sighed.

"Okay so he's upset that you keep meeting this Noah, but that doesn't tell me why you are mad at him." She sighed at what he had pointed out.

"He's mad at me because he says I'm not taking the Noah's appearance seriously. I'm having fun with it. He says I'm putting my life in danger by not taking it seriously."

"Well, I..." he trailed off. He truly had no idea what to say. His first instinct was to agree with the supervisor but he knew that the teen wouldn't see it that way.

"Don't worry. I know that you don't understand it and you agree with Komui. Next time you see him tell him that I found another piece of innocence and the Noah didn't get it. I need to head out. My train to Romania is about to leave. See ya Johnny!"

"Luca wait! I-" The call ended before he could get any more information from the girl about the Noah or where she found the innocence or what had even happened. Thanking the store owner quickly for the use of his telephone Luca bolted out the door and jumped onto the back of the train before making her way to first class where her room was.

"Man I can't wait to find the others. I like my space and all but I could really use a conversation partner. I'm so bored. I'd probably have lost my mind," she paused for a moment to think. "well what's left of it if My Love didn't show up every now and then to bug me. I wonder why he seems to be heading East too." Scor blinked at her mistress' who was lounging along the whole seat in boredom. "I'm so bored Scor." she whined almost pathetically. She didn't feel like reading so she pulled out her battered card deck and began a game of solitaire. It was less than exciting.

The golem's long spaded tail swung back and forth from it's place on her mistress' shoulder as the pair exited the train. It was late in the evening when the train had pulled into the station and many people were heading back to their homes. The train had taken her a little farther than half way across the country. It would only take a few more days before she would catch the rest of her group at the far boarder of Ukraine. After poking around for a few minutes Luca found a restaurant that was open late and ate dinner all while flirting with the waiter. Wandering into a quiet inn for the night she picked up the phone tiredly.

"This is Reever." Luca smiled and couldn't help but laugh at how tired he sounded.

"Hey Reever, it's Luca. I'm just checking in for the night." He perked up.

"Hey I was hoping you would call. I need you to check out something for me." She groaned.

"Does it have to happen tonight? I'm really rather tired." He chuckled.

"No get some sleep tonight. The town is on your way anyway. If you use Harlequin you can get there early investigate and be on your train to the border in no time."

"What is it anyway? How many pieces of innocence have you guys lost? I've already picked up like three." Reever laughed again.

"You really are tired." She snorted at him.

"Yeah I guess I am. Anyway I thought Allen and the others were just in Romania? So what's happening?"

"Yeah they were. Anyway what's happening is there's been a spike in people saying that their loved ones are coming back from the dead. Dead people are rising from the grave. I need you to check it out. Komui's worried that the Earl has made a bunch of akuma. With the amount that seems to be there he could wipe out an entire town if he wanted. Destroy any akuma before moving on." She nodded despite the fact that he couldn't see her.

"Yeah got it. I leave early and try not to miss my train to Moldavia. Well I'm going to bed. Have a good night Reever." Sighing again she hung up the phone. "How come it never goes smooth?" The golem blinked it's eye at it's mistress. "Yeah I know it's my job but it could go smoothly just like once in a while. You know for variety." she huffed stalking up to her room.

When the alarm clock went off Luca could almost cry. The last thing she wanted to do was get up. After trying to turn the clock off several times with no luck she finally picked it up and chucked it across the room into the wall. Dragging herself around from the shower to getting dressed to apologizing to the desk clerk about the clock and telling them to add it to the bill she felt like lead. Landing just outside the town she walked the rest of the way.

"First thing off is lunch. Then I'll poke around town. See if I can find anything useful while I try to draw the akuma out." She sighed looking around the town with bored eyes. Lunch had been quick and boring much to the exorcist's dismay. Then she started to poke around a bit.

"Resurrected? Honey don't buy into all that hooey. It's not true." Luca smiled at the woman she had asked and moved on. All the answers she got were about the same.

"If nobody believes it where are the rumors coming from?" she huffed irritated. "I'll try the church." It took her a few minutes to remember where exactly she had seen the church.

"Can I help you child?" She sighed as she stepped into the stone structure.

"Yeah I'm looking into the strange appearances of dead loved ones coming back. Do you know anything about it?" The priest looked at her sadly.

"Nothing good ever comes from those things. Only the devil makes those kinds of promises and there is always a price. A very steep price." Luca sighed as the lecture continued. The priest wouldn't pause long enough for her to interject that she didn't want to raise anybody from the dead. Or the fact that she didn't have anybody to raise from the dead. She sighed at let him ramble on. Finally somebody else had entered the church.

"Father, please I need to make a confession." Luca jumped at the opportunity in the form of a young man with chocolate colored hair and sad eyes. His complexion was sickly pale. He was obviously in poor health.

"Just let me-" The priest didn't get to finish.

"Oh don't worry about me. I'm fine. I've learned my lesson." She ran away from the priest as quickly as she could without actually running. She was almost out the heavy front door when her ears caught the confession. She missed the beginning but that wasn't the important part.

"Forgive me father I have sinned. I fear that I have sealed my fate for eternity in hell." The priest rested his hand on the sobbing man's shoulder.

"Why do you believe that my son?"

"I was weak. I went to the witch-"the priest cut him off and Luca stopped, her fingers just barely brushing the old iron handle of the door.

"Witch? What witch? Vasile who did you go to see?" Luca took a subtle step back towards the pair.

"Constanza . Constanza Dinu." The priest frowned.

"Mrs. Dinu is not a witch Vasile. She's just an old woman who's lonely." Vasile shook his head.

"No she's really a witch. I went to her and asked for Maria back. I told her that I would pay anything to have Maria back and she brought her back. But Maria was angry with me. She said that I was wrong and that she's trapped now. She says I've doomed us both. How do I fix it?" Luca saved the priest from having to answer forgetting that she wasn't suppose to be listening to a confession.

"Tell me where she is." The brunette jumped startled by the other.

"She lives in a cottage at the edge of town." The priest was dismayed.

"Please do not heed such a horrible rumor. Only God and the devil can bring the dead back and this is not how God would do it." Luca smiled at him.

"I know. It's my job to make sure of that." The pair stared after the strange woman for a moment. Luca walked to the edge of town quietly observing the crowd. Watching the people around her. It was just starting to get dark so people were closing up shop and heading home. Her eyes drifted to the sky, while it was dark parts of the sky was still orange and pink. _Sure is pretty,_ Luca sighed while the thought was true it wasn't exactly helpful. She looked around a couple times. There was no cottage, the closest thing was a rather outlandish mansion that looked completely out of place in the quaint town. "Well I guess that's a good place to start. Either it's the right place or they can give me directions." The golem didn't say anything but nodded. Shrugging with the answer Luca walked up the steps and raised her hand up the knock on the door only for it to creak open. "Really? How cliché." Luca huffed and pushed the door the rest of the way open. "If this Constanza is a broker then she's not very subtle." Scor nestled herself in between her mistress' bangs and hood.

Wandering down the dark halls of what appeared to be an abandoned mansion with a candle in a lantern was the last thing that the Hungarian thought she would be doing that evening. Even her golem had retreated, content to nap. _Why is this my life?_ she internally moaned dejectedly. Of course now she was pretty sure she was lost on top of being rather confused. If the mansion hadn't been dark and desolate it would've looked new. The wallpaper of the particular hall she was standing in was a deep maroon while the floor was hard wood. Black metal chandeliers hung down from the ceiling yet there were no candles in any of them. It had taken Luca several minutes of fumbling around in the dark before she had managed to find a candle to put in the lantern that she had literally tripped on though she had picked up a small bronze key. Luca rubbed her still sore nose at the memory. She pushed open a large door and stepped into what looked like a ballroom, her heels clacking on the floor. Scor still sat on her head.

"Maybe this really isn't my kind of thing, I've been in town all day and I've still yet to see any akuma. Or a single one at all." She paused in the middle of the room to look around deep into thought on what was actually going on.

"Or you could just ask." Whirling around already swinging her lantern at whoever just whispered in her ear she watched as the Noah just barely dodged.

"What the hell? You scared the hell out of me!" She snapped waiting for her heart rate to slow down.

"Is violence your answer for everything?" He asked readjusting his hat the coppery ribbon around the bottom gleaming in the low candle light, before bending down the fix the black metal candelabra he had dropped to dodge. He set it up but chose to leave it on the floor.

"When things scare me? Yes!" He started laughing when she pouted.

"You know it's hard to resist when you are being so oblivious. You didn't even hear me walk over?" To emphasize his point he tapped his foot on the floor a couple times on the dance floor allowing the sound to bounce off the wall and high ceiling. She was still glaring at him which gave him the answer.

"What are you even doing here?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I could be asking you the same thing."

"I'm looking into the weird phenomenon that's happening here. You?" she huffed still pouting ever so slightly.

"The resurrected souls?" She nodded now raising an eyebrow at him in return. "Small world. That's what I'm doing here."

"Wait so this isn't the Earl's doing?" He shook his head.

"Nope. Somebody else is doing it. He sent me to stop it. He doesn't like that somebody's moving in on his territory. " Luca huffed.

"Well that explains the holes in my broker theory."

"Where are you even going Butterfly? All I can put together is east. What's east?" She looked up at him. His question had nothing to do with what was going on at the moment.

"Does it matter?" He shrugged.

"I guess not. I'm merely curious. I feel like I'm always tripping over you." She smirked at him as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"Don't tell me you're falling for me. Our love could never be." He choked on the smoke while she fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"Yeah not likely Butterfly." She pouted.

"You don't have to be so mean My Love. Since you don't seem to want me to be here I'll be taking my leave." His hand closed around his wrist before she was out of his reach.

"Wait a second." She looked at him over her shoulder.

"What?" He pulled her back towards him though he knew better than to let her go.

"You have something that belongs to me." Luca raised an eyebrow before a mocking smile started pulling across her lips.

"Sorry My Love I can't give your heart back to you. You gave it to me, now it's mine forever." He pulled her closer.

"Very funny Butterfly. I mean the innocence. Give it to me." The smile didn't leave her lips much to his annoyance.

"But there isn't any innocence here." His eyes narrowed.

"Now is not the time to be coy little Butterfly." her smile dropped at the growl that left his lips.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." she tugged her arm free of his grip. "So this is a you problem which means that it's time for me to go. I don't have to do anything." He grabbed her again.

"I let you get away last time Butterfly. I won't let you do that again. I can't believe you pulled a fast one on me. Give it to me right now." she glared at him.

"No. You should know better than to ask me for that. I'd prefer not to fight you but I will. Now remove your hand from my person." Metallic green met gold for a moment.

"My, my, my a lover's quarrel?" The pair jumped apart startled by the old woman's voice. "Are you here for my help? Is this what the argument is about?" She was taller than Luca despite the slight hunch of her shoulders. Her long brown hair tied back in a low bun with streaks of silver. Despite her wrinkled skin her stormy gray eyes were lively, as if they didn't match the rest of her body. Their eyes stared at her again before flicking to each other and then her again.

"No. Not at all. Never." The Noah ignored the look the exorcist was shooting at him at his comment.

"That's a pity." Luca raised an eyebrow turning away from the man.

"Why would we ask for your help?" she softened her voice with her question.

"Well I assumed that you were a young couple asking me for your child back." she laughed at the horrified looks that they shared. "My apologies. There is a young couple in town who just lost a child. You appear like a couple with your bickering and touching." It was at this moment that Tyki realized that he was still holding onto the Hungarian's hand.

"It's complicated." she mumbled while he dropped her hand.

"Oh yes I am sure. Anyway how can I help you if you do not seek my ability to raise the dead?" the witch smiled pleasantly at them.

"I actually still need to have a word with you about that." The tall man stepped forward while the teen girl started for the door.

"Oh I am sure Mr. Noah. Though I have to question why and exorcist and a Noah are chatting together without fighting. Even touching each other without violence." The girl stopped.

"You know what we are?" she inquired turning slightly to watch the older pair.

"Yes, my dear I do. I felt your presence the moment you stepped into my house. Now I can only assume that the Earl has sent you to kill me is that correct my boy?" Tyki couldn't decide how he felt about this woman. Not only was she a civilian calm in the face of death but she was also talking down to him like he was a child.

"You are rather calm about that fact." He stated.

"If this young woman has no fear of you then why should I?" Tyki glanced over at the girl. _Figures that this would be your fault_ , he sighed. She shrugged in response.

"Well that's between the two of you. I'll replace the lantern on my way out." The witch turned her gaze towards the retreating back of the exorcist who waved lazily.

"Oh you aren't going to protect me?" The girl snorted.

"If you got yourself into this I assume that you can save yourself. Why would you want to be a part of this war? You shouldn't be screwing around with life and death. Deal with the consequences of your actions." the witch laughed out loud.

"You're a little harsh for somebody so young. I wonder what has happened to you to make this so. Would you be less angry if I brought your mother back?" Tyki watched as the girl froze, her entire form rigid, as if she was a stone statue.

"It would be wise to remain silent of my family less you find that I am more of a threat to you then My Love is." The witch however merely chuckled, not paying any mind to the younger woman's anger.

"If that is what you want. However I must ask you this, are you capable of standing on even ground with this man?" Butterfly paused for a moment seeming to think about this. She chewed on her bottom lip slightly while she thought. He silently wondered if she knew that she did it.

"Define even ground. We fight in different ways. He is good at things that I am not and I am good at things he is not. We incorporate whatever we need to do to survive into fighting. So in reality you need to decide what battlefield you are looking at before you try to pick team members."

"Right here, right now. You vs. him. What are those odds?" Tyki saved the girl from answering.

"What does it matter? She's already said she's not going to protect you. She'd leave if you would stop talking to her. So why are you questioning us like this?" the witch smiled at him in a way that he decidedly didn't like.

"Simple. I can't keep you as you are. The Earl would come looking for you, must be nice being his favorite and all. However if you were to die I doubt he would come for your body. So I'll take that and recall you. I'm asking because a set is preferable and I like the way you two look. Her still being alive says something about her abilities not to mention that you seem to respect her quite a bit and you mentioned that she got away from you with a prize no less. More than once if how familiar you two are with each other is anything to go on." They both blinked at her a couple times.

"Keep us as what?" Luca asked staring at the woman whom she was pretty sure had lost her mind. She spoke as if they were dolls for her to collect. Constanza smiled at her.

"Well I could use a pair of bodyguards. You two would make such a handsome set too."

"As fun as that sounds, I have somewhere to be so I'm just gonna leave." Constanza frowned.

"I'm afraid I must ask you to stay." Luca snorted.

"Sorry lady I already said no. Find somebody else if you survive your encounter with My Love. Ciao!" Her exit was blocked by several men who towered over her.

"That's too bad. I was hoping that I could just kill you painlessly and quickly. Oh well, I'll just patch you up after." Luca jumped back dodging the tallest zombie's grab for her.

"This is your fault." She turned to glare at the Noah over her shoulder.

"How is it possible my fault? This doesn't even have anything to do with me. If anything it's your fault!" He frowned for a moment, he hated it when she was right and at the moment she was.

"It just is!" Luca kicked away another zombie before glaring at him again as he threw one away.

"Is not!" The Noah ducked a zombie that dove for him forgetting that the teen was right behind him. She yelped as it took her down to the ground, hitting the marble floor hard. Blood dripped down from where her forehead hit the floor. She wiped the blood from her eyes with the back of her hand. Another zombie rushed the Portuguese man only the phase right through him and crash onto the zombie that the Hungarian was trying to throw off. "Thanks a lot." she hissed elbowing the one closet before rolling over to shake the other one.

"Well that makes my life a lot easier." He ducked the body that was thrown at him by the irate girl.

"Glad it does for somebody. I appreciated your help by the way." He turned to look at her thinking for a second before it dawned on him as to why she was mad at him. Well this time anyway.

"Sorry about that. I'm not really used to fighting with a partner I guess." She rolled her eyes.

"Why do we always end up in these situations?" He shrugged at her.

"Can't say that I know Butterfly. Just seems to happen." he paused thinking for a moment. "Now that you mention it, I didn't end up in these kinds of things before I met you. So it must have something to do with you."

"Well that sounds about right. You wouldn't believe some of the things that happen to my brother and I. We could write a book. Granted that would mean that we'd have to relive it so probably not." He halted in his attack on the hoard of zombies for a moment.

"What have you two lived through?" She shuddered at the memory.

"Hell. That's all I'll say. It was hell." He raised an eyebrow at this as he tore the head of a zombie off. She made a face at the display.

"Oh? Hell, that's a pretty heavy word. Care to give me an example?" She sighed at him kicking a zombie woman possibly Maria right between the eyes.

"I'd prefer not to relive that. I tend to get lost in there and that doesn't seem like the best time." He ducked a swing at his head and punched the offending body away.

"I suppose you have a point." he shrugged though she couldn't really see it too busy dodging a multitude of arms.

"I have lots of points, they're called knives." to emphases her point she pulled the set from one of her pouches and threw them, each knife landing between the eyes of a zombie.

"Nice shot." he commented offhandedly. She chuckled a bit.

"I should be. I've been throwing knives almost as long as I've been fighting hand to hand combat. Melee combat is my specialty. I can use long range weapons but I prefer to be up close and personal." The Noah beside her laughed.

"I figured. A long range weapon would be better against me yet you never use one. I was starting to wonder if you didn't know how or it was beyond the scope of your innocence. Turns out you just like almost dying." This time she laughed.

"What can I say? I like the rush. It's one of the reasons I like you. I've had more fun since I met you than I have in the last five months. Though I will admit that the robots have been exciting." The last part caught him by surprise. Tyki actually stopped and turned to look at her ignoring the ring of zombies around them for a moment.

"Robots?" She faced him, a knife in each hand dripping with blood.

"Yeah, robots." She blinked at him as if this was an obvious thing.

"Butterfly you do realize that you just said robots right?" She sighed at him with a roll of her eyes.

"Yes, My Love I am aware of what I just said. Robots. You have akuma we have robots. It makes life a lot more exciting," she paused for a moment. "though they don't usually last long...or work properly...or at all."

"What goes on at that place?" She almost laughed at the face Tyki made however she was busy kicking another zombie away.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He laughed at the face Butterfly made as she snorted clearly remembering something.

"I don't know, some pretty crazy things happen at my home." she laughed at his grimace. She looked around.

"Is it just me or are their numbers growing?" He copied her eyeing the zombie mass.

"I think you're right." She snorted at him.

"Just because I didn't go to school doesn't mean I'm stupid." Tyki's eyes widened.

"Really? You don't have any schooling?" Butterfly just shrugged.

"We never stayed in the same place long enough. Not to mention that I was busy training for war. Don't misinterpret what I'm sayin' though, I'm completely literate. In all three languages actually. I just didn't learn normally." He laughed lightly.

"Well what do you know, I never went to regular school either." She giggled.

"I guess Constanza was right. We are a set." Tyki drew dark matter into his hands and shot it outwards. "This isn't getting us anywhere. We're surrounded." He nodded as she spoke watching the zombies he just demolished put themselves back together.

"I guess we need to take the witch out first." Luca looked around at his comment.

"Yeah only problem is that she isn't even here anymore!" she groaned clearly frustrated.

"Can you sense her? Technically she's the only other living thing here." She paused to stared at him for a second.

"Oh yeah, I can. Wow! I'm such an idiot! I can't believe I forgot that. Cover me. It takes a bit of concentration to find a specific person." He nodded as she closed her eyes destroying any zombies that came close to her.

"Come on Butterfly any time would be great." He grumbled under his breath as the zombies seemed to multiply with each one he destroyed.

"Got it! Stay close to me. Innocence active!" Sliding from it's mistress' skin the liquid metal shot forward creating a tunnel. Grabbing his hand out of habit Luca ran into the safety of her innocence's embrace dragging the reluctant Noah behind her as she started her witch hunt.

"What's that thumping noise Butterfly?" She grinned over her shoulder at the Noah who was looking at the walls where the sound was coming from.

"That's the sound of Harlequin running the zombies over." Had he not been preoccupied with controlling his desire to destroy the innocence all around him he would've laughed at how nonchalant she was about the fact.

"Are we almost there?" He pouted when she giggled at his whine like question.

"What are you seven?" He snorted slightly offended at being called a child.

"Try adding 20 years." She looked back at him, mild surprise written across her face.

"You're 27?"

"26, I'll be 27 in December."

"Huh. I was close. Only a year off." He raised an eyebrow wondering when she had tried to guess his age. Refusing to admit that he still couldn't quite pin down her age. She was definitely older than Road's physical form but whether or not she was older than the twins was what he couldn't figure out. She was only a few inches taller than Road but some woman were just short. He'd never admit that he kinda liked her being short. It was cute though a bit misleading about her strength.

"Are you going to tell me how old you are?" she laughed at him.

"Don't you know My Love? It's rude to ask a lady her age." He smirked at her.

"I asked you though." Luca pouted.

"Ouch. That was so mean My Love." The tunnel let out into a large room. Luca let go of his hand. "Deal with the witch! I'll keep the zombies at bay!" He nodded and followed after Constanza who took off down the long hall. The short teen struggled to hold the door shut with the army of zombies pushing against it. Scor flew around the room in a panic. She yelped as the door was slammed open and she was flung across the room hitting the opposite wall hard. Her head rang loudly like a gong had been struck in her brain. "Well that hurt." she summoned her weapon to her as she staggered to her feet. _I hope he finds her quickly. Never thought I would be hoping for somebody to die. Oh what would Allen say if he knew_ , her lips quirked up in a smirk at that thought and her brother's reaction. Stretching the metal into a whip before snapping it out in a long arc across her body sending the first wave of zombies crashing back into the others.

Luca almost collapsed when the zombies finally stopped moving, leaning against the wall to catch her breath. She glared at the dead bodies before wrinkling her nose as they started to smell. Waving her hand Harlequin slunk along the floor, it's mistress too exhausted for it to levitate over. Instead she opted to slide it around the bodies. Her hands rested on her knees chest heaving, as the molten metal crawled up her legs to her arms. Standing up she wiped the sweat from her forehead grimacing at her sweat soaked bangs. Pushing herself off the wall she looked around trying to remember how to get out of the mansion. When the zombies has dropped she had felt the Noah's bloodlust and Constanza's life force disappear. Dusting her hands off she examined the exits.

"Okay, so I think that we came through there so I should go back that way." she was mumbling to herself mentally backtracking.

"Were you going to leave without me?" She looked over her shoulder at the Noah who was emerging from the hallway behind her.

"I didn't think you would come back this way-" she covered the yawn that interrupted her.

"Tired little Butterfly?" he prodded smirking slightly.

"Yeah, I am. I got up early to make it here and still missed my train." He chuckled and reached over to ruffle her hair to which she protested loudly.

"I guess I'll let you go for helping me. All those zombies and trying to find her in that house would've been a pain." she snorted as the stepped off the porch and back onto the path towards town. Luca didn't even noticed that he walked her back to the hotel until they were there.

"See ya next time My Love." she smiled at him.

"Sleep well Butterfly." he was caught off guard by her planting a kiss on his cheek before vanishing into the hotel.

Once in the safety of her room Luca grinned down tiredly at the hat in her hands and whispered softly "I win again."

* * *

 **So this was an interesting chapter to write. I wanted to do something different than the usual. I didn't want it to feel like it was the same old thing happening again. The idea actually came from watching Scooby-Doo yes I know. Why am I watching Scooby-Doo? Honestly I can't tell you, except it's like a part of me never grew up and I still have a soft spot for old cartoons from my childhood. Seriously I grew up on Scooby-Doo. So let me know if you liked the chapter or if you thought it was the worst thing I've ever written. Either way works for me (though I'd prefer if you liked it but it was a test so I'll take an answer). Okay enough babbling for me (I laugh every time I say babble because my mom always says she should've named me Brooke). Chess is out~!**


	14. What Happens in Moldavia

**So first off I would like to apologize, I don't know how half of the last chapter ended up in bold print it was a mistake on my part. I try to leave the bold print for very important things and the AN so you know when the chapter starts and begins. By this time it should be fixed. If not let me know and I'll fix it...again. Chapter title was too long for FF so I cut it down but the full chapter name is What Happens in Moldavia, Stays in Moldavia!**

 **Shortish chapter once more, not too far off from last chapter. I try to keep them at a good size but I don't want to just fill it in with nonsense that nobody wants to read so there's that. Just a heads up I am considering changing my Username. I made this account a couple of years ago, and I'm not sure if I like the name or not. Feel free let me know what you think, I'm always open to input!**

 **Dear 15th, I'm so glad you liked Luca's ploy to get the hat, she really has a problem! Sheril will definitely have a reaction to meeting Luca and voice his thoughts on her relationship with his brother. As will Road and the Earl. If the twins found out then they would definitely throw Tyki under the bus at the next family dinner. I'm overjoyed about your thoughts on the witch and that being the plot of the chapter. As it was a test I admit that I was rather nervous about how it would go over with my readers but your feedback had encouraged me greatly. I have to say every time you bring Joyd up I have to hold myself back. I don't want to give anything about the story away but I'm ecstatic for the chapter where Luca and Joyd meet (probably around chapter 24 but I make no promises. Chapter numbers can change depending on the story. I only have a rough outline) because it will definitely be an interesting meeting and that's all I'm going to say about it though I will admit that I absolutely adore hearing your theories about what you think is going to happen. It fills my heart with such elation that my story is good enough that you make theories about it and think of it even when not reading. As for any gift from Tyki well you'll just have to wait and see! Also thank you for your input about the scene changing. I was going to do it at first but couldn't (and still can't) figure out how to get fanfiction to do it so I will be doing it manually. I'll go back and change it in the other chapters probably next time that I update but I did do it in this chapter. If there are any places that you think I should've put it that I didn't please let me know. I always want to hear about changes that my readers think need to happen.**

 **And again, I don't own DGM, I only own Luca, Scor, and Harlequin. Man I'm getting tired of saying this but it needs to be said so I guess "Suck it up cupcake!" Sorry, something my dad says to me a lot. Now that's over and done with enjoy chapter fourteen~!**

* * *

"Luca! I swear if you don't start calling regularly I'm going to tell Allen how many times you've almost died because you couldn't resist poking the same Noah with a stick!" The brunette sighed as the Chinese man continued to yell in her ear as he had been for the last 20 minutes. Honestly she wasn't even sure if he was breathing during the rant or not. It was actually starting to worry her a bit.

"Chief! Breathe you're turning blue!" Reever's panicked shout came through the phone. _Well I guess that answers that. He wasn't breathing_ , she snorted at the thought. She could hear the Australian coaching the older man on breathing properly. "Who is this?"

"Hey Reever." Luca greeted lazily leaning against the wall fighting back another yawn while she leaned against the wall sipping at her third cup of coffee that morning.

"I should've known that it would be you. You've been causing a lot of trouble lately, ya know that right Luca?" Her short laugh didn't help Reever much. "I'm serious, Luca he's been freaking out." She sighed.

"I told him I was fine."

"You missed your train." He deadpanned she could practically see the expression on his face. Her eye twitched a bit.

"Yeah and who's fault is that? It wasn't even innocence or akuma just some crazy segg (ass) witch. I spent most of the night fighting zombies! Zombies Reever! You sent me there. I was so tired I slept through my alarm clock well, that's actually not true. I woke up long enough to throw the thing out the window." she paused a moment remembering the look the manager had given her when she told him. "I'll just fly to Moldavia. It's a pain but I won't be late. I'll catch up to the others before they leave Ukraine." she huffed a bit childishly.

"Okay I admit the zombies is a new thing. Still you could've called." She sighed.

"Reever I got back to the hotel and barely managed to change before I fell asleep." He hummed and while shuffling through some papers.

"What about the Noah, he just left?"

"Yeah. Why do I keep having to go through this?" she sighed and downed the rest of her cup of coffee. "Look I need to head out I'll check in tonight. Later!" she hung up the phone before he could say anything else. "Man I'm getting tired of that. I feel like everybody's telling me how to do everything. If I die then I die. Geez give it a rest." she huffed. Scor fluttered by her head bobbing slightly. Taking a deep breath to rid herself of the anger she left the hotel stepping out onto the street. The teenager was still in a mood when she landed for lunch in a quiet town near the border. She walked into town causally knowing better than to use her innocence in public unless absolutely necessary, it always drew unneeded attention and her uniform already did that.

"You should go somewhere else Miss." she looked over at the doctor who had grabbed her arm while she was thinking. She looked him over, he didn't give off the feeling of an akuma. Her eyebrow raised upon notice the mask on his face, it was a hospital mask.

"Why would you say that good doctor?" His deep blue eyes were surrounded with wrinkles from years of smiling though, lately that had not been the case clearly.

"There is am epidemic sweeping through this town. I have no doubt that the mayor will soon be ordering all those who are healthy to leave." She nodded.

"I'm sorry to hear that, it must be rough on you. Have you lost many?" His bowed his head whispering a silent prayer for the deceased.

"Until you can leave," he rummaged around in his bag for a moment before pulling out a clean mask. "here this will help you stay safe. I would leave as soon as I could if I were you. I doubt this town is going to last much longer." Offering a weak smile the Hungarian pulled the mask on before nodding her head at him before leaving. She noticed that there were few people despite walking down main street.

"With so many dying I should poke around for some akuma. There's bound to be at least a few. Humans are pitiful creatures who understand little. How anybody believes his lies I'll never know." She heard the click of a gun.

"How dare you speak of our master in such a way little exorcist!" Luca turned slightly to face the akuma behind her. She eyed the level one point one of it's guns at her head before turning to the level two that had hissed at her.

"What?" she turned all the way around facing them directly. "Am I not allowed to voice my opinion? I wasn't even talking to you. Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversations?" The level two looking rather like a demented komodo dragon standing on it's hind legs. It was a bit disturbing to say the least.

"I can do whatever I want! I'm an akuma!" she rolled her eyes at the proud proclamation. Harlequin shot through it's head.

"Well now you're a dead akuma." waving her hand the molten metal cut through the level one before it could shoot her.

"Avenge me, my brothers!" The teenager rolled her eyes at the dramatic level two as it died. All around her people transformed into various akuma mostly level ones with a few level twos mixed in.

"Get her!" She glanced up at the level two that gave the order. It was a serpent with scaly bat like wings and a pair of front legs with long claws at the end of each finger. The level ones open fired causing Luca to run.

"Man, what a pain." she managed to groan while dodging the bullets. Summoning her weapon back to her as she dove behind a building she paused to think for a second while pulling the mask from her face. She didn't really like them anyway. "Well might as well try it. I haven't used them in a while. The liquid metal solidified into a pair of tiger head hook swords. "Time to dance." Leaping out she sliced through three level ones before landing on the roof near four more.

"Shoot her you idiots." She glared at the akuma shouting. "How hard is it to hit one useless exorcist?" A pout forming on her lips as she sliced through the four closest to her.

"Clearly you need a lesson in manners." She jumped from cluster to cluster tearing through the akuma with ease. "I guess I'll just have to give it to you. I hope mine aren't too rusty." The serpent like akuma grew increasingly more frustrated with each moment the passed and every akuma that died as the Hungarian carved through the hoard of demons.

"How is it possible for all of you to keep missing her?" It turned to another level two. "You! Go hold her down!" The other akuma looked offended.

"What? Me? You go do it! You're the one that wants her dead so bad! Work for it!" The serpent glared at the bird like akuma with disgust.

"I gave you an order!" How the bird snarled with a beak Luca didn't know but she was highly entertained by the fight going on. Most of the level ones were dead so she decided to watch leaning on one of her swords as if it were a cane.

"You're not the leader!" The serpent hissed at that remark.

"Of course I'm the leader. Clearly I'm the most intelligent of us all. So do as I say."

"I refuse. There's no way a dumb snake could be smarter than me." The bird akuma flapped it's wings sending the serpent fluttering backwards awkwardly as it tried to regain it's balance in the air.

"Are you challenging me to a battle for control? I can assure you that I will consume you." The girl watch the pair claw and scratch at each other using their powers to try and gain the upper hand. The bird's wings created razor sharp blasts of wind while the winged snake breathed fire. After a few minutes she sighed and pushed off of her sword.

"Okay I think that's enough of that." Tossing one of the swords straight through the bird akuma.

"Hey! I was going to eat that." She rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry about it. You'll join him soon enough." Her comment enraged him as he turned to the other akuma.

"You idiots! Hurry up and kill her! Master Noah needs more time to find the innocence!" it's shriek rang across the street. Luca jerked her head around to stare at the akuma.

"What? Innocence? Here?" A level one took it's opportunity in her moment of distraction and fired. Eyes snapped forward to see the bullet hurtling towards her face. "Francba (shit)!" She held her breath as she caught bullet between the hooks of her swords before throwing it back. Darting out of the poisonous cloud she took a huge gulp of air as she caught her breath. _I guess I shouldn't have thrown the mask away. Clearly not my best idea. I just can't stand them, always feeling like I can't breath like that_ , she mused to herself.

"Reveal yourself and die with dignity!" She huffed at the serpent screeched again. Ducking around behind the akuma she locked the hooks around it's throat before she whispered in it's ear.

"What would you know about dignity?" It writhed in her grasp trying to free itself.

"Release me now!" It's voice shaking as the innocence burning it's skin.

"Where's the Noah?" The akuma continued to struggle despite the fact that the exorcist was standing on it's left wing pinning it down to the roof. It's short arms couldn't reach her from where she stood.

"I'll never tell you. I'll proudly bring your head to him." She snorted though noted that the akuma said him ruling out Road.

"And what? You think he'll reward you? You're just a tool. You mean nothing to the Noah and the Millennium Earl. Just a means to an end. Now where is the Noah?"

"I'll never betray my masters." She sighed.

"Very well. Rest in peace." Yanks her swords in opposite directions she tore the head from the body freeing the trapped soul. She turned to the rest of the akuma. "Anybody else want to share?"

"Get her!" she sighed as the rest of the akuma rushed her. _Man, this day sure is turning into a hassle_ , she thought shredding another akuma.

"Well that was a waste of time." Scor flew around as her mistress walked down the road. It was completely barren with all the akuma dead. "I guess that's not true. I now know that there's innocence and a Noah here." She looked around the town. "The doctor wasn't kidding. I swear that half the residents of this god forsaken town were akuma. It will all be gone soon." She perked up from her rather sullen mood upon sensing a familiar presence on the outskirts of the town. Grinning widely she started that way.

* * *

 _Why is this my life?_ Tyki wondered as wandered around looking for the piece of innocence that was suppose to be in the little dying town. One of the new akuma had reported it but said that they couldn't get it. He couldn't find it and the akuma weren't answering him. _Where did they go anyway?_ he silently questioned as he stepped through another deserted house. The piece of innocence was strange. It wasn't acting up in any way, the only reason the akuma had known that it was innocence was because it burned the akuma. Finding nothing he moved on to the next house. The process was tedious and time consuming. He had already spent all morning looking for this one piece of innocence and still it alluded him. Sighing he left the house and moved out into the street. _I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually miss Butterfly. What a concept_ , he shook his head trying to rid himself of these thoughts. They weren't helping at all. If fact they were almost as distracting as the exorcist herself. The strange girl had been plaguing his mind lately. Even when he was trying to work and she wasn't there to cause trouble. Sheril had thought that he had lost his mind and Road somehow knew something and wouldn't stop giving him a rather unnerving look. The rest of his family was too stupid to pick up on anything and luckily the Earl had been too busy to ask questions as long as Tyki was smart enough to hide in his room as soon as he got back to the ark.

"You know your akuma aren't very bright." His eyes snapped over to the rooftop of the house on the other side of the road, following the sound of her voice. Butterfly grinned down at him from her place seated on the roof. Her left leg crossed over her right one while her chin rested in her left palm supported by her elbow placed on her elevated knee.

"Well that explains why the akuma aren't answering. You've already killed them." he sighed though the corners of his lips still pulled up slightly.

"Yeah I think I offended them. Didn't mean to, but I think I still did." She sat up as she tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"I'm probably going to regret this but I'd like to know. What did the akuma do that wasn't very bright?" he tilted the brim of his hat back a bit so he could see her better as he spoke.

"They mentioned you and innocence. I actually only stopped for lunch. Had one of them not mentioned that a Noah was here looking for innocence I wouldn't have even known. I mean this is getting a little sad. Why don't you just give us a call next time or let them make a sign?" He sighed a slapped a gloved hand over his face. The girl was right they really were stupid. This wasn't the first time that an akuma had tipped her off to him and innocence.

"I guess it's a good thing you killed them. Had you not I would've. Useless creatures the whole lot of them. Though I can't decide if I'm disappointed or not that you are unharmed. You don't even seem out of breath. I guess I'd be disappointed in you if that were true so I guess it's not their fault." he shrugged with a smirk.

"So how long have you been looking?" His smirk dropped telling her all she needed to know.

"Ahh, you've been here for a while I'm guessing. Did ya miss me?" He turned away from her.

"Nope, I was enjoying the peace." she snorted at him.

"Liar, I bet you were getting bored without me." He didn't say anything unable to come up with an answer that was in any way convincing. He watched as her grin stretched her lips while trying to keep himself from pouting which he did not do. No matter what Road said he didn't pout.

"I don't suppose you found the innocence did you?"

"So you can steal it from me?" she giggled at the dark look that came over his face.

"Except for the fact that you've always stolen it from me." She laughed.

"Exactly. It's your turn now, the only problem is I can't let you have it so we seem to be at a bit of an impasse." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"So you do have it is what you are saying?" he asked. She continued to smile cryptically.

"Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. Why should I tell you My Love? Hmmm?" he glared up at her as she hummed at him completely content with bothering him rather than doing her job.

"Butterfly are you trying my patience on purpose or are you just naturally like this?" She threw her head back and laughed, her laugh echoed in the empty streets before she singsonged like a child would when they know something.

"You're just lucky My Love, I'm naturally like this." He rolled his eyes at her tone. She was enjoying this way too much for his taste.

"Joy."

"Aww don't be like that you'll make me sad." she cooed.

"You shouldn't be happy to see me." She ignored his sigh and arched an eyebrow at him.

"Are you scared of me?" He looked up at her like she was crazy for asking that question.

"No of course not. That's different."

"Wow. Okay, ouch, way to hurt my feelings." He blinked up at her several times before raising his own eyebrow, at her statement. He couldn't tell if Butterfly was playing or not. Her smile had dropped and now her lips were pulled into a thin line despite their fullness.

"You didn't actually think that I saw you as a threat did you? You've entertained me so far, so I haven't killed you."

"Well if that's how you feel." she got up and dusted herself off before she started walking along the peak of the roof away from the town. He watched her jump over to the next roof and continue down the row of houses as if she was leaving the town though normal people used the road. It took him a minute to come to the realization that she really was leaving town.

Luca wouldn't admit that his words had actually stung. She knew he was much stronger than her but she had hoped that it didn't matter. Shrugging the Noah's words off, she would be upset about them later, she started for the woods that sat around the town. It would be easier to take off there. She'd stop for lunch somewhere else, her appetite now gone. _I guess I'm glad I didn't tell him that I did in fact find the innocence along with a pretty silver button_ , she thought remembering how startled she was when she had literally tripped over the vase that the lantern containing the innocence had been hidden in trying to pick up the button. Her own innocence and the other pieces that she had collected hid it from his perception.

"Are you actually leaving?" she was surprised by his question. She hadn't been expecting him to talk to her. She paused to glance at him over her shoulder as if she was uninterested.

"Of course. I'm not here for anybody's entertainment. I don't have any reason to fight you so I'm moving on. The rest of my team is expecting me and I'm already late due to that whole witch debacle." her tone was flat and cold, while her words were curt. She kept walking, never once faltered or even swayed.

"Aw come on Butterfly don't be like that. You're taking it the wrong way. It was a compliment. No exorcist has survived running into me, never mind more than once." _Arrogáns rohadék (_ _Arrogant bastard)_ , she hissed in her mind furiously. She kept walking desperate to keep her temper in check before she said or did something that she would later regret. She registered the sound of his footsteps as he walked along with her. She jumped to another roof watching him jump up to the roof that she had just been on out of the corner of her eye. His pace quickened to catch up with her. "Hey, don't ignore me." He grabbed her right arm, preventing her from moving any farther. His grip was tight without hurting her. Swinging around she delivered a quick and sudden left hook shattering his nose. He groaned in pain as he tilted his head back, his left hand came up to hold his broken nose until his healing ability finished repairing the damage. "Was that completely necessary?" The Hungarian bit her lip to keep the giggle in. He sounded rather funny. The Portuguese man pulled his hand away once his nose was in once piece again. "You know you're really bad for my wardrobe." he sighed upon seeing the blood that stained his once white glove.

"You brought it on yourself." she huffed turning away from him.

"I suppose I did, now are you done playing around?" She turned back around to face him slowly.

"What ever could you possibly mean, My Love?" Tyki sighed relieved internally as she spoke. The nickname had made a come back so she wasn't as offended as she had been a minute ago. He had been rather taken aback when she had answered his question about her leaving. He had never heard her speak that way nor the way she had looked at him. _She looked at me like I was nothing more than a level one akuma not even worth the effort of a fight_ , his wounded pride spat savagely but he pushed that part away for now. He didn't want to lose his new favorite toy.

"I mean that you would never leave without the innocence so you must have it. Now hand it over." she snorted at him as he held out his other hand for her to give it to him.

"You must be kidding me My Love. If I didn't give it to you before why would I do so now?" He tugged her a little closer. A mischievous smile took over her features, he wasn't sure if he liked it or not.

"I'm serious Butterfly." She closed the space between them as her features took on a more seductive look.

"You can't have the glowing rock but you can have my innocence." she purred pressing her body against his. He blinked at her several times.

"I-I-I-uhh..." he trailed off completely taken aback by her offer, mouth still hanging open slightly as his brain ran on high trying to process what she just said and how to proceed. He backed away from her as she moved to press more of her body against him. Grinning she shoved him off the roof.

"Sorry My Love!" Laughing she ran along the peak no longer upset by his comments. His back connected with the ground forcing the air from his lungs. Tyki lay in the dirt for a moment, ignoring the fact that the back of his suit was now brown. Taking a gulp of air he composed himself, hitting the ground had cleared his head.

"Butterfly!" He jumped to his feet, grabbed his fallen hat and rushed after the hysterical exorcist. He was going to kill her. "Get back here! You are going to pay for that dirty little trick!" She was almost out of sight but he could still hear her cackling like the little witch she was. They were out of town by the time that he caught up to her tackling the teen to the ground. The pair rolled in the dirt both trying to gain the upper hand. "That was a nasty little gambit Butterfly. The Noah had the girl pinned to the ground her wrists caught in his larger hands on either side of her head. She was out of breath because she had been laughing too hard to actually be running though she was still giggling regardless of the fact that she was trapped by the older man. "You think you're real funny don't you?"

"Yeah, actually I do." she grinned up at him, her eyes practically glowing with mirth.

"Now relinquish the innocence." He didn't dare let go of her hands knowing that he would end up with another broken nose or a similar injury.

"Oooh I like that word. Relinquish. It's fun to say. Relinquish." He rolled his eyes as she played with the word letting it roll off her tongue. Despite her position she seemed to be having a good time, highly entertained by him.

"Do you have to do this every time I want something from you?" he sighed knowing that he had to stay on topic or she would divert the conversation to something completely unrelated. _Man this girl is such a distraction_ , he shook away that thought when he realized that despite looking directly into her bright green eyes he had no idea what she just said. "What?" She smiled at him tilting her head to the side quizzically.

"Oh, have I hypnotized you?" she drawled sensually.

"No! Don't do that!" he snapped shaking his head before she pulled him under her spell once more. She laughed again.

"Aw but I like doing that. Oh," she sighed happily. "if you could only see the look on your face when I do that you'd understand." He looked at her for a moment silently debating something.

"Do you really do this just to watch the expressions on my face?" She didn't answer him right away.

"Maybe," she shrugged here. "maybe not. There's no fun in tellin'" He made a face at her response.

"Fine," he sighed before moving her arms above her head allowing him to hold her down with only one hand. "don't tell me. It won't save the innocence you've collected." Using his free hand he unbuttoned her coat.

"Harlequin activate!" The molten metal shot up from the skin of her collarbone sending him flying off her.

"Damn it! I thought it was only on your arm." He pushed himself to his feet in time to see her leap from her back onto her feet in one fluid motion.

"Not quite, My Love. It wraps up around my left arm, over my collarbone, and down my right. It's why my shirt is strapless." She slid the jacket from her shoulders to show him her bare shoulders. He noted the small circular scar on her right shoulder, it's diameter about the same length as section of his pinky finger. "If I wrapped it around just one arm my entire arm would be black." She pulled the jacket back on but didn't bother buttoning it again.

"I should have seen that coming. You were far too calm for somebody who was suppose to be trapped." He groaned as he looked down at his pants. There was more brown than black. Sheril would have a fit if he saw his younger brother.

"Probably." she shrugged again. _Did she take anything seriously?_ he silently questioned. _Wait, when I first met her she took her friend almost dying seriously. So her friend's life is a serious matter but her own wasn't? What an intriguing girl_ , his mind answered it's own question.

"Why does it always have to be hard with you?" Luca grinned at him. _He's making this way too easy, honestly I wouldn't be me if I didn't_ , she mused to herself.

"Cause I like it hard." she started laughing as he choked.

"You need to stop doing that." He was almost pouting though she knew that he would deny it later.

"It's just too good to pass up." She watched him eye the black innocence floating around her head.

"I guess I'll just have to take the innocence from you." he didn't give her time to answer already swinging his fist at her head. She dove backwards, planting her feet on his chest before pushing off onto her hands and then her feet again.

"Always so mean." she pouted before swinging her arm sending the weapon flying towards him at full speed. Not having time to dodge he blocked his face with his arms. The hit sent him skidding back, digging his feet into the ground just to stay on them. The exorcist grabbed the weapon forming it into a large halberd as she swung it towards him intending to cleave his head from the rest of his body. He lept back several feet to avoid the blade.

"Oh? I'm the mean one? You almost tore my head off." He ran his hand along his neck where the blade would've hit.

"You're the one that wanted to fight, I just wanted to cuddle." Molten gold eyes glared at her.

"That was not what you suggested." She smiled.

"No need to be so picky. We could do both."

"Had you not been an exorcist I would take you up on that."

"Our love is a forbidden one!" He groaned as she flailed around being overly dramatic on purpose.

"I swear if you quote Romeo and Juliet at me I'm going to leave." She started laughing, tucking away the idea to call him Romeo if she ever wanted him to go away. Granted the look on Allen's face would be priceless too.

"Ew no. I don't like Shakespeare." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"So what is it that you do read? You already mentioned that you read Lewis Carroll." She gave a rather lopsided grin.

"You remembered?" He shrugged avoiding her gaze.

"Yeah I guess I did." He rushed her. Twisting the halberd in her grasp she thrust it forward connecting the hilt with his forehead. He lept back and groaned, rubbing the aggravated spot. Holding onto the middle of the handle she swung the hilt at him again causing him to duck. Following her momentum she brought the blade around for an upward slash only for him to catch the blade between his palms. She struggled with him trying to free her weapon from his grasp. "Sorry Butterfly the games end here." Dark matter and innocence clashed each trying to destroy the other.

"A war of opposites, in which the stronger spirit will prevail." Komui's original explanation rang in her head as she drew on more and more of her will, forcing her innocence to combat the dark matter of the Noah. She couldn't lose, not when Allen was still waiting for her. The resulting explosion sent both of them flying back. Luca's chest heaved as thick liquid crawled back up her arms while she lay on the ground.

"I have to admit Butterfly, you have yet to disappoint me." She sighed upon hearing his voice. _I really don't want to move, never mind get up_ , she groaned internally. "Not only did you survive but I didn't even manage to destroy your innocence." Luca pulled herself to her feet.

"Thanks for the compliment I guess." He offered a smirk.

"I think you'll be the only exorcist that I'll actually be sad to see die." She arched an eyebrow at his comment.

"You really know how to make a girl feel special." she drawled, sarcasm dripping from her lips.

"I aim to please." She observed him carefully. I can't fight him. _My innocence is at it's breaking point_ , as if to confirm her thoughts she could feel the sweat starting to bead down her neck, and a migraine forming behind her eyes. _All the fighting and lack of sleep is catching up with me. I need to get out of here, so how do I get away from him without running away?_ she questioned silently all while keeping a straight face.

"Don't space out on me Butterfly." the order was the only warning she got before her back connected with the ground rather painfully knocking the wind from her lungs. Tyki was sitting on top of the exorcist when she opened her eyes again. "I guess the last few days have finally caught up to you." Out of the corner of her eye she saw his hat laying next to her head, before she returned her gaze to his.

"Not all of us heal at an unnatural rate." she pointed out, her breath ragged. A thought occurred to her and a lazy smile spread across her lips.

"What are you smiling about?" He asked raising an eyebrow suddenly afraid of what she could be planning. Before he could do anything she flipped them over. Propped up on her hands and knees she hovered over his torso. She blinked at him owlishly. "What's with the look?" he moved to flip them over again but she caught his hand.

"Just hold still for a moment." He blinked at her several times.

"Why on Earth would I do that?" She sighed.

"I just want to try something. It shouldn't hurt."

"Shouldn't?" he questioned to which she shrugged. She did that a lot Tyki noted.

"I won't promise because I don' know. I just want to test a theory, like I said it shouldn't hurt." He stared up at her for almost a minute trying to decide if he should trust her or not. Logically it was a horrible idea to trust the enemy yet he was still going to do it.

"Fine, but know that if this hurts I'll never trust you again." She smiled at him.

"I think that's fair enough. Now just hold still." Luca was honestly surprised that he had agreed to it, but still took the opportunity. Releasing his hand she leaned down slowly. He eyed her warily but didn't move as instructed more than a little curious about what she was going to do to him. His eyes shot open wide before sliding close as the Hungarian pressed her lips to his forehead directly on the middle stigmata. She pulled back to watch as pure bliss washed over him. He moaned softly as a shiver ran along his spine causing his head to fall completely back as all the tension melted from his body. Slowly his long eyelashes separated allowing her to see their vivid sun color. He opened his mouth only to shut it again. Just as logic and understanding started to seep back into his eyes she kissed him again send waves of pleasure crashing over him. Grinning madly that her theory had been right Luca jumped to her feet, grabbed the hat and disappeared into the forest leaving the Noah laying on the road, lost in the euphoria her actions had caused.

* * *

Tyki lay in the dirt unable to think properly through the pure ecstasy. He never had the slightest clue that touching that particular spot would feel so good. Normally it only ever hurt whether it was his inner Noah acting up or somebody (namely Butterfly) would hit him there. As a matter of fact Butterfly had done just that several times. Sitting up in a daze he looked around. The exorcist and his hat where nowhere to be seen which means that she got away. Getting up he dusted himself off and stepped through the ark door.

"What in Heaven's name have you been doing?!" Tyki ignored the horrified shriek of his brother most likely at the state his clothes were in.

"Tyki are you okay?" Road asked when her uncle walked by.

"Hmmm" he hummed at her but continued on to his room ignoring the looks from his family at his dirt covered body.

"Is something the matter with Tyki-pon? He seems out of it?" both Kamelots shrugged at the Earl who had directed the question at them.

"He just walked in like that." Sheril gestured down the hall that his younger brother had wandered off more than likely going to his room.

"He didn't answer either of us. He hummed at me which means that he heard us but didn't say anything." Sheril nodded as his daughter spoke.

"Was it just me or did he look out of it?" Road nodded at her father's question.

"Now that you mention it he did. Like he wasn't fully here. It was kind of the same look he gets when he's day dreaming about going back to his human friends usually after Jasdevi does something spectacularly stupid." Had she not been so worried about her uncle she would've laughed when she remembered the face he made when he had walked into the kitchen for a snack only to find it burned black with the twins standing in the middle of the chaos trying to hid his matches and a bunch of gas that they got from who knows where, behind their backs. The Portuguese man looked pained for a second before he left deciding in that moment that he was going back to his friends and immediately escaped into the safety of his human guise, not even staying long enough to reclaim his match box, nope he just bought a new one.

"I'm going to go check on him." Road grabbed her father's hand.

"Maybe I should do it. You tend to get excitable and he doesn't like that. I'll go." The man looked over at the Earl who shrugged, just as lost as the Portuguese minister.

Road knocked on her uncle's door three times. When he didn't answer she leaned closer only to hear the shower running. Shrugging her shoulders she opened his door and sat on his bed while she waited for him. Tyki stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later now dressed in clean pants and a white button up only partially buttoned. He looked up at her through his messy bangs the towel was still draped over his head as he dried his hair.

"Are you okay? You completely and utterly ignored us when you came home. Not to mention you were covered in dirt."

"Yeah I'm fine." Instead of looking at her he walked over to the vanity to stare at his reflection in the mirror. He pulled the towel from his head and pushed his bangs back, his gold eyes fixed on the stigmatas across his forehead.

"You don't sound fine, you don't even sound like yourself. What's up with you?" He still didn't move.

"Did you know?" Road raised an eyebrow. _Did she know what? What on Earth are you talking about Tyki?_ she wondered.

"Did I know what? Can you please start making sense?" He sighed.

"I'm probably going to regret telling you this. You can't tell anybody especially not Sheril or the Earl. I'll deal with it myself." She nodded.

"Okay I won't tell. Does this have anything to do with why you've been coming home dirty and without the innocence?" He winced answering her question. _Yep, definitely_ , she hummed.

"I met this exorcist in Barcelona and I keep running into her. She different from the others." He sat down in his chair after not finding whatever it was that he was looking for in the mirror.

"Is that why she's still alive? You haven't gotten bored?" He shook his head.

"No she keeps escaping. Every time I think I've got her she pulls another ace out of her sleeve. I honestly never know what she's going to do next." A thought occurred to Road.

"Is she the one that threw the chandelier at you?" He nodded, snorting at the memory. At the time he had been exasperated but now it was almost funny. Of all the things she could've done she threw a chandelier at him. To say that he hadn't been expecting that was an understatement.

"Yeah, her innocence is something that I've never seen before. It doesn't have a permanent shape. She can change it at will and she makes the best of that ability using it to it's fullest."

"So what did she do today that's got you in such a haze?" He sighed again.

"She kissed me-" Road cut him off.

"That's what's up with you?" She shut up when he glared at her in annoyance. "Sorry."

"If that had been all I would be fine but she kissed me right here," his finger ghosted over the middle stigmata.

"Oh, that's different." Road nodded now understanding what was up. "Let me guess, it felt good, like really good. I bet you didn't even notice her run off did you?"

"She did it twice, when I could finally think properly she was gone with no indication of where she had gone or how long she was gone."

"Our stigmata are incredibly sensitive. I would be careful, it sounds like now that she knows that she'll use it against you." He snorted.

"Already did."

"What's her name anyway?" He paused and gave a crocked smirk.

"No idea."

* * *

 **So the headcanon about the stigmata is one that I found on tumbr and absolutely fell in love with. It's not originally mine. I believe the original owner is Candy-crackpot. Well I hope you all liked this chapter! This is the last time Luca and Tyki will see each other for a while, they are both going to be very busy! I have to admit that ever since I read that headcanon I've been planning this chapter for a while. It was just one of those that I knew I had to do and I feel like it is something that she would definitely try just because she can and is very curious by nature and has absolutely no self control! Honestly it's amazing she's still alive sometimes. Have a good day (morning, afternoon, evening, night, or whatever...whenever) and please review! It makes me oh so happy! Chess is out~!**


	15. All the Things He Said

**Hey! So as I warned last chapter I have indeed changed my name you can all call me Chess instead of Jinx or Cheshire if you prefer, either works for me. I finally finished editing all of the previous chapters to add in the line breakers. I even figured out how to do it with FF I can't believe how long it took, I actually went through and looked for mistakes and fixed a few. Now on to the good stuff: reviews!**

 **Dear KP, I have to admit that the first time I saw your name I immediately thought of Kim Possible. Anyway my own strangeness aside, I have to tell you how much your review means to me! The fact that you had to read it all in one sitting says so much to me. I've read fanfictions and books like that and too think that my own writing is that for somebody else is completely and utterly astounding and motivating! Every time I question my writing I look at my reviews and it reminds me that other people like my writing and it's not just me. I'm glad that you like Luca, she means so much to me and is really her own person. I find that quirky characters are always the most interesting which is what I stride for! I have to say that it's exciting to know that my readers see the chemistry between them. Originally I intended to pair Luca with Lavi (she had a different name at the time) but when I tried writing them together I found that they were cute but there was no sizzle and it was rather dull. I later wrote a piece where she encountered Tyki and found them to be a more compelling couple. Luca also changed a bit as well. I do admit that I thought the stigmata thing was rather hot as well. Poor Tyki he just can't catch a break! I can't wait to hear from you again and I hope that you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Dear 15th, no matter how many times you tell me that you love my story it will never be redundant to me. I eagerly look forward to your reviews no matter the length or what you say in them. I'm always delighted to hear from you regardless of when your reviews come in. I enjoy our little 'chats' and the fact that you like my story enough to comment on it. You share your thoughts and feelings on my character, her interactions with the other characters, the plot, and how I handle cannon characters,** **I'd be a fool to ignore my reviewers as they bring me such pleasure. I'm pleased to hear that you thought that the stigmata sensitivity was believable and even cute. The thought of Luca taking advantage of it was too adorable (at least in my mind) to exclude from the story. Now that Road is aware of Tyki's Butterfly, well let's just say he's going to be doing a lot of homework for a while and the Noah of Dreams has an exorcist to scope out (just any old girl won't do for her favorite uncle) and judge mercilessly. Honestly if Road had her way I'd fear for Luca's safety, luckily for our favorite Hungarian Road's a bit busy with something else at the moment to go butterfly hunting. I do my best to have her act a bit like Cross considering that he was her only role model (granted he was a horrible one but I digress) and naturally she would start to mimic him and his mannerisms when she was young before coming into her own person yet some will still stick with her. Anyway enjoy the next chapter!**

 **As always I don't own DGM (I'm not nearly as brilliant as Katsura Hoshino), I only own Luca, Scor, and Harlequin. As always read and review (because they make me happy)!**

* * *

Luca groaned. She was completely exhausted but almost there. She could feel her friends' spirits close by. It was well into the night by the time she had crossed into Ukraine yet she was so close that she couldn't justify stopping again; she was already so late. The desk clerk jumped in surprise when Luca opened the door, well when she kicked the door open.

"I'm looking for a group of people wearing the same jacket as me. What rooms are they in?" The clerk blinked at her a few times.

"I'm sorry Miss but I'm not allowed to tell you that." The girl's eyebrow twitched, she was way too tired for this. Reaching past the desk she grabbed him by his collar.

"I am not in the mood for this. I have been awake for hours, I'm tired, hungry, and in a very bad mood, now tell me where my brother and friends are or I'll throw you out the window. And if I'm feeling nice I'll even open it first."

* * *

Lenalee's shriek woke Allen. By the sounds of the room it woke the others too. Krory groaned from the floor while he heard Lavi jumped up only to slip on his headband that he left lying on the floor the night before through the wall.

"That was Lenalee!" Allen and Krory met Lavi and Bookman in the hall before rushing to Lenalee's room.

"Lenalee are you alright?" Allen asked kicking the door open. The Chinese girl looked over at them.

"Oh, hey guys! Yeah I'm fine, she just startled me. I wasn't expecting her to be there." The four relaxed slightly.

"Wait, she? She who?" Lenalee giggled at Krory's inquiry.

"Her." He followed her pointing finger with his eyes over to the other bed where another woman lay asleep. Her unruly wavy hair was tied back in a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck though she was laying face down so he couldn't see anything else other than her light skin.

"Oh it's just Beautiful." Lavi relaxed slightly at the sight of the younger girl.

"She must've gotten in late last night and just crawled in bed." Allen walked over the inspect his sister. "Really late. Her shirt's on backwards." he noted bending down to poke the brunette. "And inside out."

"Perhaps it is best if we let Miss Luca rest. It was very early in the morning when she came. I heard her come up the stairs. She's been on her own for a while and I doubt that she slept properly like that. Komui also informed me that she got herself into a bit of trouble. Sleep is a necessity." Hearing what Bookman had to say Allen bent down to look for injuries. He prodded her arm gently. He could see the hexagonal pattern around her innocence embedded in her skin. The short man was right. She needed rest. Her innocence had been pushed too far.

"The Old Panda is right. Beautiful should get some sleep before we leave and it's not like we really have any idea where the general is anyway." Bookman's eyebrow twitched at his successor's nickname.

"Be quiet you fool! Stop calling me that!" He hissed as his smacked the boy upside the head as he normally would with Lavi protesting loudly.

"Hush!" Bookman stopped hitting Lavi at Lenalee's harsh whisper. "You'll wake her. I'll stay with her for now. You all go down at get breakfast. Allen when you are done come back up here. You can stay with her while the others and I go shopping. We need a few things." The group nodded before filing out the the room leaving the pair of girls alone. Sighing at her friend Lenalee gently pulled the covers out from under the younger girl before throwing them over her after rolling her friend over a bit so she wouldn't suffocate in the pillow. "What kind of trouble did you find?"

* * *

It was late into the morning when Luca finally woke. Well, really woke up. Blinking a few times she sat up slowly rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Looking around she found that she was alone in the room. She sighed as she sat still for a moment. She clenched the comforter in her fists, her painted nails still digging into her palms despite the thick blanket as she bit her lip harshly.

"You didn't actually think that I saw you as a threat did you? You've entertained me so far, so I haven't killed you." His voice rang in her head. The disbelief and amusement. _How could I be so stupid? To think that he would ta-_ , her train of thought was cut off by Allen coming into the room.

"Luca! You're awake!" He ran over to give her a bone crushing hug causing her to smile. She missed her brother. She hadn't realized how much until she was hugging him. "We were so worried. You gave Lenalee a bit of a fright just showing up in bed one morning." She grinned widely.

"My bad. How long have I been asleep?" He started laughing.

"Two and half days. Lenalee was starting to get really worried about you, Lavi kept telling her you were fine and Bookman said that you were just exhausted." Luca blinked at him.

"Wow. I-" her stomach cut her off growling causing her to roll her eyes and laugh. "I guess that explains why I'm so hungry. I feel like I could eat as much as you normally do."

"Hey!" he protested at the jab.

"Let me shower because I smell like something died," she paused to sniff herself. "three years ago." she added on after wrinkling her nose. "Then we can go get breakfast, well probably second breakfast for you." He pouted at her as she disappeared into the bathroom.

"Jerk." She grinned.

"You know you love me!" her voice carried through the closed door.

"Yeah I do." The pair of siblings walked down the stairs together while Allen filled the older girl in on what she had missed. When they entered the dining hall of the hotel the Chinese girl jumped to her feet. Rushing over she almost knocked both of them down when she launched into a hug holding her friend captive in her tight embrace. Luca staggered a bit trying to regain her balance before they fell over.

"What is it? Hug the Hungarian?" she joked lightly. Lenalee just buried her face deeper into her friend's neck.

"Glad to see you up and about Beautiful." She smiled at Lavi over the dark head of shiny hair.

"It's good to be up but," she patted Lenalee gently on the head. "I'm ravenous so if we could have breakfast that'd be great." The taller girl pulled away laughing.

"I suppose that we could feed you." Luca laughed as she was pulled over to the table where Bookman and another man sat. Luca almost felt bad for the poor waiter who just blinked at them several times at the sheer amount of food that was ordered.

"Oh! Luca this is Krory! Master gave him innocence. We found him in Romania. Krory this is my sister Luca." Allen introduced them while Luca offered a hand.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Krory." He laughed and shook her hand.

"Arystar Krory III, you can just call me Krory. There's no need for mister." She smiled at him. _I like him. I hope Master didn't traumatize him too much_ , she thought internally.

"Cool! I hope Master behaved himself while he was with you?" Allen leaned over to her.

"Master borrowed money, so we owe him too." he whispered in her ear. Luca let out a sob like whine and smacked her head against the table hard in anguish. Luckily for her Lenalee saw and moved the girl's plate of waffles before she hit it.

"I-I-I've heard a lot about you from the others. Allen has nothing but wonderful things to say about you." Krory panicked as the girl started to spiral down the hole of debts with her brother who was in a similar state.

"Hey, hey, hey! Guys, you're scaring Krory." Lavi tried to pull them out but it did little to help. Lenalee was busy assuring Krory that it wasn't anything he did and that they got like that sometimes.

"Just how much do they owe?" Bookman muttered watching the whole scene passively though slightly worried about indebted siblings who had yet to stop their deranged muttering and sobbing.

"Your food is getting cold." Lenalee pointed out snapping them both out of it.

"No! He may have taken our money," Luca started jumping up, hands on her hips. Allen picked up where she left off and joined her in standing.

"But he will never take OUR FOOD!" The rest of the exorcists smacked their heads against the table at the proud proclamation.

* * *

"Can Tim really not tell us anymore other than Master's general direction?" Allen looked over at his sister next to him in the train car staring out the window in boredom.

"Yeah unfortunately." Thinking for a moment the girl pulled away from the window and pulled something from her bag.

"We could play cards?" she offered.

"No way! You cheat!" Allen and Luca blinked a few times at Lenalee and Lavi's synchronized response. Lavi had been talking to the British boy but Lenalee was giving the other dark haired girl a disapproving look. She smiled sheepishly.

"It's kinda hard to cheat when there are cards missing." Allen took his sister's battered deck from her as she crossed one leg over the other.

"Luca these are awful," he flipped through them looking at the wear and tear. "What happened to them and why haven't you gotten a new pack yet?"

"Just normal life, it's not like I'm setting them on fire or anything. I've had them for years." Lenalee looked over at the other girl.

"Really?" Luca nodded.

"Those," she nodded her head at the cards still in her brother's hands. "are the cards that we learned to play poker with."

"Aw, that's so sweet. So they're sentimental?" she smiled softly while Luca shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess so. It's not really a big deal." Allen handed the cards back to his sister.

"We can use my deck. Actually you can have them if you want. I know you can get antsy without a deck." she raised an eyebrow at him as he handed the deck over.

"You have a deck?" He nodded enthusiastically while she examined them. _I really like the bat accents_ , she thought to herself. The cards were black and white with a diamond pattern on the back.

"Yeah, I-" Krory cut him off.

"Oh it was amazing! He won everything back and then everything they had!" Luca raised an eyebrow at the excited Romanian as she had learned earlier. He had been interested when she told him that she was also part Romanian. Allen had been rather concerned when she said something to him in Romanian but let it go when Krory laughed.

"What happened?" Lavi took over as she began to shuffle, quickly shifting through several different methods.

"Krory here's a bit sheltered," he paused to look over at the older man. "no offense." Krory laughed.

"None taken. I'm aware that I'm sheltered. I appreciate that you all are patient with me and always willing to explain things." Lavi grinned.

"No problem buddy. Anyway we were on a train and Krory went exploring. He met..." he paused again turning to Allen this time. "What did they call themselves again?" Allen snorted remembering the group the red head was talking about well. Luca handed the cards over to her brother who began to shuffle them. They had promised not to cheat and even offered to shuffle the cards twice.

"Orphan vagabonds with sticky fingers." Lavi's grin somehow grew wider.

"Yeah them, anyway they were hustling Krory-kins," Luca raised an eyebrow at the nickname before looking over at the count who just sighed. No matter how many times he asked the red head to stop with the silly nickname he never did. "and he had lost everything. That's when Allen and I found him. Allen bet his jacket against Krory's things and won them back. Oh but he didn't stop there!" The Hungarian shook her head, the older boy was clearly excited waggling a finger in her face. "He continued playing with them until they got off. He was nice though and gave them back all the things that he had won from them which was everything! They literally got off the train in their underwear." Allen had finished dealing the cards out now.

"What are we playing again?" Krory asked looking down at his hand of cards diverting the conversation.

"Go Fish. It's really easy, Krory." Lenalee smiled up at the man. "All you do is look at your cards to decide what pair you are trying to get. Then you pick somebody and ask if they have one. I'll show you. Luca do you have any twos?" The Eastern European looked down at her hand. Ace of spades, 3 of clubs, queen of hearts, 6 of diamonds, king of clubs, 7 of diamonds, and a joker. _What a mess. I guess I'm glad we're not playing poker_ , she hummed internally.

"Sorry Lena, go fish." Lenalee smiled.

"She didn't have it so I draw a card from the pile." She picked one up and smiled at it. "It's not a two but it is a four and I happen to have a four so I still get my match. Now it's your turn because you are on my left. Go ahead and try it." He nodded before looking down at his hands then up again.

"Allen do you have any jacks?" Allen smiled at him.

"Yeah, here you go." Allen handed over the jack of clubs to the happy man. The game went around the compartment while Bookman napped in the corner. Lavi wasn't allowed near him so he couldn't draw on the man's face.

"Lavi do you have any tens?" Allen grinned while Lavi pouted but handed the ten of diamonds over.

"Are you sure you're not cheating?" Allen laughed but nodded all the same.

"Lenalee do you have any sevens?" The Chinese girl smiled.

"Go fish Lavi." He grumbled something unintelligible.

"Don't worry Lavi," He looked over at Luca who cooed at him while smiling. "I'll take that pesky seven off your hands." She held out her hand expectantly to which he grumpily deposited the clubs card. She turned to look out the window as Krory exclaimed.

"Wow! Not only are you not sure that you'll get your card but you also expose one of your cards to everybody else when you ask for something." her smile dropped and her leg started to bounce as the others chatted.

"You didn't actually think that I saw you as a threat did you? You've entertained me so far, so I haven't killed you." his voice rang in her head drowning out the others. It was so clear as if he had been sitting next to her and spoke right in her ear. _He's right. You aren't on his level. You're just a kid_ , she winced at the hissing voice. Her nails bit through the fabric of her gloves as she clenched her fist. Her leg moved faster as her agitation grew. _How could I be so stupid to think that I was at his level? That I could win in a fair fight? I was so foolish to think that he actually respected me and my abilities. I-_

"Luca?!" Allen grabbing her shoulder and shook her from her train of thought.

"Sorry," she stopped when she saw the perplexing looks of concern they were all giving her. "What? What's wrong guys?"

"Are you okay Lu?" she looked diagonally across the table at Lenalee.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" They all gave her a rather incredulous look.

"We've been trying to talk to you for almost ten minutes, L." she blinked at her brother in surprise.

Seriously?"

"Hey Beautiful do you have any fives? I asked you that question ten minutes ago and you never answered me. Just kept staring out the window, not to mention that you've rubbed the wallpaper off." Lavi pointed down to the bare piece of wood bellow the window under the toe of Luca's boot. Luca shifted her cards to her other hand..

"Wow." she really didn't know what else to say.

"Maybe you should get some more sleep." Lenalee spoke slowly. Luca opened her mouth to say something but Allen beat her to it.

"Luca! You're bleeding!" Looking down at her cards she found that there was indeed blood on them. Instead of freaking out she scrunched up her features in annoyance.

"You little rat! You were looking at my cards." She swung at him but he grabbed her arm.

"I'm serious, what's with you? Why are you bleeding?" They wrestled around trying they're best to avoid the still sleeping Bookman. Lavi soon joined the fray, though who he was trying to help nobody knew for sure. Sighing Lenalee gathered up the cards and put the table away just in time for Allen, Luca, and Lavi to hit the floor. Krory yanked his feet up out of arms reach and watched in horror as the wrestling grew worse. The trio rolled around as best as they could is the small space until naturally Lavi managed to kick his mentor right in the face. Sensing the impending danger Luca flipped them over so Lavi and Allen were sitting on top of her back. Bookman's eyes shot open and he glared at the two boys. A few minutes later a train attendant came to see if anybody was dying or injured. Bookman apologized to the poor man who was rather white upon seeing the black and blue features of Lavi and the rather large bump on Allen's head. Luca sat in the corner giggling quietly causing both boys to glare at her. Her glee didn't last long.

"Ah ha!" Lenalee had taken her moment of distraction to grab her arm. Krory held her still while Lenalee slowly rolled the glove off. "Allen was right you are bleeding." the Hungarian groaned when the Chinese girl brought out the bandages.

"It's not that big of a deal. Just leave it alone."

"Would you just tell us what's going on with you?" Green eyes darted over to meet starlight colored ones for a moment only to drop away from his face.

"It's nothing really." Her eyes made their way down to her boots the scuffed along the floor of the compartment.

"If I may," Bookman spoke drawing all eyes to him. "Miss Luca does this have anything to do with the Noah that you've met several times? Komui was rather worried about him." All eyes snapped back to the girl in the corner who was now running the top of her left foot along the back of her right calf in agitation.

"Noah?" Lenalee questioned, her eyes wide with fear.

"Several times?!" Allen's demand focused the conversation a bit more.

Luca shrugged them off. "It's not a big deal. I don't know what you are all freaking out about." She just barely ducked the cuff that Allen had aimed at the back of her head.

"Allen don't hit your sister," Luca cut the older girl's scolding off while sticking her tongue out at her brother in a rather childish way.

"Yeah." She winced a bit when the furious dark eyes turned on her. "Oops. Were you not done?"

"And you! Tell us what Bookman is talking about?"

"Do I have to?"

"Yes." The unanimous answer caused her to drop her head with a dejected groan.

"Don't wanna."

"Too bad." She glared at all of them.

"Stop that. Just let it go." She turned away from them deciding to glare out the window at the scenery passing by. She could feel their gazes burning into the back of her skull yet she elected to ignore them. She knew she was being childish but she really didn't want to talk about it.

The silence in the train car was deafening, but nobody was willing to break it. Lenalee and Allen were busy glaring at Luca. She knew both were furious with her but she knew how they would react to what she had to say. She did feel a bit bad, poor Krory was stuck in the middle of the argument and looked rather frightened by the aura that the three teens were giving off. Each trying to silently kill each other with it. Lavi was watching them, a frown on his face. Not only was the atmosphere suffocating but he had never seen them fight like this. Bookman sat in the corner silently recording everything. They're facial expressions, the way Allen would clench and then unclench his fist, Luca's jittery leg and the rather tense way she was absently shuffling her new deck of cards, the look Lenalee was giving the other dark haired girl as if she could magically will the younger one to share.

* * *

"I'm going to a walk." Luca announced as she dropped her bags on her bed in the hotel room. The rest of the train ride and most of the afternoon was spent in disgruntled muteness except for absolutely necessary communication. Lenalee made no acknowledgment that she had heard the comment but the Hungarian knew she had. As she stalked down the halls silently she could hear Krory trying to cheer Allen up.

"Why did you have to bring it up? Everything was fine until you brought up the Noah. Luca would've told us eventually." Lavi's voice carried through the closed door of his and Bookman's room.

"Fool. Do not let your emotions cloud your judgment. You are just an observer. You are not their friend!" Bookman's retort rung in her ears. _That's right. Lavi's not really Lavi, just a fake personality Bookman Jr. made up. He acts like our friend but it's not real_ , her mind supplied.

"I know that! You say we are just observers yet by sharing that piece of information you've driven a wedge between the three of them. If we get attacked now it could end badly. If one of them dies it will be your fault. You will have affected history. You broke your own rule!" Luca sighed. When Lavi spoke like that, he sounded so passionate. Like he actually cared for them. She kept continued on, not waiting for Bookman's response as she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the rest of the conversation or not. As she walked down the street, hood pulled up over her head she looked around watching the people that passed by, listened to them talk to each other.

"You didn't actually think that I saw you as a threat did you? You've entertained me so far, so I haven't killed you." She whirled around looking for the Noah, eyes wide. A few people looked at her funny, even Scor gave her a strange look having been forcefully dislodged from her spot on her mistress' shoulder.

"I think I'm losing my mind, Scor. I swear to everything holy he was right behind me whispering in my ear. Why is this upsetting me so much? There are plenty of people who are stronger than me and it wouldn't matter if they said that they didn't see me as a threat. Master, the Earl, General Nine, General Socalo, hell General Yeager was more than five times my age and he was stronger than me. So why does it have such a considerably effect on me that My Love said it? Why the hell does his opinion of me matter? Jeez I don't even care about what Komui thinks of me this much." The golem floated along listening to it's mistress' grievance. Twilight had long since come and gone leaving the street lights to illuminate dusk. Most of the people on the streets had disappeared, leaving a group that was slowly surrounding her.

"Are you lost?" one of the men asked her as they closed in on her circling around her as if she were a wild animal capable and very likely to bite. _Well they're not wrong_ , she noted.

"You know, you're not very subtle. Actually you're not subtle at all."

* * *

Lenalee jumped when the loud pounding like knocking jolted her out of the book that she had been absorbed in reading in an attempt to forget that she was fighting with a piece of her world that she hadn't seen in days. _Who had almost died several times while she was traveling alone and now doesn't want to talk about it_ , her mind supplied helpfully.

"Lenalee?" said girl jumped up and opened the door upon hearing the urgency in her friend's voice.

"What's wrong?" she asked opening the door to Allen. She saw that his left eye had activated. "Oh. Akuma." he nodded seriously.

"There's a massive group of them in the outer part of town." He looked over her shoulder. "Where's Luca? We need to go." Lenalee's eyes shot open wide.

"She left on a walk after we got here. She'd probably gotten to the outer ring of town by now! What if the Noah sent them or worse he's there?!" Upon hearing that both ran down the hall almost running the others over.

"Are you two okay?" Lavi asked as he ran behind the pair down the streets.

"We think that Luca is in the middle of the swarm of akuma." Lavi sweatdropped.

"Yeah that sounds like Beautiful." Krory looked confused.

"Is this normal of Luca?" he inquired quizzically. He had yet to completely grasp the kind of person that the Hungarian was.

"If there's trouble L will find it. If there isn't any then she'll make some. It's how it's always gone. Probably how she'll die." Allen sighed thinking of all the things that she had gotten into.

"Miss Luca can't possibly be that much trouble." Bookman spoke from the back of the group. Allen snorted, it wasn't polite he knew that but it slipped out.

"Once she somehow managed to set Master's hair on fire while he was asleep." The others blinked at him a few times waiting for him to tell them that he was joking. "I'm not kidding if that's what you're hoping for."

"Wow. That takes talent." Nobody commented on the understatement Lavi had made.

Sure enough they found their missing comrade in the middle of the fray tearing through the akuma. Her innocence whirling around like a cyclone sucking the akuma into it's destructively shredding grasp. Allen's eyes darted around for a human in the midst of the akuma, unafraid maybe even enjoying it as Road had been. To his relief he only saw akuma. There was no Noah, just akuma. He could handle that. The thought of his sister repeatedly fighting somebody like Road all own her own with nobody to help even if she didn't want it. If she needed it.

"What took you guys so long?" She shouted jumped down from an akuma as it exploded landing in a crouch. _Well at least she's in a better mood now_ , he drawled silently shaking his head as he and the other invoked their innocence.

"We don't constantly go looking for trouble." Allen retorted. She took the time to look offended.

"I don't go looking for trouble! Trouble finds me which isn't my fault." He gave her a deadpan looked.

"And I suppose that the Noah just found you all the time?" She glared at him.

"I only found him like twice! The rest of the time he found me! Most of the time I was doing my job. I can't tell you how many pieces of innocence I have with me because I kept having to save them from him!"

"That makes me feel so much better!" Allen shouted at her.

"You're welcome little brother~!" he groaned at the nickname as his claw cleansed an akuma. In his peripheral vision he saw Krory rip into another akuma, jumping from akuma to akuma. Luca turned to watch.

"He's drinking the blood? Doesn't it make him sick?" Krory heard the question.

"No, it taste like tomato juice." He shattered another one as he jumped from the one that he had drained.

"Well then...I guess that works. To each their own." Krory raised an eyebrow as she shrugged it off while Allen just smiled. He knew that it would take Krory a while to get used to the fact that his comrades didn't care nor would they call him a vampire as so many others had. "Never thought of biting my opponent," she paused thinking as she absentmindedly summoned her gauntlets and tore out the brain of the akuma that thought it was sneaking up on her. "maybe I'll try it." Krory choked.

"I swear L if you even think about biting the akuma I will tie you up and leave you locked in the closet until everything is over!" Allen shouted completely horrified. She rolled her eyes at him.

"I wasn't thinking of the akuma!" she snapped back angrily. "But the Noah..." she mumbled the last part thoughtfully though her brother still heard it.

"That's even worse!"

Lavi called over to them, "Hey Beautiful if you could wait until after the akuma were dead to traumatize your brother that would be great!" Lenalee looked over at them.

"What are you even talking about over there?" Bookman sighed. Why was it always his job to keep these kids on task? Seriously Luca could divert the conversation with a single comment no matter what it was about.

"Perhaps the akuma should be the priority here." he pointed out as his needles pierced through a group of akuma as Lenalee flitted through the air before coming down hard, splitting the akuma down the middle. Harlequin soared by her head spearing through the akuma about to snare the Chinese girl, while Lavi's hammer came crashing into the akuma flying at the younger girl. Krory paused for a moment as he watched Allen tear through several more all the while keeping an eye on Lavi's open back. Despite having been arguing when they last saw each other they still watched each other's back determined to protect one another.

"Well that was fun." Lavi grinned standing on his hammer. Allen looked around to make sure that all the akuma were gone. Lenalee walked over to Luca who was wrapping her innocence back up over her skin. Something small rolled over to her coming to rest against her boot. Bending down she picked it up. It was a broken string of iridescent black pearls, there were about five of them still on the string. _One of the akuma must've been wearing them and the necklace snapped when it transformed_ , she thought to herself as she pocketed the pearls absentmindedly.

"How did you end up all the way out here by yourself?" Luca sighed tiredly as they began the trek back to the hotel. She was quiet for a while silently debating on telling them. _Maybe it would be good to talk about it_ , she hummed. Finally she began as they stepped up the stairs all filing into the girls' room to sit around and listen to the story.

"I got lost in thought. I meant to be back to the hotel before dark but then the akuma showed up. I knew that you guys would show up and even if you didn't I would've been fine. Regardless of almost dying I've learned that I am stronger than I thought and perhaps I will survive this war. It's been a rather strange journey, in every sense of the word," she paused thinking about it. "physically, mentally, and emotionally.

"Please tell us." The Chinese girl practically begged her friend.

Fine I'll spill," they all smiled. "but you have to promise not to tell Komui." Lenalee raised an eyebrow at this but nodded with the rest of the exorcists.

"I met him in Barcelona. I saved Daisya from dying by his hands. He is a Noah with strange powers, perhaps his most dangerous ability is his charm." she hummed softly curling up on her bed feet tucked up close to her, thinking back to his eyes. They were her favorite. "He is alluring in spite of knowing the blood that must stain his hands. He allowed me to play with him, amuses me, matched my whimsical nature with his own." She recalled his playfulness in the castle, their bickering in the cornfield, and working together to deal with the witch.

"Lu?" Lenalee pulled her out of dazed musing. "How many times did you meet him?"

"We crossed paths eight times. Komui only knows of four times. The other four times I said that it was only akuma, he freaked out every time I mentioned him so I stopped doing it. Komui knows of our encountering each other in Barcelona, Sassari, again in the hotel where he ambushed me in Sassari, and Romania."

"Where else did you see him?" Lavi prodded gently. The girl was in a dream like haze, content to recall her adventures with the Noah who had yet to be named.

Allen interrupted with another question, "Him?" she gave a soft smile remembering the second time she had seen him. She had been a bit preoccupied the first time she had seen him, more worried about Daisya's safety than the Noah.

"Yeah, the Noah I met was a man. It wasn't Road. I met his for the first time in Barcelona during the huge battle, I don't know what he was doing there but it was almost a fated encounter. I saw him again in Sassari twice. The first time I stole a piece of innocence out from under his nose. He came for me at the hotel but I managed to escape. He showed up in a small town outside of Rome, then a broker sold me out in Vasto and he was sent to eliminate me, whether or not he knew it was me or not I don't know. Fate or chance I can't say for sure. I found him in Montenegro and snagged a piece of innocence from him though we were trapped in it first. In Serbia we spent most of the time running from a crazed piece of innocence that called an old scarecrow home around in a maze of corn before I set fire to it."

Krory cut in here, "You set the scarecrow on fire or the Noah?" She giggled.

"The scarecrow. I pretended to give him the innocence by leaving it in the head but really I had replaced it with an empty bottle about the same size. In Romania we fought a witch who was stealing souls. I was sent there because HQ thought it was a broker and he was there to kill the woman who was moving in on the Earl's territory. It was the only place that we didn't fight each other. We needed the other's abilities to survive. At the end we were too tired to fight the other. He walked me to my hotel and then vanished without a trace. Our last meeting was in Moldova," she summoned forth the memory of her love laying in the dirt as the pleasure of her kiss washed over him. She could have ended his life then and there yet that thought never occurred to her. "He said something that had upset me. It's been on my mind ever since, distracting me. I can't come up with the reason that it troubled me."

"How did you get away?" It was the first time Bookman had spoke since the battle had ended. Since the Hungarian's return he had been recording her, from her movements to her facial expressions to her outbursts. The relationship _, no relationship was not quite the right word...yet_ , his mind whispered. Connection was a better word, she shared with the Noah was something he had never seen before. An exorcist who survived an encounter with a Noah, a battle yet it wasn't a battle. A game, the way she spoke of it was as if she was playing poker that the Walker siblings were know for, only this time she was betting her life.

"As we battled I noticed a pattern, a place that was more sensitive than the rest. They're stigmata react more to pain so I tried a different tactic with this information and it worked." still she spoke softly almost as if she was lost to her own memories. He had such an effect on her, it was frightening to her friends and brother.

"Have you seen him since? Has he tried to make contact with you?" Lenalee probed gently as the younger pulled herself from the reminiscences.

"No," a sly smile pulled at her lips. "Though I do wonder if he will try to reclaim my trophies."

Allen raised an eyebrow, "Trophies?" The smile stayed and her eyes sparked with delight as softly she whispered,

"Eight. Mine now, all mine now."

* * *

 **Well Luca has successfully worried her brother and friends in more ways then one. You all also got a glimpse of what Luca was like as a kid, let me know if you thought it was funny! Bookman has noticed the oddity that is Luca Blackwood and is wondering just where this will all end. It seems that Allen is not the only one who has peaked the interest of the Bookmen clan. Just what kind of impact with she and her quirkiness have on the war and it's outcome? I think the real question is will Allen survive his sister's flirtation with the enemy? Or will Allen and Luca survive a joyful (um are you sure?) reunion with their master the infamous General Cross? Tune in next week for Chapter Sixteen: A Single Crow Takes Flight! Cheshire is out~!**


	16. A Single Crow Takes Flight

**Cutting it close but lets all be honest here, you would all be astounded if I ever uploaded before 11:30 on Tuesday. It's usually early early Wednesday morning. I'm once again farm sitting, hopefully it won't rain on me while I'm doing this. Because it's a lot of work anyway but you're just miserable when you're soaking wet. Anyhoo that's what's up with me anyway. This chapter was hard to write so I hope you all enjoy it! Now for my favorite part! Reviews!**

 **Dear EverlastingXTC, I'm so glad that you like it. I'm honored that it's your favorite Tyki story so far. I have no idea how many Tyki stories you've read. Whether there's been a bunch or if it's one of your first but that doesn't matter to me! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear HoboHeartLover, It's nice to hear from you again! Luca is keeping the hats. If you go back to chapter 11 right before she gets attacked by the akuma you see that she pulls the hat out of Harlequin. She's storing the hats in her innocence because it's always on her and at the moment they are her favorite things and you never know when she will need them. I'm glad you liked the chapter and hope that you like this one too!**

 **Dear KP, I'm so glad that you loved my chapter and the fact that I replied. Honestly one of my favorite things is replying to my reviewers. I was still awake when you're review came it. I was shocked because I updated and then there was a review! You and HoboHeartLover reviewed so quickly and so closely that I actually got one email about both reviews. I'm honored that my chapters are worth squealing over! Yes the Noah's ark arc will certainly be interesting! I hope that you will enjoy what I have planned! Enjoy!**

 **Dear 15th, you are my most faithful reviewer and I always wait for your review with bated breath. I'm glad you like my new name! The Cheshire Cat is pretty much Luca's spirit animal (much to Tyki and Allen's chagrin) and it was just so right that I couldn't help myself. I had fun writing Luca with the others because she can be rather different with her friends than the way she is with Tyki. When she and Allen were kids food was basically all they could protect. Money was never theirs for very long (or even at all) so they love food a lot. I'm glad that my story continues to cause you to grin like the Earl. Your reviews have the same effect on me if it makes you feel any better (besides I love scaring innocent people who just happen to have the misfortune of being near me. It's fun. Like Luca I love the reactions) so I guess we are even. Tyki has more of an effect on Luca than she realizes and it was meant to show because her friends have never seen her like this. It was also important for Tyki's thoughtless comment, it will cause things to move along. Due to your review I've decided to add something in about Tyki taking trophies from Luca. I can't wait to see if any of you will guess what it is that he'll start collecting from her! As for your question about Tyki's puns nobody noticed because honestly, I hadn't even realized that I was doing it. It's a habit I have myself. I'm constantly having a pun war with my little brother (he's 15 somebody please save me!) so it just kinda slips into my writing too. I'll have Luca respond too it because it is actually funny! Can't wait to hear from you and what you think of this chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey Honey!" Luca ignored the catcall though she did sneer at the man over her shoulder as she led Lenalee away from the pig.

"Why are we here?" Lenalee questioned. In all her time living in China she never saw this part, she supposed that she had been too young and Komui would've died before she saw it.

"The underworld is the best place to find loan sharks, people that would lend Master money," Allen started to explain. Krory looked around in wonder though Lavi didn't let him get too far less they lose him and get had again.

"So he can drink and gamble it a way. He always loses." Luca added to her brother's explanation to further.

"Is that why you two are comfortable here? Because you've been here many times?' Bookman inquired. The dark haired girl nodded.

"Yeah, we've been in these before, hell I've had to drag Master out of these places before he borrows more than we can pay off." The Walker siblings sighed sadly, Lenalee didn't let her friends get sucked into the dark whirling hole of their debts.

"Are these kinds of places everywhere?" Luca nodded.

"As we keep moving in we'll see less of the underworld another good place to check for Master are brothels. He is there often." Lavi let out a low whistle while Bookman slapped him up side the head.

"Does General Cross often get into trouble?" Krory asked innocently.

"You have no idea."

"He's more trouble than Luca is." the siblings answered together though Luca protested to her brother's response.

"Hey!"

"It's true." he snapped while she glared. Lenalee sighed as the siblings descended into their normal bickering.

"We've seen that man." The group looked up at the pair who they had asked. It was obvious they were brothers from the family resemblance but they clearly had no idea concerning hygiene.

"Really?" all but the siblings asked hopefully.

"Oh yes he was at the Miss Zhi Rou's House of Happiness." The shorter of the brothers answered only for his brother to give him a dumbfounded look.

"No he wasn't! He was checked into the Sweet Dumpling hotel. They have their own girls. Obviously that's the better place to go." The entire group sighed.

"Miss Zhi Rou's House of Happiness!" The taller rolled his eyes.

"Sweet Dumpling hotel!"

"Miss Zhi Rou's House of Happiness!"

"Sweet Dumpling hotel!"

"Miss Zhi Rou's House of Happiness!"

"Sweet Dumpling hotel!"

"Miss Zhi Rou's House of Happiness!"

"Sweet Dumpling hotel!"

"Miss Zhi Rou's House of Happiness!"

"Sweet Dumpling hotel!"

"Thank you for your help we will be sure to check out both of those locations!" Luca shouted breaking up the argument that was quickly giving her a headache with the way that the brothers were going back and forth. Not to mention that their voices were grating on her ears. Both men held out their hand as if expecting something. She raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Aren't you going to pay us for helping you?" She snorted.

"You couldn't give us a definite answer, so no." The taller spoke up again clearly annoyed as she started walking away.

"What kind of-" Luca whirled around to face them.

"Scram!" The snarl sent both men packing running to get away all the while shouting about a she-demon.

"Well now we have two locations and it's only a maybe." Allen sighed.

"So how do we do this? It would be betting if we split up to check both of them." Lavi noted still thinking. Bookman nodded agreeing with his apprentice.

"But how?" Lenalee questioned, the other girl answered.

"Simple you and I will go the Miss Zhi Rou's House of Happiness and the boys will check out the hotel." Lavi protested.

"What?! Why do you get to inspect the brothel?" Luca rolled her eyes at his dumb question.

"Because it's a brothel, you wouldn't get anything done. Lenalee and I will be fine now go." The girls headed down the road towards the house after getting directions from another stall owner.

"Maybe we passed it?" Lenalee asked looking around. Luca inched closer to her as the streets became desolate. She could see and feel the people slowly closing in on them from the shadows. _I believe that we've been set up_ , she growled internally. Lenalee looked up at the man that strode up to them a confident smirk played upon his lips.

"Hey pretty ladies! You lost?"

"Y-" Lenalee didn't get very far before she was cut off.

"No, we're doing just fine. Have a nice day." Luca's tone was clipped and despite the politeness of her words her eyes said something else entirely. Grabbing the Chinese girl she moved to walk around the man but he grabbed Lenalee's other wrist. "Get your grubby hands off her."

"Now slow down there Sweet Cheeks, I'm just try to help you and Baby Doll find your way." Lenalee's eyes narrowed at the nicknames. Those weren't something that she would even let her lover call her never mind a complete stranger.

"Listen here you low life punk segg (ass) loser," Luca snarled angrily. "I don't give a picsába (damn) what you are 'trying' to do. It may not have occurred to you but I've lived on the side of the world for a while and I know exactly what you are actually trying to do. So unless you and your useless thugs want to get hurt I strongly suggest that you remove yourself from my sight, you incompetent cur." Lenalee blinked a few times as her friend slipped in and out of her native tongue.

"What the hell did you just say to me you little bitch?" He roared back at her. She snorted and rolled her eyes at him, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking one hip out to the side.

"Oh I'm sorry, am I using words that are too big for your pathetically minuscule brain?"

"Why you little no good whore!" His hand connected with her left cheek. She turned to look at him clearly unimpressed. Lenalee's mouth dropped open before she snapped it closed, gritting her teeth angrily.

"Wow. Takes a big strong man to hit a woman," she uncrossed her arms. "unfortunately for you this woman can take you and your goons on with ease." Her fist connected with his jaw snapping it out of place before he could even process what she had said never mind respond. The rest of the brutes rushed forward to help their boss. "You should get somewhere high up and safe until I'm done." Lenalee looked over at her friend who had whispered to her as she slid into a fighting stance.

"No way! I'm not leaving you here all alone to fight them, it's a mob." Luca snorted.

"Believe me Lena I've fought many more than this when I was younger."

"Just what did General Cross do to you two?" Lenalee asked a bit scared now, not of the hooligans but of what her friends had endured during their training.

"That wasn't him. It was all the debt collectors who came looking for him but found Allen and I instead. I've been fighting them off for as long as I can remember. It's no big deal." The shorter girl shrugged as she punched another goon before her foot connected with the head of a different one. The Chinese girl couldn't decide if she was concerned or in awe at her friend's ability to fight whether it be akuma or people, moving from one to the other with ease.

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better." she noted kicking away a guy that got too close for her taste. She wasn't as use to fighting people as Luca but she managed well enough. Luca dusted her hands off as she looked around at the bodies strewn around. "Should we call somebody?" Lenalee asked slightly worried.

"They'll drag their sorry segg (ass) selves back to whatever god forsaken hole they crawled out of when they regain consciousness." Luca shrugged walking over the bodies that were in her way. After several more minutes Lenalee turned to her friend again.

"Do you think it's real?" Luca sighed looking around.

"I think that it was all a set up to ambush us. I bet the boys didn't find anything either. Let's head back and see if we can find them and actually find Master, even if I don't actually want to." she muttered to herself though her friend still caught it.

"You and Allen keep saying that. Is he really that bad?" Lenalee tilted her head to side in a cute imploring way.

"He's worse." Luca grinned over at her brother.

"Their ability to answer perfectly in unison amazes me." Bookman noted as he and the others walked over where the three youngest were talking.

"Kinda scares me sometimes." Lavi added in arms resting behind his head.

"Let me guess there's no Sweet Dumpling hotel?" Krory nodded to the Hungarian's question.

"So the brothel was a bust?" Luca sighed at her brother.

"It was a trap. I swear if I see either of those low down losers I'm gonna give them the beating of a life time." The rest of the group backed away from the girl as subtly as they could.

"Let's just move on shall we?" Lenalee spoke trying to avoid a mass murder.

* * *

"Lavi, duck." Luca watched passively as Allen nearly took the ginger's head off with a shot. "Five." Another shot. "Four. Three. Two. One." the last akuma burst out from the water behind Allen only for Lavi to destroy it with a pillar of fire. Lavi whirled on the younger teen.

"I'm tired of this! You're dangerous! You scare me more than the akuma!" Luca viewed from her perch on the railing of the bridge as Lavi shrieked at her brother, a grin pulling at her lips. Boys could be so funny sometimes, Bookman and Krory were trying their best to ignore the younger exorcists.

"Huh? Why's that?" Allen could be so clueless sometimes. She stifled her giggles as Lavi continued his rant.

"You just start blasting away!"

"No choice! I was trying to minimize casualties!" Allen fired back defending his decision. The argument continued but green eyes lifted up to the sky. Lenalee was coming back hopefully with the cat that had caught Timcampy and was trying to eat him. Now that she focused she could tell her friend was coming in, hot too by the looks of it.

"Move!" The Chinese girl crashed into the bridge destroying most of it and sending the bickering boys flying off. The Hungarian batted away chunks of rock lazily. "I'm back. What are you two doing?"

"Welcome back, Lenalee. Did it go well?" Bookman diverted the conversation before the argument could start again. Honestly these kids could get off topic so quickly that it wasn't even funny. Luca snickered as Bookman sat on Lavi.

"How much longer will it take to find General Cross? We've been in China four days now following the course Tim indicated, but there's been no sign of him yet. Could he have been killed already?" Krory wondered allowed.

"It takes more than a little death to kill him." Allen reassured Krory with a smile while his sister snorted agreeing with him non-verbally.

"You're not making sense Allen." Lavi's comment was unhelpful. Lenalee noticed Allen's arm shaking. Luca's eyes darted to it worriedly. She had noticed it earlier but wanted to wait until they were alone to ask about it.

"Let me see your arm, Allen." Lenalee grabbed his arm before he could process her order.

"It's crumbling!" Lenalee and Lavi shouted together shocked. Even Luca was concerned. She watched silently as Allen tried to talk himself out of the situation with little luck.

"It is true that since your eye healed, you've fought twice as much as we have." Luca pulled her leg up and wrapped her arms around it recalling when Allen had told her that his eye had evolved when it healed. Lavi commented on how freaky it had been seeing the soul of the akuma. The next attack she asked him to show her. Knowing that he saw that sight daily distressed her, wrenching her heart. _As if he hasn't been through enough already_ , she thought to herself as she watch Lenalee fuss over the fragile arm. _Something bad is going to happen_ , a voice hissed in her head. She sighed, humming softly to herself as she started closing her eyes. _I hope I'm wrong. For everyone's sake._

* * *

Tyki looked around. Only one exorcist still stood, though he had hardly fought. He simply stood by and watched his comrades die. The Portuguese man snorted looking at the dead. _Well that was quite unsatisfactory_ , he had to agree with the voice in his head. Green eyes flashed in his head. _Oh, that would be why_ , he hummed. Honestly he had gotten so used to Butterfly pulling a fast one and getting away. He was like a spoiled child always wanting more candy. Not realizing how spoiled he was until she wasn't there to amuse him. _She's raised my expectations of exorcist. Now I'm bored again and oh so disappointed. I've forgotten that she's a rarity among exorcists_ , he sighed before looking down at the buttons in his hand.

"Lido," the man in front of him mumbled his comrade's name in horror staring at the body who's lifeless eyes stared back at him.

"Kazaana Lido and Chaker Rabon. Aw rats, neither of them are on the list." He thought for a moment trying to remember the name of the Turkish exorcist he had met in Barcelona. "At least he's not on the list. Butterfly would be so pissed at me. I don't think I want that to happen again." he hummed more to himself than the older man if front of him. A thought occurred to him and he quickly scanned the list again, before sighing in relief. There weren't any female names on his list. Butterfly wasn't one of his marks. Tyki looked up at the German man he was guessing. "What's your name?" He took several steps using his power to walk on the water towards the exorcist who was shin deep in it.

"Help me. Please. I don't want to die." he whimpered. Tyki grinned as the exorcist tried to get away from him. He just kept walking towards the man farther and farther out into the water. He could play this game forever. The older man wasn't going to get away from him, not like that anyway. "Don't kill me. I'll do anything you want! But please let me live." The man started begging for his life when he could go no further, instead grabbed at Tyki's ankle. The Portuguese man could work with that.

"Well I suppose if your name isn't on the list I could spare you," his smile grew even wider stretching into his murder grin. "But you'll have to do something for me in return." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. _I really have been spending too much time with Butterfly. I'm starting to act like her_ , he recalled the similar way she would tap her bottom lip when she was thinking or teasing him. _Oh what is becoming of me?_ he chuckled to himself.

"Anything." the shorter man agreed immediately. _Too easy. Butterfly would never make such a decision. No she'd laugh right in my face. Ah that gives me an idea. This time_ _I_ _'ll surprise her_ , he grinned.

"Yes, this time I'll visit her. Won't that be fun." he purred returning his gaze to the man in front of him. "Well then I do believe that we have a deal. I need you to make a call for me."

* * *

"According to the vendor, General Cross recently became her lover." Lenalee explained as they looked up at the large high class brothel.

"Sounds like Master, all right." Bookman glanced at the Walker sibling as they spoke together again. He was starting to agree with his successor. It was normal for twins to do it, but they weren't twins. They weren't even biologically related yet it was impossible to tell form the way they acted.

"I like it. It's understated." Luca rolled her eyes at the red head.

"I hear the sailors rate it very highly." Lenalee spoke ignoring Lavi.

"We've found General Cross." Lavi said gleefully. Bookman nodded.

"At last." he sighed ready to rest and hopefully have another adult around. He knew that technically the Romanian was an adult but he knew so little about the world that it didn't really help.

"What a trek." Krory commented smiling at Lavi.

"I didn't think we'd ever find him." Lenalee grinned happily. Nobody noticed Cross' apprentices sulking in the background in the safety of their hoods. Johnny had laughed when Allen had requested a hood added to his uniform just as his older sister had. The man understood why the boy had wanted a hood, it would cover his unusual hair color that drew attention yet he had never figured out why the Hungarian wanted a hood. She too hid in it but it wasn't her appearance that she was hiding. No it was something else.

"I was hoping we wouldn't." Allen mumbled. Luca leaned over to him to whisper in his ear, her hand preventing it from traveling to their friends.

"Yeah, me too, but we've always had bad luck so why would this be any different?"

"XXXXXXXX" A large woman stepped out of the front doors before the siblings could bemoan their bad luck anymore. "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" She cracked her knuckles as she spoke something in Chinese. She towered over Allen and Lavi scaring them.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what you said, but I'm sorry." Allen responded hurriedly raising his hands in surrender while Luca merely raised an eyebrow looking up at the woman.

"She's a woman?!" Lavi shouted causing the Hungarian to roll her eyes at him. _Duh Lavi, of course she's a woman_ , she groaned. Her attention was drawn back to the woman when she hoisted Allen off the ground by his jacket like he was nothing.

"Hey!" Lenalee yelled something in Chinese which probably did more than Luca's response which was in English. Luca didn't know what the Chinese woman had whispered to her brother as his head was in the way of her reading the woman's lips. Setting Allen down she led them around back. "Are you okay?" Allen nodded to his sister's whisper.

"Welcome, my dear exorcists." Luca observed the woman who was dressed in a beautiful gown. She thought it might have been a kimono but couldn't be sure. "I am Anita, mistress of this establishment." _Yeah she looks like Master's type_ , Luca's lips twitched at the thought of her master. It had only been about a year since she had seen him. "How do you do?" All the boys blushed at the beautiful woman, Luca was just happy Lavi didn't make a fool of himself and the rest of them by association. "I'm sorry to disappoint you but General Cross is no longer here." That piece of news fell on the exorcist like a brick.

"What?!" Luca wanted to sob. They were never going to find him at this rate.

"He left eight days ago and died."

"What...did you say?" Lenalee was the only one to process what Anita had said.

"Eight days ago, the ship carrying General Cross sank into the depths of the sea with all hands."

"Do you have proof of this?" Bookman forever the logical one spoke first. Luca had to agree with him. Lord knows the man that raised her wouldn't just roll over.

"Another ship received their distress signal and went to investigate." Anita continued to explain what the other ship had found.

"Where was Master going?" All eyes went to the General's apprentices. "Our Master wouldn't drown so easily." The pair answered with conviction. This brought a smile to Anita's face. _Wow, she really must love Master_ , Luca noted.

"You think so?" _Yep. Definitely in love with Master_ , she thought as the woman began to cry. She saw the look Lavi was giving them out of the corner of her eye but didn't say anything as she couldn't quite put her finger on what it exactly was.

* * *

Luca looked out over the vast sea as everyone around her ran to prepare the ship. Most of the sailors around her ignored the exorcist. She could see Lavi and Krory working but ignored them. One of the more adventurous sailors had made a grab at her rear when they had first arrived at the ship but left with a broken nose and a sprained wrist. Luca had apologized to Anita but the woman just laughed and said that she expected no less from a girl trained by the general. The dark haired teen paused from climbing the rigging enjoying the breeze that was blowing. She could see Allen sitting on the highest part of the ship, most likely thinking about their Master. _There's no way Master would die, especially like that. It would take an act of God to kill him_ , she snorted and kept climbing. She didn't know why Allen was so worried, if anything the man was probably slacking off and smoking. She paused what she was doing to think again. _Wait, why does that sound so familiar?_ Molten eyes of gold and a smirk made their way to the forefront of her mind. _I wonder if the fact that Master was the one who raised me and the closest thing I ever had to a father has anything to do with my interest in him_ , she shook her head to rid herself of the thought and started to climb once again intending to reassure her brother.

"Akuma! Incoming akuma!" Allen's shouting drew everybody's eyes out to sea where the swarm was coming form.

"They're thick as locust!" Anita shouted staring at them, Luca couldn't help but agree with her. The akuma blackened the sky. "Battle stations!" The men started running around.

"Are they coming for us?" Lavi asked staring out at the demons.

"All hands to arms!" Mahoja ordered.

"My teeth are aching." Krory growled. Luca noted that his other personality was already coming out. She reminded herself to ask him about it next time they had a moment of peace which wasn't often.

"Innocence Activate!" she vaguely hoped that Lenalee was fine wherever she was calling HQ. The akuma flew past the ship as if they didn't see them.

"What the devil?" Allen asked saying what everyone else was thinking.

"What are they doing?" Lavi wondered aloud.

"They're flying past us?!"

"But why?" Luca ignored the questioning of her brother. She had another problem.

"Harlequin!" her innocence wrapped around her as the akuma almost tore her from the lines with the sheer speed that they were flying by. Allen's cry caused her neck to snap up.

"Allen!" she began racing up the lines as her brother was snatched off the ship by an akuma ignoring Lavi who had also noticed Allen's kidnapping.

"Exten-" the akuma interrupted him.

"Hey! An exorcist!" Several akuma stopped to stare the ship.

"Look! There are humans too!" A different one zoomed in on Anita.

"Francba (shit)!" The talisman barrier Anita turned on blocked the akuma from harming her.

"Don't trifle with me." she snarled glaring at the akuma unlike so many other people who had screamed, cried, or ran away when faced with an akuma, Luca noted the respect she felt for the woman and her bravery.

"That won't keep a level two out for long." the akuma shrieked.

"And your flank is exposed!" a deformed baby akuma rushed Anita from behind.

"Kurva életbe (god damn it)!" Luca jumped from the rigging. Rushing downwards to save her Master's lover she surrounded her boots in her innocence. She wasn't sure she was going to make it. Mahoja beat her to it, kicking the akuma away with a fierce glare.

"I won't let you lay a hand on my master!" The akuma glared back rubbing it's sore head.

"Why you!" The other akuma broke through the barrier only to be cleaved in half by the falling exorcist. Without missing a beat she sent the innocence rushing through the baby's skull. Looking back up at the sky she found that her brother was nowhere to be found.

"Lavi did you see where the akuma with Allen went?" she shouted to him shredding another akuma to pieces.

"No! I can't see anything!" he yelled back smacking another akuma with his hammer.

"Allen can take care of himself." Krory reminded the younger exorcists biting in an akuma.

"There were too many Krory!" she protested.

"You can't leave right now Luca!" Bookman pointed out as his needles pierced several akuma.

"So what we just leave him to die?" The eldest sighed at the girl. Her attachment to her brother could cause some serious problems.

"No, you have faith in him until this crowd thins out a bit, then you can go after him. There are too many regular humans here." Turning to glare at the akuma Luca spread her innocence out creating a wall.

"Consume!" she snarled watching as the innocence wrapped around the large batch of akuma in it's range. The sailors watched in awe as it crushed them all.

"Remind me not to upset Beautiful." Lavi spoke slightly pale as he watched the liquid metal repeat the process over and over.

"I do, you never listen." Bookman deadpanned tiredly. Luca grew more and more anxious as the battle raged on. All she could do is hope that Lenalee who had yet to show up was with her brother.

"What's happening?" Luca looked over at Lavi from the rigging who was looking behind them as he spoke. "The sky...it's burning red!" She turned around to stare at the sky. It was the same color as the blood that now froze in her veins. Her gut twisted and rolled like the sea when a storm was raging.

"Harlequin!"

"Luca wait! You can't go!" She turned to glare at her friend.

"No! I'm not waiting anymore! Allen is in trouble I can feel it. I can't leave him! You'll be fine without me!" She shot off the ship and into the air. The Hungarian tore through any akuma stupid enough to get in her way. She ignored the mountain scenery that flew by instead searching for her brother's presence. "Where the hell are you Allen?!" she growled more than a little frustrated. Her eyes widened slightly seeing a monstrous white creature in the distance. It had no head or arms yet it still destroyed the akuma swarming around it. She was too far away to see what the akuma were doing but that wasn't her priority so she ignored it. She picked up Lenalee's presence. "Maybe she will have seen him." the girl dropped from the sky shooting off the board, barreling through the door almost tearing it off the hinges.

"Are you telling us just to watch Suman die?" Luca ignored the little girl on the couch who jumped, on her way over to her friend who was yelling into the phone.

"Lenalee what's going on? Have you seen Allen? What's this about Suman dying?" She didn't know the German exorcist very well. She could tell that he didn't really want to be there. She saw him playing chess with Johnny sometimes but it wasn't often. He was much older than her and he was unfriendly so she didn't make much of an effort to get to know him. When her friend didn't answer her Luca pulled at the phone so she could hear the conversation too.

"Recover the innocence. That's an order." It was Komui's voice and he was unusually somber and firm especially with Lenalee. "Suman's innocence could be the heart. Do you understand?"

"Komui! What's going on? What the hell is that enormous monster out there?" Luca snapped angrily taking the phone completely while waving her hand towards the door even though the man wasn't in the room with her and couldn't see it.

"Suman is falling. Recover the innocence Luca."

"Falling?" she questioned. "That thing is Suman? What the hell?" her eyes grew wide. She was so surprised that she didn't notice the glare her friend sent her.

"But he's one of us!" Lenalee took the phone back but still stood where Luca could hear. Luca ignored the fact that she didn't know what they meant by falling and that she was ignored. _Must be something along the lines of falling from grace_ , she decided quickly in her head.

"Suman may not think so." Both girls eyes widened and they shouted in unison.

"What do you mean?" Komui was silent for a moment.

"This information is still top secret, but it's possible that Suman has betrayed the Order." Luca's mouth dropped open. "The Earl's minions killed more than a hundred of our people in their quest for the heart. Just before they attacked, our signal section received a communication from an exorcist. He wanted to know the location of all finders and exorcists in the field. The communication golems of the exorcists have a security feature. They'll only transmit the voice of their owners. Our investigation determined that the communique came from Suman's golem. Suman sent that message." The shorter girl's jaw snapped shut and she did everything she could to keep from grinding her teeth. Her entire body went rigid."It's not unusual for an exorcist in the field to inquire about the location of his comrades so the signal section relayed the information without checking the control room. Our people were attacked a short time later. Of course we're not certain that Suman gave the information to the enemy, but it seems likely and now he's a fallen one. That would suggest that he sold us out to save his own life. Suman betrayed God." Tears began to trickle down Lenalee's face while Luca clenched her fists tightly. Blood rolled down her fingers and dripped onto the floor.

"It's not true. It can't be. It has to be a lie!" Lenalee shouted into the phone. Luca took the phone from her overlooking the blood. "Give me back the phone Luca!" She ignored the Chinese girl as she placed the phone against her ear.

"We'll retrieve the innocence Komui." The Chinese man sighed internally. Lenalee was too emotional about this to think straight. Luca didn't know Suman as well and thus would be able to complete the mission.

"Be safe." She didn't respond merely hung up.

"Luca! How could you do that? I wasn't done!" The Hungarian didn't look at her friend, she just kept staring ahead down at the phone.

"Lenalee, please tell me that Allen isn't out there trying to save Suman." her voice was no louder than a whisper.

"Of course he's trying to save Suman! I am too. He's one of us!" Luca still didn't look at her friend.

"Clearly he's not." Lenalee's eyes widened.

"How could you say that? He's fought by our side for five years! You've only been part of the Order for a year!" Luca finally turned to face the other girl.

"And?" her face was completely neutral which was unusual for the younger one.

"I just can't understand how Allen who's only been with us for less than a year can care so much about a man he's never met while you who has met Suman, act like it doesn't matter that he's dying! How can you be so cold and say he's not one of us!" Lenalee was still crying.

"He betrayed us. He has made it clear that he's not one of us. You need to be rational."

"No he didn't! Komui said that they didn't know for certain." Luca rolled her eyes at her friend who was in denial.

"You're being foolish. All the evidence is there. What more do you want? A written confession?" Lenalee's eyes widened and she cried harder.

"No! I won't believe it!" Luca shook as her friend yelled at her but took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"He's a traitor. Now, I'm going to stop Allen before he gets hurt for nothing." Luca didn't get very far.

"It's not for nothing! Suman's not a traitor!" Her voice was raising in volume.

"Obviously he is! He betrayed us!" Luca hadn't meant to yell at her but her temper was at it's limit. "What more do you want?" Lenalee reeled back as if she hadn't expect the girl to argue with her about it. The little girl slid away from the arguing pair now frightened of them and the loud conversation they were having.

"No he wouldn't! The innocence is wrong!" The Chinese girl shrieked back.

"Yes he did!" The taller girl shook her head violently as if it would change something.

"Even if he did which he didn't, he doesn't deserve to die!"

"What the hell does that mean? What do you expect us to do with him? Just let him leave!" The dark eyed girl's crying turned to sobbing.

"How could he deserve to die?!"

"He sold us out! You heard your brother! His selfish actions got over a hundred people killed! You reap what you sow! He deserves what he gets! He even told them where we were. You or Allen or Lavi or Krory or even me, we could've all been among the dead!"

"He must have had a reason!" Luca grit her teeth furiously.

"It doesn't matter what his selfish reason was!"

"What if they were torturing him?" the Eastern European shook her head.

"More than a hundred people! Lena how can you not see that?" The Asian continued to weep as the other girl grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her outside so they could see the path of devastation of the monster that had once been their comrade and forced her to see the destruction it had caused.

"Well what would you have done?!" She shouted back.

"I WOULD'VE DIED! I WOULD'VE DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY MY FRIENDS!" Luca roared back completely livid that anyone would question her loyalty.

"He must've had a reason." she sobbed while she argued weakly.

"He was a fraud with selfish reasons and ran away as soon as the job got hard! He was nothing more than a coward!" The sickening bullwhip like crack of skin connecting with skin harshly rang in Luca's ears and off the mountains before she realized she was no longer glaring at her friend. Slowly her brain processed that her entire head had snapped to her right due to the force used. Lastly the pain began to bloom in her left cheek. Blinking once, twice, a third time, Luca's eyes finally slid over to look at Lenalee through her dark eyelashes narrowly. Calmly she turned her head back to the girl. Full lips pulled back into a snarl as she stepped backwards away from her friend and towards the monster before she thought better of speaking.

"Luca! I-" The Chinese girl opened her mouth to speak as she saw the redness in the girl's left cheek in the shape of her hand but the other girl didn't let her. Instead her innocence curled around her boots creating armor that mirrored the Dark Boots second form without the bells and she took off.

* * *

 **So basically in all fanfictions Lenalee is either an angel or a whorish devil and neither is true. I tried to balance it out. Lenalee is human just like the others and she has thoughts and feelings that aren't always the best. Besides even the best of friends fight about things (you actually will eventually see Allen and Luca fight) and this is just a place where Luca and Lenalee clash! Let me know if any of you get the title! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! See ya next week! Cheshire is out~!**


	17. Three Crow's Lament

**I know it's before 11:30 on Tuesday. I swear I'm not an imposter! I'm actually just really excited for this chapter! So despite the fact that I'm not actually done writing the chapter that I'm currently working on I'm updating early (well early for me! Pretty sad huh?)**

 **Anyway so a lot of people have asked me about Luca's name in their reviews so I'm going to answer that here! So as with any name things change when they cross boarders. Sometimes this happens with words too! So in the Romance languages which (French, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, and Portuguese) stem from Latin. So in those languages Luca comes from the name Lucas which comes from the Latin word for light which is lux. So in those languages Luca is a boy's name. In most countries Luca is a boy's name. However in Hungary which if you all remember (which I sincerely hope you do) is where Luca is from, is a girl's name. Hungarian is not a romance language it is an Uralic language. So whether or not Luca is a girl or a boy's name all depends on what country you are from!**

 **Dear Wicken25, you'll find the answer to your first question above ^ as for the list. If I'm remembering correctly the Earl says the list was people connected to the traitorous Noah.**

 **Dear Leofrick, the truth is that everybody had good and bad qualities. That's what makes us human. We make mistakes and sometimes when we have good intentions we still do things that don't help the situation even though we are doing what we think is best. They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions and I believe that is true. Thus a good character such as Lenalee will do things that don't help even though she is trying too. From her point of view one of her friends is dying, another is trying to save him, yet here she is standing around having an argument with another who does agree with her and is as stubborn as a mule. All people have different views and such, even the best of friends butt heads, this just happens to be where Lenalee and Luca disagree and they clash. I'm glad that you approve of the way I handle Lenalee and you actually like her! I'm overjoyed that you like the story and praised it! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear KP, I'm so glad to hear from you again! Please don't misunderstand me! You don't have to reply super early! I was just surprised that one came in so quickly! I love all my reviews no matter what time they come in. I love Lenalee as a character, yes she has flaws but we all do. I think a lot of people feel that to support their ship or make an oc they must make Lenalee look bad because she's the main girl and thus competition against the main character. For me it's a mix because I actually like Lenalee but also she's so different from Luca that there's really no way to compare them. And yes Tyki will be seeing Luca again in this chapter, how will it go? Well you'll just have to read to find out!**

 **Dear Bloody-kick-ass, I'm ecstatic about your review! I always love getting new reviews, especially ones as excited as yours was. Honestly the fight scenes are the hardest part for me to write so it's always nice to hear that somebody loves them because I have to work at them more so I feel like it's worth the extra work! I have to admit that my favorite part to write is when they are flirting! It's just a lot of fun! And as it is Tuesday it's time to update! Enjoy!**

 **Dear 15th, I have to say that all your praise makes me blush. Each week you tell me how much you loved the chapter and you even go into detail about what it was you liked. You offer constructive criticism when it's needed. And it's actually helpful. You give me words of encouragement each week which always help when I'm stuck on something. I have to admit that I rewrote Tyki's scene several times before I was happy with it. I didn't want it to sound like he was head over heels because that wouldn't be very realistic but she has had an effect on him and I wanted to show it even if he's not completely aware of just how deeply she has effected him similar to her. So I answered your question about her name above in case you missed it. No he takes the buttons from those he kills and since Butterfly is special to him he wouldn't even think of taking the button anyway (which is good, Johnny is already mad at Luca for something else. She doesn't need anything else) besides you have to give Tyki some credit, he's pretty creative! ;D Keep your eyes open he collects a trophy in his chapter! Let me know if you catch it! I can't wait for your next review! I hope you are well too! Until next week!**

 **Okay so I'm only going to do this one more time because I'm really tired of doing this and we all know that I don't own DGM. I only own Luca, Scor, and Harlequin! Anyhoo (yeah I know I say/write that a lot but I like it) please read and review!**

* * *

The headless behemoth or Suman, or whatever it was had disappeared by the time her argument with Lenalee had ended. _Either he died or Allen managed to sever the innocence from it's host. It's the only way that he would be able to stop the rampage_ , she thought to herself hopping from tree to tree. Despite looking like Lenalee's innocence it didn't have the Dark Boots power to walk on sound and water forcing her to jump though she could leap great distances with the strength of her innocence. The sun had long since set and as it got darker so did Luca's heart. She bit her bottom lip as she tucked her braids into her hood so they wouldn't smack her in the face as she flew.

"Where are you stupid little brother?" she hissed as she kept jumping. She was already farther out than she wanted to be. They needed to get back to the ship and leave to find Master. She landed on a branch to look around. "Allen?" she cupped her hands around her mouth to yell for her brother. Her eyebrows furrowed when she was met with only silence. _How could a giant monster just vanish? It's absolutely nowhere to be found. Why the hell would he try something so stupid? Suman obviously didn't care about the rest of us so why would Allen try so hard to help?_ her internal questioning wasn't getting her anywhere nor helping with her mood. She pushed off the branch obliviously to the loud snapping sound as it broke and fell to the ground. "Allen? Allen where are you?" She bit her lip again when he didn't respond again. She faltered, stumbling a bit when she landed on bamboo. The normal forest left behind, she ventured deeper in the bamboo. It gave her less cover but she could also see farther. She opened her mouth to call for her brother again when Scor smacked her mistress in the face with her spaded tail. Luca rubbed her still sore cheek. "Okay, okay. I'll look for his presence, but did you have to hit that cheek?" Taking in a deep breath she closed her eyes, searching for any living people. She let out the breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding when she found him. _He's still alive_ , she sighed before her heart lept into her throat. There was another presence with him. One she had seen before. Several times.

The entire bamboo stalk snapped from the force that the Hungarian shot off it with. Her heart hammering from it's place in her throat as she pushed her legs faster and faster, flying over the bamboo until it was only a blur. Hardly landing before jumping again, desperate to get to her brother before anything bad happened to him. A flash of green caused panic to surge through her completely over riding the muscles in her legs screaming at her to stop or at least slow down. Her entire body ached but she hardly noticed it and when she did, she didn't bother sparing it a thought.

"STOP!" She heard Allen's voice echo through the trees. _She was so close, just a little farther_ , she told herself. Another burst of green light, larger and brighter than the last forced her to shield her eyes and stop.

"Allen! Hold on! I'm coming!" she didn't know if either of them had heard her but it didn't matter. She knew where he was. Planting her feet she sprung off the tree again, zooming through them. She caught sight of Timcampy with a hoard of akuma chasing after him. "Tim!" the golem flew over to her, resting on her shoulder with the akuma not far behind him. She landed on a different tree. "Active! Harlequin!" The innocence slithered from her legs before flying at the akuma. _She didn't have time for this! Allen could be dying right now_ , she growled. "Consume!"

"Puny exorcist! You and your flimsy ink can't defeat us!" Luca rolled her eyes at the akuma's confident proclamation before her innocence's technique devoured half the hoard. The energy burning green through out the metal.

"I don't have time for this. Tim go find the others. I need to go save Allen. Can you make it to the others?" The golem nodded and took off. The akuma glanced at the fleeing golem. Trying to decided which to chase. When they looked back the exorcist was gone.

"Damn it! Get the golem as Master Noah ordered!" The akuma howled glancing back around one last time for the small exorcist. It debated whether or not it should warn the Noah about the exorcist but was soon distracted by the others calling out to it as they gave chase.

* * *

Tyki stared down at the young exorcist for a moment. _There's no way he's older than Butterfly and I wouldn't even call her an adult. I think the twins are older than her but she won't answer my question about it_ , he sighed as the green eyed exorcist once again stole his thoughts away from his work. _I wonder where she is right now?_ There were only four female exorcists as he had learned from Suman. The only female general was in the exorcist headquarters and the other three were here in China. _I wonder if that means the master she spoke of was Cross? Our next meeting probably won't be as fun then. She'll know I killed this boy and he must be one of her teammates_ , he paused his thinking for a moment. _Though she still spoke to me after I almost killed that Turkish exorcist so maybe...,_ he hummed thoughtfully. After the rather dull and uninteresting exorcists that he met in India he found himself longing for the girl again. Hoping that she could entertain him again. His eyes drifted down to the shorter male, _Perhaps..._

"Before I kill you I have a question for you Boy," the silver eyed boy glared at the Noah though he didn't say anything. He sighed but continued. "I'm looking for a certain exorcist. The problem is the fact that I don't know her name." the Noah kept talking but Allen wasn't listening. Instead his heart was pounding in his chest. The Noah had gotten his name off the weird talking card so that meant that the female exorcist that he was looking for wasn't on the card. _Whoever it was he was looking for was a personal interest. It can't be Lenalee and he can't have met Miranda yet because she was still at Headquarters so that left... Luca, he's looking for Luca_ , his eyes grew large as the realization dawned on him. _This was the Noah that his sister had run into. She fought him. She fought this man by herself. By herself with little sleep depending on the day. She did it multiple times and never ran away. She enjoyed it! Luca played it off like he wasn't dangerous. What had she done to get away and with the innocence on top of it?! How many more times would this happen? Would she die like this? Like he was going to? Would she even regret it if she did? Luca..._ , his mind swirled out of control as more of what his sister had said about this man floated through his brain. _How could she do something so stupid? How could she disregard her life so easily? Act like he was her friend?_ Suddenly he was terrified. Not for himself but for his sister. He knew this man was going to kill him but what would he do to Luca if he found her? "Hey, Boy are you listening to me?" Silver eyes snapped back up to meet gold as he realized that while he was internally panicking the man had still been talking.

"What is it that you want from this exorcist?" Allen did his best to keep his voice calm and steady so he didn't tip the man off that he did indeed know who he was looking for and where she was.

"Why that's simple, I want to continue playing our game. As much as I hate to admit it, she's beaten me 7 to 0 with one time that we actually didn't bother fighting. She's snuck up on me so many times that I thought it would only be far if I did it to her a couple times." Allen clenched his teeth together.

"You make it sound as if it's a game-" The Noah cut him off, a grin spreading across his features.

"It is a game."

"And when you get bored?" The teen almost dreaded asking the question as he was pretty sure he already had an idea about the answer.

"Then I'll kill her," he shrugged before pausing for a moment as if to think about something. Allen clenched his fist. He wanted to punch the guy in the face but his other arm wouldn't move. How dare he say something like that as if he was asking for an apple. That he'd kill Luca as soon as she started to bore him as if she was a toy. "though I doubt that she will ever bore me. Every time I think I know what she's going to do or that I've got her trapped she pulls an ace out of her sleeve. Perhaps I'll ask the Earl if I can keep her. I'll let her out and then chase her down again. A never ending game of chase." he hummed then groaned. He stood up and ran a hand back through his hair. "Damn it! She's not even here and she's still distracting me."

"What?" Tyki ignored the boy's question for now. He shook his head as if it would rid him of the green pair of eyes plastered to the forefront of his mind. Sighing once again he walked back over to the teen still on the ground.

"So boy can you help me out and tell me where she is? I guess I'll have to tell you what she looks like again." The silver haired boy shook his head.

"There's no need. Her personality is quite distinctive and I already know who you're talking about. She leaves an impression on a lot of people. You aren't the first nor will you be the last." Tyki grinned again though he ignored that part about other people and the uncomfortable feeling in his chest at the thought of other people touching or even thinking about what belonged solely to him.

"Exellent! I-" the exorcist cut him off.

"However I would never tell you where any of my comrades are never mind the ones that I live with so closely. I'd rather die and since you are going to kill me anyway you might as well get it over with because I wouldn't even dream of helping you at all so don't even consider that I would ever help you find **her**." Tyki's smile dropped and his eyebrows furrowed at the look of determination on his face. It actually bore a striking resemblance to the one Butterfly made. Though he noted the way the boy had said her.

"That's too bad, though you should know that I'll find her regardless of what you do so it doesn't matter it will just take me a little longer this way but that's fine. I enjoy the hunt." Tyki summoned the advanced teez out of his hand again. "Just puncture the heart a little, Teez. He's a brave one. Best not to kill him too quickly. He'll writhe in pain and fear as his life slowly squirts from his heart." The manic grin spread across his face as he pulled the button off when retracting his hand from the boy's chest. He noticed the cards sticking out of the exorcist's jacket. "Sweet dreams." the cards covered the body. The sound of something hitting the ground hard caused him to look up. Perhaps one of the dying boy's comrades had found them. He didn't have time to register what it was that he saw before a fist smashed into his face sending him flying through several bamboo trees. Suddenly he felt like he was back in Barcelona. He staggered to his feet, a bloodied glove pressed to the side of his face in an attempt to staunch the bleeding. He coughed as he waved the smoke like cloud of dust away with his free hand. Much to his surprise he found Butterfly standing over the white haired boy. Turning her back on him she bent down and caressed the other teen's face softly. The boy mumbled something that Tyki didn't catch.

"Shhh, it's okay. I'm here now. It'll all be okay." her voice was soft and soothing with her tone being almost motherly. It was an interesting change from what he was used to from her.

"I wouldn't say that if I were you Butterfly. He's not going to make it. Not with that hole in his heart." She ignored his comment. Running her thumb along the younger teen's cheek a few more times she stood and turned to face him. Tyki actually found himself taking a step back when she faced him. Her face was cold, a scowl covered it but her blazing green eyes were livid. _Actually she may not forgive me for this. She wasn't even close to this enraged when we met in Barcelona_ , He watched the liquid metal slither over her arms creating a pair of thick clawed gauntlets that stopped a few inches below her shoulders. He eyed the glowing green energy that coursed through the black metal warily. It was new and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing. "I have to admit Butterfly I've never seen you move so fast." he stopped for a moment. "Actually I didn't see you at all." She didn't say anything, just continued to glare at him as if she was hoping that he would spontaneously combust. He opened his mouth again but she attacked. He just barely ducked the fist swinging at his face again. His eyes widened when the bamboo stalk behind him that she did hit snapped in half. "That would've hurt." She grabbed the broken tree and threw it at him as if it was a javelin. "Aw come on, you know that won't touch me. Are you really letting your temper cloud your judgment?" Tyki let the bamboo fly right through his head though he was a little disturbed that it went right between his eyes. _I think she's actually trying to kill me_ , he concluded to himself a bit unnerved by the revelation. He tried his best to ignore the feelings of disappointment he felt as that thought crossed his mind. In his momentary distraction Butterfly brought her foot down on his head. Hard.

Allen watched the fight as best as he could from where he lay through the hazy mist . He tried to focus on keeping his breathing slow and steady, panicking wouldn't help him or Luca. If he started to freak out so would she. He knew she wanted to end this fight quick so she could save him but he was also afraid that she was letting her temper get the better of her. _Please don't get yourself killed Luca_ , he begged silently.

"I won't let you die, little brother. This I promise to you." her hushed whisper still rang in his head. There was a hole in his heart how was she going to save him? The teenager's took a moment to observe his sister's movements. Precise and calculated, not a single movement wasted. As the Noah spun around and rolled out of her way Allen got a look at her face. Stone cold with no remorse, his heart dropped into his stomach. She scared him when she was like this. Her emotions were gone, locked away in the back of her mind where they couldn't interfere with her harsh cold-blooded judgment.

He had only seen her like this three times before and each of those times she hadn't been right for weeks, even after the incident. They had only known each other for a couple of days when it happened the first time. He still hadn't come out of the shock of Mana's death but his eye had activated while she had been sitting with him in an attempt to get him to open up and talk. She was in the process of coming up with the most ridiculous over the top name she could possibly think of. Master had left for the day leaving the pair alone. Luca had left the room rather quickly taking her innocence with her after he had started shrieking about the akuma coming for them. He didn't follow her or see what happen other than that his eye deactivated later. The eleven year old didn't come back into the house until their Master had returned and even then she went straight to her room. He had noticed how the general kept glancing at the closed bedroom door as if he was silently hoping that she would come back out but she didn't. She had brought Allen his breakfast the next morning and made sure he ate it but her mind was else where. Obviously otherwise occupied. All she did that day was sit with her knees against her chest in the chair, head resting on her arms looking out the window like she was waiting for something or somebody. What ever it was that she had done, it had a lasting effect on her that she didn't talk about. Whoever she was waiting for never came. He still didn't know if this was a good thing or not. To this day he still didn't know what had happened or what she did, they never spoke of it; even after they had become so close. She would change the conversation every time he tried to ask.

Tyki jumped away from Butterfly until he was well out of her reach. He had never seen her so callous and vicious. It was like a completely different person was standing in front of him wearing the skin of his favorite exorcist. Who the hell was this and where did she come from? He decidedly disliked this person. This wasn't the Butterfly that he knew and had come to enjoy spending time chasing. Not to mention that he had far too many close calls. Every time she got close he almost lost his head again. She stood still for a moment still glaring at him in a similar to the look she had been giving the now deceased Mr. Palazzo though there was much more animosity for him than the Italian man had gotten. He tried his hardest to pretend that he wasn't saddened by the fact that she loathed him more than the broker who had sold her out for money.

"Are you really going to keep giving me the silent treatment, Butterfly? I never knew you would be so childish." She didn't respond to his taunting despite his best efforts. It was as if she was completely deaf to him.

"Release level 2: Harbinger! Strike, Nightmare's Mark!" He raised an eyebrow at what she said. _What's that?_ he questioned silently. It sounded like an attack. She slid her left foot back and once again fell into a fighting stance. One he recognized from Barcelona. _What's she doing? She's too far away to land a hit and I'm definitely not about to let her get close enough to me to do so..._ , he contemplated. The green energy rushing in her armor blazed brightly as she punched at him. His eyes shot open wide as the energy flew from her fist like a ball of fire streaking towards him like a bullet. It crashed into his chest sending him flying through more trees. _Shit! That's pure innocence! Where did all this fire power come from?_ he cursed as he pushed himself to his feet. He barely dodged the next shot aimed at his head. The Portuguese man ducked and weaved through the trees to avoid the bullets that tore through the bamboo like it was mere paper.

"Are you going to run out of shots any time soon?" She didn't answer just launched another barrage of fire at him. Several connected with his chest hurling him back off his feet several meters away before he hit the ground forcing the air from his lungs harshly. He groaned in pain his chest heaving trying to regain his breath. It didn't last long. Butterfly was suddenly on top of him. Her knees pinned his arms down from where they dug into his biceps while her hands wrapped around his throat tightly. Gold met metallic green as his eyes stared into hers. There was no compassion or gaiety in her eyes. They were completely devoid of any emotion. He struggled to get her off with little success, his heart hammering in his chest as his body started to panic. He couldn't reach her with his legs or his arms. He couldn't even grasp at her hands constricting around his neck slowly crushing his windpipe. His brain was screaming at him to do something as it ran out of air. Darkness was starting to creep into his vision and he began to thrash more violently than before.

A choking cough from the exorcist behind her distracted the Hungarian momentarily. Using the last of the oxygen in his brain he fired a blast of dark matter at her. Butterfly flew back several feet away. Gasping Tyki shot up before immediately feeling dizzy and almost collapsed. His lungs gulped in the air greedily. The darkness hadn't cleared from his vision yet he scurried away from her until his back hit a tree. His chest rose and fell rapidly as his body worked in over time to regain his breath. He slumped against the tree rubbing his sore burning throat with one hand, his brain still in a desperate frenzy to stabilize his lungs. Tyki saw the exorcist stagger to her feet. _She nearly killed me! I would've died if she hadn't looked away_ , his brain was still fuzzy yet that thought was clear. She turned to face him. He eyes the light burn on the right side of her face. Due to lack of oxygen he hadn't been able to aim very well so the blast only grazed her. His eyes drifted down when he noticed movement. She was holding onto her right arm. _Did she injure herself?_ he pulled himself to his feet shakily. Her arm was trembling. The tremors grew worse and she crumpled back down to her knees on the ground. She crawled over to the nearest tree and propped herself against it. The Noah ventured closer slowly. The frigid look in her eyes melted away as she panted. Instead there was defeat in the green hues. The black stars that started covering her skin told him everything he needed to know.

"You got shot?" the nerves in his throat screamed in agony as he forced the words out. His voice was rough and scratchy. She had undeniably done damage to his throat. It was only due to his Noah genes that it wouldn't be permanent. Anybody else and they would've never spoken again if they survived that is. Her innocence deactivated allowing him to see the stars all over her right arm that were spreading across her body towards her left side. She didn't have much time remaining. Her sleeves were shredded and the collar of her jacket was in tatters. The dark color of the stars emphasized the dark circles under her eyes. Tyki felt his lips pull down into a frown. He still felt rather lightheaded but walked over to where the boy lay. He saw her push up against the tree trunk to force herself to her feet only to slide back down the trunk again.

"Don't touch him." the seething hiss was the first thing she had said to him and it stung. He picked up his hat from it's place on the ground. He had lost it when the boy had smacked him. He admired the gold ribbon in the moonlight for a short time. It was his best hat that he exclusively wore on special occasions however at the moment it was the only hat in his possession as Butterfly currently held all of the others somewhere safe away from his reach. _Probably with the rest of her stuff and comrades_ , he noted that she no longer carried the large leather messenger bag that he had seen her with before. He walked over to her slowly unwilling to show just how groggy and unsteady he was on his feet. Squatting down in front of her he placed that hat on her head slanted down over her eyes unable to meet them as her skin began to darken as the stars began to overlap. A thought came to him and he ran his hand along her left cheek softly, trailing all the way up to her left ear. Quickly he phased the silver hoop out. Standing up he walked away whispering as he went.

"Boa noite pequena borboleta (Goodnight little butterfly)."

* * *

 **So don't quote me on the Portuguese! I don't speak Portuguese! I looked online in several different places and all said that this was correct but the internet is not infallible but I did my best! So I want to know who guess the trophy that he would take? Did you like it or not? Was it interesting or did it seem cliche? I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Have a good week! Cheshire has left the building!**


	18. Where Do I Go?

**Yay! Tuesday! Time to update! Last chapter was very hard for me to write emotionally, other than that I had a lot of fun with it. I'll admit to a bit of sadistic glee leaving you guys off there. I know it was mean but it was just too perfect! I thoroughly enjoyed all the reviews I got on the chapter! So let's get to those because they are the good stuff!**

 **Dear Crimson Killer, Are you okay?! I was very concerned when I got that review. I opened the email only to find that you had either squealed or shrieked at me. I wasn't really sure which it was to be honest. There were no words. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and will enjoy this one! Also let me know that you're alright.**

 **Dear Leofrick, Everything will be revealed in time. As I have before I promise that I will explain things! I love to hear theories though! ;D One of your questions will be answered in this chapter though! The other you will have to wait for a while though! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Wicken25, Patience, Dear. All good things to those who wait. ;D If you go back to What Happens in Moldavia you will find the part where Road learns about Luca from Tyki. As for the rest of his family well, they will meet her at a later date! When they do meet Luca and Road actually get along rather well, perhaps more than Tyki is comfortable with!**

 **Dear SheuOgama, Read to find you! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Dear guest who reviewed on the 12** **th** **, As you wish! (props if you get the reference)**

 **Dear Kp, You are quickly becoming a regular whom I look forward to hearing from. I love your thoughts and insights that you share with me. I'm truly touched that you check for updates all the time. It means so much to me. I have to say that I am excited for the fact that you are the second person to say that you can't wait for Luca and Joyd to meet and Cross' reaction. It's a pretty interesting bit. You'll have to wait a bit longer but I can confidently tell you that it will be in chapter 24! Stay tuned!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, My beloved 15** **th** **please don't mope forever! Look I have a new chapter for you so please come out of the corner. Please don't cry! That wasn't my intention (well, not to that extent) you weren't suppose to cry. Hoshino is famous for cliffhangers so I thought I'd try my hand at it. Was it successful? As for why, well Luca might just be a bit overprotective, just a bit. Yeah Tyki was sad to see his Butterfly die but they have such fleeting lives and all. I find that sometimes goodnight is easier than goodbye so I went with that. It was a hard part to write. My beta threw things at me for leaving it there (luckily my beta can't throw to save her life) and writing that. I'm delighted you liked the earrings. It took me several days to come up with something for him to take that I didn't already have plans for. Luca's wardrobe is rather interesting! I hope you enjoy this chapter! I can't wait for Monday! Never thought I'd say that but I always look forward to Monday now! Look what you've done to me. See you on Monday, my friend.**

* * *

Luca groaned as she came to sitting up slowly. She pushed the blanket down and away from her skin, suddenly feeling overheated. _Allen!_ Leaping up so quickly that she almost fell from the bed because she was tangled in the sheets she staggered towards the door. She vaguely heard the sound of fabric ripping but didn't mind it as she tore out of the room looking for her brother.

"Hey!"

"Watch out!"

"Where are you going?"

"Are you okay?"

"Where the hell did you come from?" The Hungarian ignored the shouts of all the people she almost ran over as she rushed through the halls searching for the silver haired boy. A small part of her brain told her that she really should just stop and ask somebody where he was, but that wasn't the part that was in control. Green eyes widened when she saw the large group of people blocking the pathway. Groaning she jumped on the railing and ran around them.

"Hey! You're going to fall!" She snorted and ignored the scientist who had shouted at her.

"Not likely." Sensing her brother's presence she lept off the banister down to the first floor. Weaving through the masses of people she quickly found her way to the front door where Allen was. She saw another man standing back a bit away from him but it didn't matter.

"Open up! Blast you! I have to keep following this path. It's the only way I can live." Hearing Allen shouting caused her to run faster. She came crashing into the room almost running the Chinese guy over.

"Allen!" She skidded over and threw her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried! They wouldn't let me see you!" Allen gave a light chuckle and patted her on the back.

"I'm sorry I scared you. I won't do it again. Next time I'll be strong enough." She rested her face on his right shoulder, unable to look at his missing arm.

"I should've been there sooner. I shouldn't have spent so much time arguing with Lenalee. It wasn't worth it. It didn't make anything better nor did it change anything. I'm so sorry." Allen sighed and began petting his sister's unruly hair. It wasn't often that she left it down.

"It's okay, Luca. Calm down. I don't blame you. None of this was your fault. Just breathe." The Chinese man blinked a few times wondering where the Hungarian had come from and how she got down here so fast.

"How did you get here so fast Luca?" She looked over at him and blinked a few times. Allen laughed at his expression while Luca stood and offered him her hand. The Brit let her pull him to his feet though he eyed the bandage that covered most of the right side of his sister's face including her eyes.

"I ran? Duh." Allen bit his lip to keep from laughing as she rolled her eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well," The man coughed awkwardly before continuing. "Allen Walker your innocence is not dead. But before I told you that I had to know your heart. You've learned of the fallen ones and tasted suffering and death. I didn't know if you had the will to return to the battlefield. In order to prevent anyone else from falling Komui and I had to know the truth. Still it was rash of you to say that you don't care about God's wrath." the pair of siblings smiled. "Come, Wong wants to change your bandages. Both of your bandages actually." It was at this point that Luca remembered that she had been injured too. Allen glanced at his sister but was caught off guard by the man's next statement. "After that we'll talk about restoring your arm."

"Restored? My left arm can be restored?!"

"Yes." Luca smiled at the joy that spread across her younger brother's face. It was good to see him smile.

"Wonderful!" Luca's ears perked up at the sound of pounding feet. Somebody was coming this way rather quickly too if she wasn't mistaken. The boys didn't seem to notice.

"It's cold here. Let's-"

"THERE YOU ARE! I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU!" Luca winced recognizing the voice. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT OF BED?!" She watched as the small red head kicked the blond directly in the face. The raven haired girl pushed her brother back a few paces to avoid the man who was sent flying into the wall. "I don't care if you are an exorcist! While you're here, you don't do anything without permission! You could've at least introduced yourself when you woke up! And after I helped your sister carry you all the way here from the woods!"

"I don't know why you're kicking me?!" The Chinese man started yelling at the tiny girl who continued to yell at European siblings.

"You! Introduce yourself!" The siblings blinked at her a couple times trying to figure out just what was going on.

"Don't you ignore me!" The man shouted and lunged for her but an older man rushed forward and grabbed him.

"Director Bak, please calm down!"

"Kinda reminds me of home." Luca murmured in the other teen's ear. He nodded smiling.

"Um thank you for rescuing us...er...?"

"Fo. Her name is Fo. She's the guardian of the Asia Branch. I am Wong, Director Bak's second in command. I'm glad to see you're up and about." Allen smiled at them.

"Thank you all very much for rescuing me...truly. I'm grateful." The Asia branch members stared at him in wonder. Luca stepped forward.

"I'd like to apologize for the way I acted when we arrived. I was out of line. I hope nobody was injured." Allen blinked at her a couple of times.

"L, what did you do?" The girl rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"I sorta freaked out when they tried to take you from me. I still wasn't completely awake and just knew that you needed help. I didn't realize that's what they were trying to do."

"To be fair you both almost died. I have to say though, you gave us quite the scare when you showed up. You," Bak looked at Allen. "were almost dead, completely unresponsive and Luca," said girl was waving her arms frantically behind the British boy's back, trying to get the director to stop talking. "was bleeding and covered in stars. I thought for sure that we'd lose both of you." Allen whirled around to face his sister.

"You got shot?!" He turned back to the Chinese man. "How did you save her? Will she be okay? How did she survive?" Allen's rapid fire questions stunned him.

"I honestly don't know. It wasn't anything we did. The stars just disappeared. I would've asked her but we had to sedate her so we could treat you both. Took Wong and two other men to hold her down to do so."

"Lu?" Allen turned back towards his sister slowly who was now rubbing the back of her left foot along her right calf, a nervous tic that Allen easily recognized. "What did you do?"

"Well I may have faked the virus so he would leave. I didn't have time to do anything else. You would've bled out by the time I killed him so I made it look like I was dying. Then Fo showed up and I got distracted and forgot they were there." He sighed already used to his older sister's antics.

"I'm just glad you weren't hurt too bad."

"Well come on." Bak lead the group back into the branch while explaining a few things.

"Be careful you don't get lost. People have been known to take a wrong turn and nearly starve to death." Fo giggled while shooting Bak a look. Luca smirked while Allen was completely oblivious.

"Really?" he asked worriedly.

"Don't fret little brother. I'll keep an eye on you." Fo laughed some more as Luca whispered in the boy's ear.

"Enough chit-chat. Come inside." Luca giggled at Bak's obvious attempt to derail the topic at hand.

"A little sensitive about it?" she questioned to Fo who nodded still grinning. The Walker siblings looked around the large room with wide eyes.

"What is it? It's not smoke. Fog?" Allen asked while the Hungarian reached out to feel a cloud of the particles. _It's got an almost grainy texture_ , she noted silently to herself. _How strange_ , she hummed softly.

"This is the innocence that was once your left arm." Bak answered before explaining a bit more though the Eastern European wasn't really listening to him anymore.

"Curiouser and Curiouser." Wong raised an eyebrow at Luca's statement. "Alice in Wonderland. Thought it was appropriate." she shrugged. The conversation was interrupted by three scientists walking into the room. Luca watched them in boredom as the pleaded with Bak to watch.

"So where is this young exorcist?" The only girl of the group spoke looking around Bak to see Allen who smiled at her politely.

"How do you do?" The girl's entire face immediately erupted into a blush turning beet red. She turned away.

"Well that was quick." Luca noted, slightly surprised. _Honestly she kinda reminded me of Lavi right then_ , she kept that observation to herself. Luca stood back and watched as Allen attempted to reform his weapon. After the first 15 minutes her leg started to twitch. 20 minutes later her nails were biting into her palm again. 7 minutes later and she couldn't sit still anymore. Standing up abruptly she found a relatively solitary corner and started to do push ups.

"You shouldn't push yourself so hard. You just woke up." Luca looked up at Wong who was standing over her.

"I can't just sit there." She moved her gaze back over to her brother who was still trying to reform his arm. Wong followed her eyes and sighed. He had heard Komui tell Bak that the Walkers were notoriously bullheaded and that he would have his hands full.

"Just, please try not to reopen your wounds you need to heal as quickly as possible to rejoin your group. He sighed internally as the girl switched to sit ups, despite the bandages around her stomach.

"Allen will be ready to go by the time I've fully healed. I need to train while I can." Wong sighed and left again. Bak looked up as he entertain the room.

"Well?" Wong shook his head.

"They're both still at it. Allen's still trying and Luca has cycled through her training regimen more time than I can count. Neither is willing to stop. Not to mention that Luca is completely confident in Allen's ability to do this." Bak sighed.

"I guess I better go order them to get some rest and eat something." When he entered the room Luca had moved from her corner to sit on Allen's right, rubbing his back in an attempt to ease his tense muscles. The siblings didn't move when he came in, both deep in thought.

"I'm not giving up! One more time!" Allen shouted jumping to his feet. Luca snorted at his outburst then winced when she saw him uppercut Bak with his head by accident. She bit her lip to keep from giggling as the man sprawled across the floor.

"That really hurt." Bak hissed at him. Luca giggled as quietly as she could at the face he made while Allen apologized profusely. Luca pushed herself to her feet though she didn't stand up, her eyes drawn to the papers on the floor. _He must've dropped them when Allen hit him_ , she noted.

"Get some rest. You've barely slept in two days." Luca ignored them moving towards the papers attracting Allen's attention to them as well.

"Oh my." Luca grinned evilly once she saw the piles of pictures of Lenalee. _She's not looking at the camera in any of these. She didn't know he was taking her picture_ , she thought to herself. _Oh Bak I wonder what Komui would do to you if he only knew._

"I'm sorry, I scattered your files everywhere." Allen bent down to pick them up only to be shocked by the fact that they were all of Lenalee. Bak rushed forward, face completely red and gathered all the pictures before either of the siblings could touch a single one.

"These are NOT pictures I took while stalking her. They're absolutely not." Luca snorted at his blatant denial.

"Do you like Lenalee?" Allen asked curiously, head cocked to one side. Luca choked and did her best to cover it with a cough though she wasn't very successful. _Oh Allen, so innocent and pure. If you only knew_ , Luca decided that comment wouldn't help the situation so she kept it to herself. Bak was too busy breaking out into hives to notice and Allen was more worried about the older man.

"Don't look!" Allen jumped to his feet as in concern as the man continued to yell. "I break out into hives when I get overly excited! Don't look!" Luca giggled, she knew it was wrong but it was just too funny for her. Allen who was still completely oblivious rushed over to aid the crumpling man.

"Director!" Shaking her head she rose to her feet, Bak would be fine but she was starving! Allen's stomach growled out as if agreeing with her thoughts.

"Let's get something to eat. Wong can take care of Bak, besides I'm starving and I'm not you." She placed an arm around his shoulders and began leading him away. "I'm sure Bak will help you with it after he's rested." She glanced at the man still sprawled on the floor while the older man who she wasn't entirely sure when he got there, tended to him. She couldn't help but giggle as the members of the Asian branch watch Allen inhale his food. Luca ate at a slower pace though it was faster than she normally ate.

"Luca?" said girl looked up at her brother from her lunch.

"What's up?" She noted the look of concern on her brother's face and the apprehension in his tone. He pushed some of his mashed potatoes around with his fork. She sighed at this.

"Did you really do it?" he questions quietly.

"Do what? I've done a lot of things." He looked down at his food before looking back up to her. "Al, it's okay. You can ask me anything." He sighed.

"That Noah, you fought him. That wasn't the first time was it?" He almost feared the answer. Desperate to believe that his earlier conclusion had been off due to the fact that he had been dying and his mind had been rather hazy.

"Yes." she sighed. "He's the Noah I kept running into." She pushed her ramen around in it's bowl. She had decided to try something new and had liked it until the conversation had started. She sipped at the soup while Allen chewed on the inside of his cheek debating on something. "Go ahead and say it. I know what you're thinking." He nodded.

"How did you escape all the time?" She blinked at him a few times. "What?" he asked fidgeting nervously in his seat.

"It's nothing. I just wasn't expecting that. Most of the time when people find out they start going on about how dangerous it was and that I should be more careful. Always coming off like I don't know what I'm doing." she waved her hand around in a circle.

"Well that's my first thought. That he's really dangerous and of course I'm worried, but I trust in you and your abilities and you probably know him best. Besides you're your own person. If it was me you would tell me what you thought of it but wouldn't tell me what to do so I can't really." he shrugged causing her to smile.

"Mostly I would distract him. I threw a chandelier at him once." she tapped her bottom lip as she ran through their meetings in her head. Allen snorted.

"I bet he didn't see that coming." She grinned.

"Yeah it was a lot of fun though. You should've seen the look on his face." Allen nodded.

"He's very expressive. Especially around you." Her smile dropped.

"I just entertain him. Just a toy and nothing more." she stabbed some of the ramen with her chopsticks only for the noodles to separate.

He smiled sadly before speaking softly so the others didn't hear, "Does that bother you?" her green eyes snapped up to his silver ones.

"Of course not. He's the enemy." she huffed as she finished the soup. _Yes_ , she petulantly ignored the voice hissing in the back of her head speaking the truth.

"Oh really? Are you su-" Wong walked up interrupting the conversation.

"Master Bak is feeling better. He'd like to explain something to you Allen, about your innocence." He turned to Luca. "If you would go to the room Allen's innocence was originally in you will find somebody waiting for you." The siblings nodded and left after dropping their dishes off.

"Be careful Allen." The boy paused to look back at her.

"I think I should be saying that to you L. You put yourself in danger way more than me, but I will as long as your promise to do the same." She grinned cheekily.

"No promises but I'll do my best." Nodding he followed Wong down the hall. Luca sighed and made her way to the large room.

Pushing open the door she was greeted by a man, "Ah, you must be Miss Luca." She smiled politely and offered her hand to him which he shook. "I am Jian. Wong has asked me to spar with you, to help you train. He said you would get more out of it than your regular training regiment. He also said that you've been restless. This should help."

"Thanks. Sparring is always better than training by myself." The man was in his mid to late 30's with short cropped black hair and almond shaped brown eyes. He was taller than Allen yet not as tall as her love. Her mood soured, pulling her lips down into scowl, glaring at the floor.

"Is something wrong Miss Luca?" Her eyes darted up to his again.

"Oh, no. It has nothing to do with you. I apologize."

He gazed at her for a moment, "This wouldn't have anything to do with how you and your brother came to this branch would it?" She sighed.

"That's all over the grapevine isn't it?" He nodded.

"Most people don't survive meeting a Noah, even exorcists. So for you both to survive him is amazing. Fo said that there were signs of a struggle, you actually fought him. That's nothing to be ashamed of." Luca shook her head.

"It wasn't enough. If I hadn't played dead Allen would've died. I need to be stronger. Will you be okay? I've been told I don't know how to play nicely or whatever that means." He chuckled and removed his shirt, tossing it across the room into a heap against the wall.

"Wong chose me specifically for this task. I assure you. I will be quite the challenger. When your brother is sleeping I would suggest sparring a bit with Fo. She'll be a better match for your innocence." Luca nodded as they both fell into a fighting stance.

"I'll keep that in mind." with that she lunged at him. He ducked and rolled out of her way.

"You must have something better than that." He chuckled only to duck under her leg. "They were right, Chief Komui warned me that you were vicious." Swinging around her other leg connected with his midsection. Her eyes widened when he latched onto her leg.

"Oh crap!" Spinning around he flung her into the wall. She hit with a crack; pain blooming in the back of her skull and down her spine, pounding like a gong. She winced rubbing the wounded area carefully only to squeak and dive out of the way of another blow. Landing on her hands she sprang back to her feet. Jian leapt at her again as she continued backwards.

"Running won't help." he told her as he grabbed for her.

"Never said I was runnin' did I?" Pushing off the wall and leaping over him gracefully, she landed in a crouch like a cat before swiping his feet out from under him. He was back up almost instantly only to run into a barrage of rapid punches and a solid kick to the chest. Jian grunted as he hit the ground several feet back. The girl was strong, much stronger than he had been expecting.

"Not bad." He got up and rushed her again. Bak and Wong watched through the golem. Allen was still fighting Fo with little progress so the blond man had decided to check on the boy's sister. He frowned. She was agitated, just like her brother. Unlike most exorcists this pair had traveled with general Cross for years. Luca was only 7 when Cross had picked her up. She stayed with him for 8 more years before he sent her to the Order. Staying in one place was not something that either of the Walker siblings knew how to do. The Order hadn't know about either until the dark haired girl had arrived at the gate, the letter about her came a few days later, Cross forgot to send it before her apparently. Bak continued to flip through the file Komui had sent over to him on the Eastern European, her brother's sat on the table in front of him. It had been Luca that informed the Order that Cross had another apprentice who should be coming in a year or two.

"Her style is incredible. I can't actually place which one she learned first. There are so many. She just mixes them all together to whatever or whoever she is fighting. She's already started adjusting bits and pieces of her style to combat Jian's techniques and abilities." Wong noted causing the younger man to look back up to the screen just in time to see the girl deliver a roundhouse kick to Jian's jaw sending him flying across the room.

"She's very agile and flexible. She also seems to be fond of acrobatics." Bak observed as she preformed several back handsprings at high speed even kicking Jian with them a couple of times. Wong looked at his Superior for a moment.

"What's troubling you?" he questioned causing the man to sigh again.

"I tried to look at some of Scor's footage but I couldn't get in. There should be no problem getting in but I can't. The golem won't let me look at it." Wong looked back to the pair of dark haired sparring partners.

"Do you think she's hiding something?" Bak sighed once more. He had been doing that a lot he noticed since the pair had shown up at their doorstep.

"I don't know. I'll admit to being curious. Komui mentioned that she's fought the same Noah several times. Whether it's the same Noah as the one that tried to kill them or not I don't know but I wanted to see that footage. I'm worried about her mental state more than anything. Physically she'll heal. She's already mostly healed." he noted the bare skin of her stomach. Ever since she had woken up in a sleeveless top cropped just above her navel. Luca hadn't changed the style of her shirt. _I think she likes it_ , he hummed silently.

"What about her mental state?" Wong asked.

"I've been speaking with Komui frequently and she's far more anxious than any time he says he's ever seen of her. She's always been a person who needs something to do but not like this. She's restless. I hear her at night wondering the halls, sometimes she hums or sings softly but sometimes she just wanders like a zombie lost in thought. If it is the same Noah as before than this last encounter could have had some severely damaging effects. Komui said that every time she met the Noah she spoke of it as if it was a casual meeting between friends. If she truly thought of him as her friend or something similar then his attempt on her brother's life could have disastrous consequences. Not just on her mental state but her relationship with her brother and other colleagues." His eyes flicked back up to the screen to watch the pair grapple with each other, before Jian managed to dislodge the younger and thrown her across the room, she rolled and was back on her feet as soon as she hit the ground intent on smashing Jian's face in.

"She's certainly got spunk." The elder nodded watching her crash directly into Jian, taking him down to the floor with her. He watched her lock her legs around one of Jian's arms. Grinning the man picked her up intent of slamming her back into the ground to release her hold but at the height of the movement she released him springing off him to her hands to her feet before shooting forward to the Chinese man's unprotected torso to fire an onslaught of punches followed by an uppercut, ending with her slamming his face into her knee before throwing him back letting him fall onto his back with a groan. "Did you see that?" Wong asked startled.

"That was truly impressive." Bak nodded staring intently at the screen.

"How long have you been planning that particular sequence?" Jian asked getting to his feet. Luca shrugged.

"Wasn't. I'm not really good at planning things. Most movements are on instinct, I can't really explain it. I mean sometimes I have to set up a little to get it. Well I guess it's more of I don't normally plan things before the battle, it happens sometimes but I tend to come up with plans while in the middle of battle." Bak snorted at the comment the girl made.

He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Rohfa's shout, "Allen!" Looking over at the other screen he started to yell.

"Hey! I told you that area was off limit! What are you doing there?"

"We're sorry!" Li Kei apologized sheepishly.

"Never mind!" Bak continued to yell. "Get Allen to bed! And consider yourselves assigned to cleaning the record archives indefinitely!" He turned to his assistant. "Wong, get an I.V. ready and see to his wounds." The man ran off to do as he was told. Bak looked up to see that Luca and Jian were still going at it. Sighing he spoke through the golem. "Alright that's enough for now. Both of you go take a break. Jian get some food, Luca go get some rest." After a quick and rather annoying call with Komui he found that Luca was still in the room sitting against the far wall, her knees pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them and her face buried into them. _Better go check on her_ , he sighed and left the room.

"You didn't actually think that I saw you as a threat did you? You've entertained me so far, so I haven't killed you." Luca groaned softly as his voice rang in her head again. Despite telling her friends about it, his comment still bothered her. _He's right. He almost killed Allen and I didn't help at all. His innocence is what saved him_ , her thoughts continued to spiral down. _How could I be so stupid? So gullible? So foolish? What the hell was I thinking? Or was I even thinking? How could I let him distract me so? Why do I feel like this?_ She jumped when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. Instincts taking over she pinned her attacker down, her hand clamped down on their throat with her sharp nails digging into the skin.

"Bak?" she questioned upon registering who it was.

"I'd like to breathe please." he choked out. She released him and moved off.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you come in. You startled me." Bak sat up slowly as if she would blitz him again. "I'm not going to attack you again." she huffed irritated.

"You've certainly got killer instinct. I'll be interested to watch you fight Fo after you both get some rest of course. Your brother needs more sleep right now. He's been pushing himself too hard, he's still healing." the man's eyes darted to the blood dripping from the girl's hands. "You both are, please be more careful Luca. Innocence's makes you stronger but you are still human, there's nothing you can do about that." She vaguely noted that her elder made no attempt to get off the floor, instead chose to sit on the ground with her. The room was deathly silent for a while.

"It wasn't good enough." The words were spoken so softly Bak almost thought that he had imagined it.

He prodded gently, "What wasn't?" Her eyes flicked up to meet his.

"Allen still almost died. I wasn't strong enough to protect my brother." He sighed, remembering what Komui has said.

"The Walker siblings are very close. Luca is especially protective of Allen, he's the only family she has left. Unless Allen can regain his innocence you may have a hard time getting her to leave once she is healed., she may try to stay with him despite having separate paths. Tread carefully Bak."

"Allen doesn't blame you, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. The Noah are formidable foes. The fact that you've met a Noah countless times and survived every time with the innocence still intact is phenomenal." She shook her head.

"That's not true. Allen's innocence was destroyed. I shouldn't have wasted so much time arguing with Lenalee about Suman. It was a misuse of time, neither of us changed our mind on the subject..." she trailed off turning her glare down to her shoes, ignoring his wide eyes.

"I didn't know you knew about Suman." she nodded. "What was the fight with Lenalee about?" The girl sighed.

"We argued about Suman. Whether or not he was a traitor. I said he was and she kept pleading that he must have had a reason. It doesn't help that I keep wondering if we would be in this situation if he had just died instead of falling like that. It keeps me up at night. All of it. Allen, the Noah, Suman, I can't control it."

"Those kind of thought are hard. Do you mind if I ask a question?" She finally looked over to meet his eyes.

"You just did." she gave a lopsided grin to which he rolled his eyes.

"Seriously though." She nodded, her smile dropping from her lips.

"You can ask, however I reserve the right to not answer."

He thought about it for a moment before continuing, "The Noah that almost killed Allen...was it the same one that you fought the other times?" She nodded again.

"Yeah the same one." The Hungarian didn't add on anything else much to the branch head's disappointment. He wanted to know more but couldn't get into her golem without vocal permission from her and he had a feeling that she wouldn't give it.

The man sighed and pushed himself up before offering the girl his hand, "You need to get some sleep, after breakfast you can spar with Fo. I had Wong give Allen a sedative so he would get some more sleep."

"I hope you gave him enough to kill an elephant," she snorted taking his hand allowing him to pull her to her feet. "otherwise he won't sleep long." Bak looked at her worriedly.

"His metabolism isn't that fast is it?" She chuckled.

"You have no idea. You didn't see the amount of food he eats did you?" The man shook his head.

"No I was a bit busy." He blushed a bit remembering that she had been there and seen all the pictures he had of Lenalee and his reaction to it with the hives. She laughed as they left the room and he led her towards the one she had been staying in.

"Yeah I figured, must've been a lot of work." he made a face at her.

"Sleep well Luca."

"You too Bak." she smiled at him before closing the door. Once she heard his footsteps disappear down the hall she allowed herself to slide down the door. "What am I even doing? Where is this going?" she murmured to herself running her fingers through her sweaty hair. Her hand drifted down to her left ear. She was still missing her bottom earring. She didn't know why he had taken her earring. "Why am I even so upset about this? He's a Noah eventually he would hurt somebody that I loved." she pulled her legs up to her chest again. "So why am I so shocked? Hell, I only met him because he was trying to kill Daisya." she sighed softly before resting her head against the door. The cool metal was refreshing against her heated skin. Her heart clenched painfully as she remembered the way the organ had thundered against her rib cage in Moldavia and again in China though the reason why were massively different, actually they couldn't be farther from each other. _How divergent the man himself had been compared to the other times she had seen him. Why the hell am I so stupid? God none of this is helping_ , she groaned mentally fearing to speak anymore in case anybody passed by her room. She smacked her head against the door as if it would magically clear her mind allowing logic and reason to return. It did not have the effect she was hoping for. _Nope that just hurt. I forgot that Jian threw me into the wall fairly brutally_ , she reached back to rub the rather large lump on the back of her head. Groaning she pushed herself up and shuffled over to the bed so she could at least try to sleep. _Though I doubt it will happen_ , she hummed flopping face first into it, far too tired to actually climb into it properly.

* * *

Groaning Tyki threw back the covers and got out of bed. He had gone to bed several hours ago after he found himself staring at the same page of his book for over an hour trying to read the first paragraph repeatedly. He looked over at his nightstand where Allen Walker's button sat. He picked it up and traced the lettering carefully. The pair didn't look alike and he was pretty sure that the boy was British but he still knew. He had killed Butterfly's brother, right in front of her too. He didn't know which had died first but both knew the other was going to die. _Probably best she died. She would hate me now if she didn't_ , the thought upset him more than he was willing to ever admit, even to himself. _It shouldn't matter, she was nothing more than another exorcist who was vaguely entertaining for a time_ , he said to himself. Yet despite his best attempts to convince himself of this he still had placed her earring in his own ear. Replacing one of his studs with the silver hoop. His throat was still far too damaged to speak and so he was hiding in his room. Granted at the moment he didn't feel like company anyway. He wasn't in the mood for Road's homework, the Earl's horrid nickname or Sheril's sexual harassment and histrionics. Never mind the twins and Sweet Tooth who were both dumber than a box of rocks even when put together. No, at the moment he wanted to be alone. _I wonder if Walker is...was_ , his mind silently corrected him, _her surname too_ , he couldn't shake the sight of her dying. When she had tried to get up again to save her brother but sunk back down. He had never seen her so weak. It didn't suit her, not that it mattered anymore. He walked over to the bookshelf to pick up his book again. He opened it but found that despite looking at the book he still didn't know what the first word on the page was. Without warning he threw the book across the room against the far wall before running his hands over his face and through his hair. It did little to help his mood.

A knock sounded at the door followed by a voice, "Tyki?" Road hesitated. "Tyki are you okay? You didn't even tell us you were home." He sighed at the worried tone in her voice. She was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Can I come in?" He moved over to the door and opened it before stepping aside to let her in. "Is everything alright?" She looked up at him as she walked in before gasping. "What happened to your neck?!" Kicking the door shut he walked over to the mirror to look at the mix of bruises and burns. He could still see the shape of the gauntlets that Butterfly had used. "Can you even talk right now?" she questioned moving close to him, she pushed him down into the chair so she could examine the wound. He hissed when she prodded the sensitive skin that was still growing back.

"Not...really." his voice was raspy while it was difficult and painful to talk.

"What happened?" she continued to poke at the wound concernedly. Her brows furrowed further as his lips pulled up into a dull smile though there was no joy or happiness. No kind of pleasure at all. It was empty.

"Butterfly happened." he struggled to keep his voice steady. His niece ran off and came back with a glass of water.

"Take it slowly." It was times like this that he remembered that she was the oldest child of them all and that her body was just a representation of who she was. "Butterfly, was that the girl from Barcelona?" he nodded sipping at the water. The coolness soothed his throat if only a little.

"Her brother's name was on my list and she showed up just as I finished putting a hole in his heart," he paused to breathe, she had done substantial damage to his windpipes and he was having trouble breathing. Road waited patiently which spoke loudly about how bothered she was. "She didn't take kindly to it. So obviously she attacked but it was like nothing I had ever seen from her. More like a shapeshifter from fairy tales. She didn't speak to me, didn't dance around or laugh." He went to drink some more water to ease the uncomfortable feeling, but the cup was empty. Road refilled it faster than he registered that it was empty.

"Slow down, it's okay. I can wait. You need to breathe. Your neck is pretty bad. Your windpipes are bruised badly and so they don't want to move as much as they should and the burns only add to that. Did she strangle you?" He nodded again. "Strong girl." Road noted vaguely impressed. She could see the pattern on his skin and knew that the girl must've been wearing some kind armor, what she didn't understand was where the burns had come from. _Maybe fire control or perhaps electricity is the special ability of that innocence...or it was_ , she noted though she didn't ask.

"I'd never seen her like that. Not even when I almost killed that exorcist in Barcelona. She only seemed vaguely upset. Anyway she used her second release and it wasn't anything I had ever seen. It was raw innocence energy. She knocked me off my feet and was on me before I could move. I only survived because her brother distracted her and then the virus took over. It was too much. She had been using her innocence to hold it off but she was out of energy. I left before she died," he reached up to brush his fingers along the hoop earring again. "because I was so dizzy." He started coughing harshly. Road rubbed circles into his back comfortingly though it did little to console her own emotions." One of his hands moved up to his throat as if ease the pain. His chest heaved as his lungs tried to regain the air lost once the coughing has subsided.

"Does it bother you?" He looked down at the button still hidden in his fist, he unfurled his fingers slowly. The little girl plucked the button from his open palm. She read it, silently mouthing the name inscribed on the silver and her face fell though she quickly shook it away. Road stood by him silently still rubbing his back soothing. Her mind tried to come up with something to say that would make him feel better but found nothing.

"I don't know why, but it does."

* * *

 **Welp there's how Tyki feels. You got a glance of what is going on in each of their heads. Both sides dealing with the latest battle and it's consequences. Luca is forced to face the relationship that she has built with the enemy and Tyki must come to terms with his feels and how this will effect his ability to work (not to mention heal that nasty wound.) Every relationship leaves it's mark, some are good and some are bad. If it leaves no mark than there was no relationship. Everybody you meet has an impact on you. Good or bad. Let me know if anyone guessed how Luca would survive. I'd like to apologized, the name of Luca's second release attack was wrong. Sin was my working place holder and I must've forgotten to change it. So please review! Seriously feed my addiction. I'll die if you don't! DX Cheshire is out!**


	19. Four Crows Are Better Than One

**Welcome back! I know it's amazing. I'm updating on Tuesday, like actually on Tuesday instead on early Wednesday morning pretending that it's still Tuesday! So with this chapter Cross Marian's pupils move forward each in their own way. Allen continues his struggle against his own innocence while Luca faces her own choices and where they've lead her. I just have to admit that I freaking love Fo! She is by far my favorite Asian branch character though Bak isn't far behind. So before we get into the reviews I have an announcement and a question for everybody! We'll start with the question, who thinks that Tyki should give Luca a teez? And the announcement is I am currently in the process of writing another story! No I am not abandoning this one! I am still writing this one but this story idea won't get out of my brain so I'm writing it down. Luca is still the main character of it but it's set in a different world! So be on the look out for that it will probably go up next week! Maybe on Saturday! Now the reviews!**

 **Dear SheuOgama, I'm glad you liked that chapter! It means a lot to hear that even if that's all that's said. As for Luca and Allen being safe I'm not sure that actually ever happens. I think they are more safe than they were in the bamboo forest but nothing stays the same forever! ;D**

 **Dear Wicken25, I love the idea and something similar will happen and just know that I had a lot of fun writing it! I can say that I truly believe that you will enjoy the chapter where they meet again. Until then enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear EverlastingXTC, I want you to know that I thoroughly enjoyed your review! To know that you love the story and Luca enough to go back and reread it means so much. As somebody who also does that while waiting for updates I can't believe that my story is THAT story for somebody else completely and utterly blew me away! I honesty had to read your review several times before I could actually believe that it. I appreciate the fact that you understand how much work it takes to write these chapters and edit them. I update as fast as I can. I do still have to work and other things happen in my life. This is by far my favorite part of my life but other things can take up a lot of time! Enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear Kp, you are correct it will be several chapters before Tyki sees Luca again. However it will be a chapter to remember. I have to apologize about my last response to you was wrong. Joyd will make his appearance in chapter 25. I miscalculated a bit but I promise that this time it is correct. It's nice to know that I'm portraying the relationship properly. I can never take the stories where they just instantly fall in love with each other. All relationship are work and it never goes smooth. I'm so glad that you love my responses, your reviews bring me such joy and I look forward to your next one.**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, S** **o I had hit a wall in the chapter I was writing and decided to go up and work (I work from home in an office. I only write on my laptop) because I wasn't getting anywhere and needed to work anyway. I was about an hour in when I realized why I procrastinate so much on work (Well more than on any other thing in my life) because it's so boring and I'm sitting there typing and I just happen to look at my email. It says three new emails. I was like "it's probably Pinterest or junk or somethin" but I click on it because whatever and in my email is your review. I was so excited. I'd been rather down lately. Sometimes it feels like my fanfic moves so slowly and I was really disappointed with it. Reviews always cheer me up and motivate me so I want you to know that you helped me finish the chapter I was working on! I'm glad you can't even and can't wait for another chapter so here you go! Enjoy!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, Yay! Please don't stay in the corner forever. I'd miss you so much if you never came out of the corner! It's always good to have meaning in your life plus it'd be really hard for there to be more chapters of the story if the main character is dead. Thanks for the feedback on the cliffhanger was incredibly helpful and I can't make any promises about any more. I really try my best with the deeper parts of their feelings towards each other. I find that I end up feeling their feelings which can be hard sometimes when it's a hard scene or decision that they have to make. I've made myself cry several times when I got pulled to far into my characters emotions but it's just how I write and I believe that it shows through in my writing. Your review only proves my point. We will see Tyki several times even if Luca doesn't for a glance inside his head so look forward to that! Enjoy this chapter and please don't forget to answer the question!**

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Luca grunted just barely blocking the ax from taking her head off in one clean sweep. The small red headed girl grinned at her and swung her other arm around. The taller girl flicked her fingers towards her body calling the liquid metal back to her acting as a shield. The force of the blow sent her flying back, she rolled to avoid as much damage as she could. _Picsába (damn)! Fo really is strong. She's kicking my segg (ass)! I've been so busy lately that I didn't realize how much I rely on distracting My Lo- him to get away. Master would be disgusted if he saw this fight_ , the Hungarian shook her head to clear it of her rather distracting thoughts. She couldn't afford to be inattentive in battle. _I need better control. He would be dead if I had only been more focused_ , she bent backwards to dodge another swing almost unbalancing herself in doing so.

"You've left yourself open!" Fo shouted bringing one of her weapons down. "Your stomach's completely unprotected!" Luca smirked and planted her hands down. Quick as a snake she wrapped her legs around the smaller girl's arm stopping the swing and ensnaring her.

Standing on her hands as if they were her feet she spoke, "Harbinger! Fire!" The green energy shot forward from the innocence crashing into the guardian whom she promptly released allowing the energy to send her foe flying into the wall. She flipped back onto her feet, sliding back into a fighting stance waiting for the next attack that was no doubt coming.

"Not bad! I didn't see that one coming!" Luca smirked as Fo transformed her axes into scythes.

"Thanks for the compliment I guess." Both girls lunged, the dark haired girl's weapon slid to her arms, creating her gauntlets. The scythe screeched as the metals scraped against each other.

"You rely on your gauntlets too much. You have so many weapons at your disposal. Learn to use them." Fo instructed throwing the younger girl into the wall. Placing her left hand on it Luca pulled on the gauntlet stretching it out as it slid from her skin before solidifying into a halberd. "There ya go! That looks much better, however the true question is...can you use it?" Fo grinned before leaping at her.

"Is Luca sparring with Fo?" Bak looked over his shoulder to see Allen and Wong making their way over to him.

"Yeah your sister's fighting style is very impressive. Incredibly unique." Allen nodded, his gaze never leaving his sister's form.

"Yeah. It was really interesting to watch Master train her. They used so many different methods to do so. It seemed like she was always learning some new style or weapon." Bak's eyes slid over to the boy.

"I don't suppose either of your golems caught it did they?" Allen laughed.

"Both of them did. However I don't have Tim with me at the moment. I sent him to the others so they could find Master. You could ask Luca but she's pretty private about some things. She may have things on there that she doesn't want to share." Allen shrugged. _She probably won't share just because she doesn't want the Order to know about how many times she actually ran into that man. From the way she was talking in the hotel room something more had happened, more than she was letting on_ , he kept that thought to himself. He went back to watching the girls clash. Luca was doing much better with the halberd. The length allowed her to keep Fo out of striking distance.

"Stop defending! Attack me!" Fo shouted lunging at the taller one. She kicked Luca in the stomach throwing the girl into the wall. "You're as bad as your brother!" The green eyed girl glared as she rose to her feet.

"Fine, I'll attack." the snarl had hardly left her lips before she was in front of Fo swinging the blade down. Fo just barely dodged landing on her feet.

"That's more like it!" She didn't have time to say anything else before the blade of a chain scythe was flying at her head.

"Oooh that's new!" Bak grinned seeing the blade fly over as Fo ducked.

"Missed me!" Fo shouted sticking her tongue out.

Luca smirked causing Allen to sigh, "Here we go..." Bak looked over at him, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"What do you mean?"

"Just watch." Allen grinned pointing Bak's attention back to the spar as Luca yanked on the chain calling the blade back along with the large piece of stone it was embedded into. The stone knocked Fo down sending her sprawling across the floor on her stomach. The guardian jumped back up.

"Hey! That was a dirty trick!"

Luca's smirk grew as she taunted, "You told me to attack, you never said how." Fo smirked back. She was glad she had managed to beat the girl out of whatever funk it was that was bothering her earlier. This style was much different from the one that she started with. The handstand attack had taken her by surprise but other than that the girl wasn't doing much. _She needed to deal with whatever is bothering her_ , she noted silently. _I wonder if it has anything to do with her brother or is it about the Noah?_ Fo just barely dodged the scythe being thrown at her again.

"I won't let you pull the same thing twice." Fo jumped over the blade and landed on the taunt chain. She rushed over intent on cleaving the Hungarian in two pieces. Luca jumped from the ground to one of the pillars before arcing over towards her blade. "Hey!" Fo fell only to be tangled up in the chain.

"Yield!" Fo, despite handing upside down grinned at the dark haired girl's command who was also smiling.

"Never!" Bak watched as the pair started fighting again. They had been going at each other since the younger girl had woken up. She hadn't even stopped for breakfast, no she went straight for Fo ready to fight.

"Should I stop them? Your sister hasn't eaten anything since last night." Allen watched the sparring partners for a moment silently gaging it and them.

"I think they would both attack you if you stopped them. When Luca's really hungry she'll stop," he paused for momentarily before continuing "or she'll drop. Either way you'll know." he shrugged.

"Are you two sure you're not somehow actually related?" Bak questioned staring at him. Allen laughed.

"Well I'm British and Lu's from Hungary so I'm gonna go with yeah. Master used to say that we acted a lot like each other but with you live with somebody awhile you tend to end up sharing some similar traits. At least that's what we've come to anyway." he shrugged again. _Another trait they share_ , Bak noted remembering how many time the older girl has shrugged at him. Allen switched his attention away from the muttering Chinese man back to the fighting pair just in time to duck, Bak was not so lucky. Fo crashed into him sending both of them into the wall behind him.

"Stupid Bak! Stay out of my way!" Fo snapped stomping on his head a couple of times before rushing back at the girl who threw her. "You're going to pay for that Luca!"

"Master Bak!" Wong ran over to his wounded and seething superior, having to hold the man back from leaping into the fray and dying most likely. Neither girl noticed him or his pain.

"Oh yeah? You and what army Short Stack?" Allen sighed at his sister's jab and took cover behind a collection of large rocks that had been tossed around during one of the previous and more destructive battles. He wasn't at all surprised to find Shifu, Rohfa, and Li Kei hiding there to watch the battle going on. He noted that Rohfa was deathly pale and Li Kei looked a little green as well. Shifu was completely absorbed in the battle to notice his presence.

"Is...is your sister," Rohfa practically gulped the word sister "always this violent?" Allen glanced at the battle before shaking his head.

"No not normally." The pair seemed to relax a bit. "I've actually seen her angrier. If you want violent you should've seen her against the Noah in the bamboo forest. I'd offer to show you but Scor would want L's permission and I don't think she'd be willing." The silver haired boy was oblivious to the terror that now consumed his conversational partners.

"Are you kidding me?! She would've killed a normal human several times over by now." Allen's silver eyes slid over to the taller man though he didn't turn his head. He hoped that he was imagining the aversion in the man's tone towards his older sister.

"We don't fight normal humans, we hunt akuma and the Noah aren't normal." Rohfa hadn't taken her eyes off the dark haired girl, instead they were wide with fear locked on the figure moving through the air. She let out a shriek when Luca came flying back towards them. Bak growled in annoyance.

"Alright! That's enough! You two are going to destroy the entire Branch at the rate you're going. Fo take a break, Luca you and Allen need to eat something." The pair of girls separated. Luca smirked at Fo before jogging over to her brother flinging her arm over his shoulder.

"I don't know about you but I'm starving." Allen grinned and nodded wrapping his one good arm around her waist to rest lazily on her hip.

"Yeah me too." The dark haired girl glanced over her shoulder at the three scientists. Shifu was talking to Wong but the other two were watching them walk away. _Why are they looking at me like that? I haven't done anything to them_ , her thoughts were distracted by Allen saying something.

"Sorry what did you say?" She turned her gaze back to him.

He laughed at her but answered, "I asked what you were planning on having for breakfast but it's almost lunch time so maybe brunch?" She thought for a moment.

"Waffles, scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, sausage, and toast. Like I said I'm starving and you always end up stealing some of my food anyway." She laughed at the sheepish expression on his face to which she just ruffled his hair as they headed for the dining hall.

"Are you okay Lu?" The dark haired girl looked up from the eggs she was poking with her fork. The pair sat alone at a long table most of it covered in dishes, some were empty and some weren't.

"How is it that you can always tell when something's going on with me?" He laughed.

"You tend to space out. Is this about the Noah?" she shook her head but her eyes slid over to where the three scientists sat. "You heard them huh?"

She shook her head again, "No but I saw the looks. I don't need to hear it."

Allen sighed also glancing at at the scientists, "Don't take it personally, they just don't understand. They're new and they've never been out in the field. Not seeing an akuma before they can't comprehend what it's like or how strong and ruthless we must be." Luca looked back down to her food.

"I say we throw their seggs (asses) into the field for a first hand experience." Allen shook his head a little.

"Just ignore them. I doubt we'll see much of them after we leave here. We're not stationed here or anything so just bear with it. We need to focus on getting stronger. Speaking of which, you've improved many of your different weapon handling."

She merely shrugged, "Training a lot I guess. I never realized how busy Master kept us always running around and moving from place to place until I got there. I got bored quickly. Sure I have my hobbies but even those get tiring. So I spend a lot of time training." she paused for a moment before chuckling lightly. "I think I need more hobbies." Allen laughed as they got up and put their dishes away.

"I'm gonna go find Fo." Luca nodded. "You're welcome to come watch and judge." Allen smiled though it was hollow and pained. He jolted slightly when he felt his older sister place her hand on his shoulder and give it a light squeeze. It was comfortable and reminded him of years long past when they were still young and unsure about each other. When he would wake up screaming for Mana to watch out she would comfort him. Not knowing what else to do, she stayed quiet just reminding him that somebody was with him even if they couldn't make it better. He didn't have to face his demons alone.

"You will get this. I know you can. You're just missing something but I swear you will find it little brother," she gave a wryly grin. "and yours will be even stronger than me. This is merely a bump in the road."

He nodded smiling at her, "Thanks for the pep talk Lu. I think I really needed that. I'm ready to go at it again!"

She laughed, "I'm gonna go meditate for a while, see if that will help a bit. I'll come by in a bit to watch and make commentary that probably won't be at all helpful but is sure to be amusing."

"Gee thanks. That's just great." he groaned though there was fondness underneath it.

Luca was on her way over to the sparring pit (well that's what she called it as she had no idea if the room had an official name or not and 'the room with Fo's door where she kicks our seggs (asses)' was far too long for her to keep saying even in her own mind) just strolling causally down the hall. She made a point to ignore the looks she garnered from the people she passed by. Some were from her reputation, some from her personality, and some were from her choice of clothing. Ever since she had arrived at the Asian branch she had worn a loose pair of pants and a sleeveless crop top due to the rather nasty wound she had gained from an akuma at some point while she was looking for Allen that she hadn't even noticed until somebody pointed out that she was bleeding. It was extremely comfortable and she simply enjoyed it far more than her strapless to the point that she was actually considering switching over; granted that would mean having to change the way she carried her innocence but it was still sitting in the back of her brain. Just as she was rounding a corner still contemplating the pros and cons of changing her style her eye caught sight of something shining on the floor in the corner. Walking over she crouched down to get a better look. It was a cog. Picking it up in her sharp nails she noted that the polish had chipped and she really needed to fix them, she began to inspect it. It was bronze or at least it would be once it was polished, about the size of a poker chip with twelve pieces sticking out around the edge evenly spaced out and five bars connecting to a bolt smaller than her pinky nail in the middle. Hearing a rather loud and large crash coming from the pit she jumped up and ran the rest of the way absentmindedly sliding the cog into her back pocket immediately forgetting about it.

"Hey, where's Allen?" Luca laid a hand on Rohfa's shoulder startling her.

Said girl jumped several feet in the air and shrieked, "I don't know! It's not like I stalk him or anything! I would never do that! I respect his space so please don't kill me!" Green eyes blinked a couple of times as their owner processed the sentence that had been said as one long jumbled word.

"I never said you did and why would I kill you?" one of her midnight colored eyebrows rose as she questioned the brunette.

"Did I say kill? I meant...uh...um...uh-" Luca didn't really know what to do while the Chinese girl stuttered.

"I think Allen went that way." Li Kei diverted the Hungarian's attention away from the panicking Asian girl. Nodding her thanks she left the three scientists to whatever it was that they had been doing before she walked up. Luca moved through the hallways silent as a ghost. Her eyes quickly found her brother sitting on the banister talking to himself. She was about to call out to him when Rohfa climbed up and offered him a light. _Well that can't be right. I just saw her and she didn't walk past me. It's not an akuma or Allen's eye would've activated, actually it almost feels like Fo_ , she pondered as she slid into the shadows deciding to just watch for the moment. She smiled as Fo, she was almost certain it was Fo gave Allen encouragement. _She's trying to help him figure out what's wrong without ruining her image and knows that Allen will open up more to Rohfa._ _I'm glad to see that she really is trying to help in any way she can. Even if she won't admit it_ , Luca leaned against the wall to get more comfortable while she watched. She closed her eyes to just listen and enjoy the peace.

"HOLD IT! WHY AM I OVER THERE THROWING MYSELF AT ALLEN?!" Or not. She opened her eyes as Rohfa's screech grating on her ears. Allen freaked out going back and forth between them trying to figure out what was going on. _When did they even get there?_ Luca groaned glaring at the scientists.

"Evil twin?" Allen questioned still going back and forth. The Rohfa next to Allen transformed into an angry Fo.

"The moment's ruined." she huffed irritably.

"Fo?!" Allen shouted jumping away ever so slightly.

Shifu explained, "Apparently Fo can change her appearance. A superior told me. I hear she likes to use it to tease Bak all the time." _Well what else would you use it for?_ Luca grinned and pushed off the wall.

Fo shouted a blush covering her face, "Don't get me wrong Allen, I didn't come here to cheer you up! I'm still furious with you! So don't think I've gone soft! I'm tired. Being furious makes me sleepy. The things I do for ingrates." _Sure Fo. Whatever you say_ , Luca snorted. She jumped down and started to make her way across the room towards Luca when Allen called out to her.

"Thanks Fo." she paused. "For the light." he smiled sweetly at her though she didn't turn around.

"We'll pick up where we left off after I've rested. Spar with Luca for a bit. She'll be sure to kick your ass around." she puffed though Luca could see the small smile on the shorter girl's face. The Eastern European started to move from her place in the shadows when Fo froze her eyes going wide as she bent backwards awkwardly.

"Fo?" Luca questioned moving towards her friend.

"Fo! Don't you ever pretend to be me again!" Had the exorcist not been more concerned with her sparring partner she would've rolled her eyes at the squawking girl. "Do you hear me? Fo!" The red head said something that Luca didn't catch.

"Stop your wailing, kurva életbe (god damn it)!" she snapped at the other brunette as she rushed over to her friend. "Fo what's wrong?"

"Bak. Bak." Luca opened her mouth to inquire if she should go get the man when the girl shouted, "BAK, HIDE ALLEN!" Something exploded from the guardian's bare stomach, the force sending the raven haired girl sprawling across the floor knocked back several meters.

"So this is your sanctuary." A familiar gravelly voice drifted from the strange object still protruding from the tiny girl.

"Yes it must be." The second voice was deeper but just as menacing.

Fo struggled to talk, "How could an akuma break through the seal?" Surprisingly enough the akuma answered her.

"Actually we didn't. Noah's ark brought us here." Two akuma stepped out of the newly named ark causing Allen's cursed eye to activate. Both were covered in armor from their heads all the way down to their feet. One was a light blue gray while the other was a deep purple. Luca gulped upon noticed the familiar butterfly fluttering by the blue akuma's head. _Could the butterflies track people?_ she questioned.

"I've come for you Allen Walker." The blue one spoke sending a shiver of fear down the girl's spine, as she slid into a tense battle ready stance. "White hair. Strange left eye. Allen Walker I presume?"

That thing came out of Fo!" Rohfa shouted pointing up at the akuma. _She sure is loud_ , Luca noted dryly taking a moment to be irritated.

"Must be an akuma." Shifu stated. _Obviously_ , the girl rolled her eyes.

Li Kei shared her sentiment, "What else could it be, you idiot?" he continued to yell, "But the seal has protected the Asia branch for over a hundred years! How did it break it so easily?! And how did it know where Allen was?!"

"Run." Fo croaked. "The akuma has come to kill you. You can't defeat it the way you are. Run!" The guardian didn't sound well.

Allen protested immediately, "NO!" the akuma didn't like the idea either.

"I can't allow you to run." It shot a strange thread through Allen's chest.

"Allen!" Luca rushed forward only for the purple akuma to get in her way.

"You should worry about yourself first. There's no point to it anyway. You'll die here unable to save anybody." The dark haired girl looked up at the still floating akuma. It was unfazed by her dark glare. _Arrogáns rohadék (Arrogant bastard),_ her mind hissed. "Now I was raised with manners so I shall introduce myself, you may call me Mimic."

Luca snorted, "An akuma with manners. I'll admit, that's a first for me." The akuma gave her a disappointed look, or it looked like it was; she couldn't tell with the helmet.

"Well are you going to tell me your name or shall I just call you little girl?"

"I answer to the name Luca." she gave a mocking bow. "I am honored to make your acquaintance and will thoroughly enjoy tearing you limb from limb." she grinned up at the thing. "Innocence Activate! Shadow Stitches" Mimic braced for impact only for the threads to shoot past him wrapping around the blue akuma and yanking him away from the stone door that was closing allowing the others to escape and into one of the pillars. _I need to be more careful. I feel like all I do is crash into those or throw somebody else into one. If I'm not I may just end up bringing the whole place down_ , she hummed.

"Why you little vermin!" The akuma charged only for Mimic to get in the way.

"No Thread! This one is mine. Master Noah ordered you to get the boy. Worry about him. I'll deal with her." Thread huffed but didn't attack the girl again.

"Well then don't let it get in my way a second time."

Luca snorted and retorted childishly, "Nyelt volna le inkább anyád (Your mother should've swallow you)!" Both akuma blinked at her a couple of times neither having any idea what the woman just said to them.

"I'm sorry but what language was that?" Mimic questioned looking down at her.

"Hungarian." she shrugged before returning her gaze to the pair of level 3 akuma. _I've never fought a level 3 never mind two at the same time. This is sure to be interesting but I'm the only one here so I'll have to make do with what I can_ , she thought observing them carefully.

"Fo!" Bak called urgently not wanting to leave Luca alone with the akuma for too long.

The guardian trembled as she staggered over to Allen, "I've got you. Allen," she reached up and placed a hand on the boy's face. "hang in there. You can make it. You're tougher than you look and your sister will never leave your side. You can always lean on her so don't you forget it. I know you'll succeed in reactivating your weapon. Good luck Allen." her appearance changed to that of the British boy to his surprise.

"Fo...? What are you doing?" she backed away towards the door a smile on her face.

"I'm no exorcist, just a lowly guardian so I probably can't beat the thing but maybe I can buy Luca enough time to kill them both." She jumped through the opening in the stone that Bak had created back to where the fight was happening.

"Wait Fo! Bak stop her! Let me go! I can help Luca! Fo I'll fight the akuma!" the hole closed up leaving a wall of stone in tact. "Fo..." Allen whimpered. He grabbed Bak by his jacket slamming him against the stone, "Open the door!"

"Stop it Allen." the Chinese man ordered.

"You have to open it!" he protested.

"No." Bak's answer was immediate.

Allen started shouting, "Are you just going to let Fo die? You have no idea how long it will take Luca to beat that akuma! She's never fought a level 3 before! Not to mention that we have no idea about her mental state!" _So he's worried about that too. This isn't good_ , Bak noted though he didn't say anything about it.

"Calm down Allen." Wong and Li Kei tried to pull the boy off their superior as gently as they could in fear of breaking him.

"You exorcists are our only hope. When one of you dies, we're that much closer to losing this war. I really shouldn't have even left your sister out there but there was no way to get her. The akuma had already seen her and her weapon was activated. There's nothing you can do now. Allen if you really care for Fo then you'll bear her loss and keep moving forward."

Allen glared at the blond man, "Drop the stoic leader act, Bak. You're on the verge of losing control yourself. You've broken out in hives again and you're crying."

"Er...these are just-" Bak tried to come up with an excuse but Allen wasn't having any of it and cut him off.

"You can't hide it Bak. I'll open the door myself. It's time for me to move forward!" Allen started to push on the door. "If you can't open the door, Bak then I'll do it myself. You can't object to that! Let the consequences fall on me!"

Bak stared at the boy for a moment, "Object?" he asked softly as if he hadn't heard Allen correctly. "Of course I can, you idiot! Wong, Li Kei, grab him!" The pair followed the order and wrestled the white haired boy to the ground.

"You don' want Fo to die either! Your face proves it!" Allen roared.

"Leave my skin condition out of this!" Bak snapped back angrily. "Don't you realize the akuma's dark matter has weakened your body's molecular structure?! With the slightest blow your body could fall apart! Only a fool would let you go into battle right now! Now do as I say, exorcist!"

Allen narrowed his eyes before gaining an evil glint in his eyes, "Are you sure about this, Bak?" Bak raised an eyebrow slightly concerned by what the boy had up his sleeve. "I'll tell everyone you've been stalking Lenalee. I doubt you'll get off easily. Hard to say whether or not you'd live." Allen goaded.

"Allen, are you trying to blackmail me?! I thought you were a nice boy!"

"I'll do it! I mean it, Bak!" Allen threatened.

Luca smirked as the wall sealed the akuma in with her, "Well, I guess it's time to dance huh? The question is: who's first?" The blue akuma, Thread Luca's mind corrected her silently, did not take kindly to her comment.

"You really think you can take us on?" Mimic placed a hand on his companion's shoulder.

"Calm yourself Thread. Just worry about opening the door and getting the boy." The deep purple akuma turned back to Luca. "I hardly think you have any right to speak to us like that. One lowly exorcist not even dressed in her uniform. You've hidden like a rat behind this wall too afraid to step out onto the battlefield where you belong. Little Scaredy-cat."

"Baszódj meg (Get fucked)!" The akuma raised an eyebrow but Luca kept going. "I find it hard to believe that you know anything about being an exorcist or what I'm doing here and considering that you actually know nothing about me perhaps you should keep kurva anyádat (your whore mother)'s mouth shut. Just be a good tin can and let me beat the szar (shit) out of you."

"Then come at me Little Scaredy-cat."

Luca sneered up at the akuma, "If it will make you happy, let's dance!" Thrusting her arm forward the liquid metal shot forward directly at the akuma's chest. The akuma dodged. Luca blinked staring for a moment, the innocence hadn't hit anything. Instead standing in front of her there were now two purple akuma. "Well that's new." her voice held a tone of mild surprise.

"My dark matter gives me the special ability to duplicate myself. You cannot defeat me. Surrender now and I will make your death as painless as possible." Luca rolled her eyes at the akuma and did her best to stifle a yawn.

"Are you done yet?" Mimic twitched slightly.

"Have you been ignoring me?!" The girl shrugged.

"Been trying to. Unfortunately it's not going very well. Does dark matter make you chatty or something?" Both akuma lunged at the exorcist.

"Now who's losing their temper?" Thread mocked before turning back to the door getting ready to use his dark matter to destroy the door. Summoning Harlequin back with a yank of her hand Luca leapt at the akuma as the black weapon wrapped around her arms and legs into comfortingly familiar armor. Landing on Mimic she used him as a springboard and jumped onto Thread's back jerking him back and away from the door.

"Get off me you little pest!" He spun around trying to dislodge the human from his back.

"Face me with honor Little Scaredy-cat." Mimic snapped angrily rushing over with his duplicate. The pair kicked at the whirling fighters. The kicks landed on Thread but shot him into the wall. Luca cried out in pain as her back and head connected with the wall. She slid down it when the akuma moved off of her.

"Come here! I'll tear you apart molecule by molecule!" He snarled aiming his threads at the girl. She just barely rolled away in time. Mimic grabbed her and flung her into the wall. She wasn't sure which one it was. She had lost track of which was the original one. She groaned as she fell to the floor.

"You can't possibly think that you can defeat both of us." Luca rolled her eyes at the akuma.

"Kapd be (Suck a dick)! I can do whatever I want. It will just take me longer to deal with you two." She brushed the dirt from her pants as she stood. The akuma snorted at her as the clones rushed her. Grinning the innocence unraveled from her arms before coiling into a long whip. Jumping high above them, the whip tangled around them, yanking them up and then down with her. Thread moved towards the door again. "Kurva életbe (god damn it)!" Spinning around she hurled the Mimic copies into him. The three akuma struggled to free themselves from the tangle of black metal.

"Release us you little weasel." Luca rolled her eyes at them and flung them into the opposite wall. She snapped the whip back to her.

"If you insist." Thread was the first one up.

"I've had it with you. Disappear!" Luca dodged and rolled to avoid the threads of dark matter being shot at her. One of the clones lunged at the girl who sprung away right into the trap set by the akuma. A thread pierced her shoulder. She cried out in pain as the dark matter went right through her old scar tissue and began to deteriorate her shoulder. Planting her left foot she brought her right foot up severing the thread.

The girl placed a hand on her injured shoulder testing it's constitution, "Te köcsög (you bastard)." she hissed wincing as cracks appeared due to the pressure. "That hurt." The sound of stone moving caught her attention. The door behind her was moving. She turned slightly to glance over her shoulder not daring to let the akuma out of her sight. Green eyes widened as Allen...no, it was Fo again disguised as Allen stepped through the barrier.

"So you came back." Thread looked disappointed. "Too bad. I was looking forward to hunting you down Allen Walker." Fo's arms transformed into scythes.

"Bye-bye Bak." Luca was the only one who caught what she had said. The taller girl rushed over.

"Is he safe?" she whispered softly in her ear. Fo simply nodded.

"I can't defeat an akuma but I can hold one off until you finish the first one off." Luca nodded at her.

"The blue one will come after you. I'll try to exorcise Mimic as fast as I can." A thread shot between them sending Luca vaulting backwards.

"Enough whispering. Let's get down to business." Luca glared at the Thread as he attacked Fo. _Man I can't wait to kill him. He's seriously pissing me off_ , she grumbled but turned towards Mimic knowing that she had to focus.

"Have you finally decided to take this fight seriously Little Scaredy-cat?"

"Seriously," the Hungarian groaned throwing her head back before rolling it back around to glare at the akuma in annoyance. "do you have a mute button?" Mimic sighed.

"I could ask you the same thing." They lunged at each other. The second Mimic came at Luca's exposed back. Grabbing the akuma she spun around throwing the clone into itself. "You can't keep running away from me." One of the clone's split again. _Maybe that's the original?_ she hummed as she landed several meters away. _It doesn't matter either way. I have to finish this quickly so I can save Fo_ , the three akuma charged at her firing punches in quick succession. Luca swung back and forth to avoid them. One shot forward to kick her feet out from under her. Jumping over the foot she slammed her own feet down snapping the limb with a loud pop and sizzle from the clash of innocence and dark matter. It wasn't nearly as strong as the time in Moldavia but still had a rather bright flash. However she could feel it, her innocence was stronger. A foot connected with her stomach sending her crashing into the wall. One of the other clones had tossed the other right at her. Luca coughed a couple of times before spitting a mouthful of blood into the water.

Her attention was diverted by Fo's shout of pain as one of her arm disintegrated, "Hang on! I'm coming!" She rushed over to help her friend only for one of the Mimics to grab her by her braid yanking her back.

"Worry about yourself. You can't help anyone if you're dead." She turned to glare at the akuma over her shoulder.

"Don't touch the hair." she hissed menacingly. Whirling around the girl leapt up wrapping her armored covered legs around the arm holding her hair while the whip snapped around a pillar before winding around the akuma's neck. "Now die." Yanking in both directions she ripped the helmet covered head from it's shoulders causing it to disappear. She landed on her feet. "Just a fake. How disappointing." Mimic glared at her and both duplicated.

"You only destroyed one. I can make as many as I wish! You'll never win! You'd have better luck tilting at a windmill!" Mimic laughed maniacally. Luca grinned.

"We'll see about that." The whip changed shape and shot through the clone farthest to the left. It disintegrated. "Well that wasn't right either. O for two I think I liked playing with the Noah better. He was more fun and apparently I was better at that game."

Mimic stopped his delirious laughter to look at the girl before shrieking in rage, "How dare you speak of Master Noah like that you stupid stupid girl!" Fo screamed again but Luca didn't have time to look at her before the three purple akuma lunged ready to tear her limb from limb. Luca groaned and summoned the whip back to her arms for her gauntlets.

"Release level 2: Harbinger!" Her innocence shone green for a moment before the barrage of punches came at her. Her armor blocked most of the hits but her stomach and legs took a few shots. She felt her innocence vibrate before it glowed green again. This time the green energy moved around slithering like snakes or water through the black metal.

"Huh? What's this?" She smirked at the akuma through the space between her arms which had been guarding her face.

"My innocence's true power. Strike, Nightmare's Mark!" the innocence shot forward out of the gauntlet obliterating the two clones leaving the original Mimic seething at the burns that scorched it's armor. Luca glanced over at Fo only to be horrified by what she saw. Her friend was missing both her arms and her left leg. She moved to attack Thread when several hands grabbed her. She glared over her shoulder again. Now there were four Mimics. "Jeez talk about a one trick pony." she huffed. She hit the wall hard. "Some people just can't handle criticism very well." Fo screamed again. Growling the armor slid off and shot out in all directions. The akuma dodged.

"All you've done is left yourself defenseless! Foolish human!" Mimic and his clones laughed gleefully as they rushed the weaponless pest. Luca smiled at them softly as if she were faced with a child.

"Are you so sure?" All four froze unable to move. She felt Allen's presence in the room. Whirling around she saw her brother leap from Thread's back to a piece of rubble. One of the clones pulled on the thin strings experimentally. Hissing at the tugging feeling Luca jerked the cords harshly, tightening the snare. She turned back to watch her brother face the akuma.

"Well are you strong?" Thread asked. Luca winced upon seeing the soul. _Allen must not realize he's sharing it again, Not that it really matters. He shouldn't have to face it alone_ , she noted silently.

"Love me. LOVE ME. STOP. STOP THIS THING. I'M RIGHT HERE. HELP ME! CAN'T YOU SEE ME? CAN'T YOU HEAR ME? DON'T YOU RECOGNIZE ME? LOVE ME!" The soul shrieked. "LOVE ME! LOVE ME! YOU EXIST FOR US, DON'T YOU?!" Luca couldn't tell if it meant Allen or all exorcists but it didn't really matter. Allen smiled gently at it.

"That's right." Thread shot forward not realizing that the boy wasn't speaking to him. Luca noticed Bak enter the room. He watched Allen for a moment before spotting Fo.

"Fo!" He rushed forward completely disregarding the water that reached up past his waist. The Hungarian smiled momentarily as he clutched the wounded guardian to his chest. Feeling the akuma squirming in her net she turned back to them. She flinched again. Due to Allen's eye Mimic's soul was displayed as well. It was in similar shape to Thread's.

"SAVE ME! SAVE ME PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE! THIS WASN'T MY CHOICE! I CAN'T GET OUT! CAN'T GET AWAY. I CAN'T STOP IT'S CARNAGE! THIS ISN'T ME. THIS ISN'T WHAT I WANTED! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!" Taking a deep breath to calm herself Luca looked at the soul. _I can't even imagine seeing this all the time. No wonder he feels like he has to save them all. Guess I should help my silly little brother in his quest_ , she smiled.

"It's alright. It'll all be over soon." Mimic snarled at her completely enraged as he struggled violently.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!" She sighed.

"Well at least now I can tell which one is the original." She yanked the threads intent on slicing the akuma to pieces only for the copies to vanish allowing Mimic to jump out of the trap. He pulsed three times before appearing in front of Luca slamming his fist into her stomach rocketing her into the water. _How the hell did he do that?_ she coughed as she resurfaced just barely swimming out of the way of the akuma's next attack. She pulled herself up onto some rubble. _I miss the floor_ , she groaned looking around.

"I can consume my duplicates to make myself stronger." Luca could hear the others shouting and screaming but there was too much water in her ears make out what it was. _Where did the water even come from and when did it get here? Man I need to pay more attention to things. Lenalee's right I'm gonna get myself killed at this rate_ , she shook her head in an attempt to clear her ears but only managed to get loose hair stuck to her face. _Joy._

"That's doesn't matter to me. As long as I can hit you I don't care how strong you are. I won't let you stand in my way." Luca wrung the water from her braid before cracking her back. Flicking her fingers the armor reappeared. _I've only got one shot at this_ , she sighed sliding into a fighting stance.

"You still have such arrogance. Well, I can fix that." The pair clashed in an explosion of purple and green sparks. Luca ducked a shot at her head and slammed her fist into the akuma's stomach before blocking one aimed for her chest, the metals screeching as it scraped against the other. Using the arm as leverage she leapt up and kicked Mimic in the face snapping his head to the side. He flung her into the wall. She shot off the wall straight into a barrage of punches that her gauntlets took the brunt of. "You are holding together rather well but it's time to end this little dance!" Charging a blast of dark matter Luca smirked as she wiped the blood from her chin with the back of her hand.

"If that will make you smile. Let's dance!" she met the attack head on with her own punch. Mimic looked on in surprise.

"How are you still breathing never mind standing?!" She grinned as her gauntlets blazing green.

"Rest now, it's over." She smiled softly at the soul one more time. Leaping at Mimic she smashed her fist directly into it's head shattering it and freeing the soul as it exploded. Landing on the rubble she winced as the cracks spread all across her body and she started to fade. "That's not good." She allowed her innocence to deactivate. Sinking down she looked over to see Allen talking to Thread.

"Rest in peace." he smiled and then exorcised it. Luca sighed in relief as the dark matter of the akuma vanished taking with it the effects of it's powers as well. No long falling apart the raven haired girl leapt on to her brother's back in a giant bear hug wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders.

"You did it!" she shrieked grinning like the cheshire cat. "I knew you could!"

* * *

 **Yay! Allen has regained his innocence! Luca has decided what she's going to do! I hope I have alienated any Rohfa fans but I just couldn't see her and Luca getting along. Luca can be a bit harsh and has a short temper and doesn't really know how to handle people like Rohfa. I don't hate her as a character, these are just Luca's feelings and how she see the scientists at the Asian branch. She's a bit uncomfortable with them. Anyway Allen got over his problem with his innocence and Luca relieved some stress with the akuma! Next chapter the gang will be back together and Luca will learn a startling piece of information! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to review because you are all my drug dealer. Seriously I have an addiction and can never get enough of it! Cheshire is out!**


	20. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Let's see if this will actually be posted on Tuesday. I keep doing this where it's starting to get late so I'm like "I better update" and then I take forever because I read through it one last time before I post it, then I take the time to go back and answer all my reviews in the author's note and I never seem to realize how long that takes because I have to go back and reread them and then answer them. I always try to thoroughly answer your guys whether you guys have comments or questions and just genuinely express my gratitude for the loving support you all give me. Reviews mean the world to me and always motivate me to write more and faster! So let's get down to those because you all should know by now that I don't own DGM and I'm sick of sayin' it!**

 **Dear EverlastingXTC, I'm glad to know that the time and effort I take to reply to each of my reviewers is not in vain! Your reviews always bring me such joy as they are always excited and filled with energy. I truly believe you when you say that you love my story. It pleases me to hear that you love Luca and think that she's really cool! I try my best to make her a compelling character that you can truly root for. Thank you for all your support and I hope you love this chapter as much as you and loved the others and I hope to hear from you again!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, Any attention to my fanfic helps though reviews bring me the most joy. The bring me hope and motivate me as they remind me that there are people out in the world that love my story enough to take the time to comment on them and so far all my reviews on this story which currently clock in at 41 have been positive and filled with nothing but love and support! As for you "can't even" a lot and telling me about it, oh no twist my arm to review a lot. XD I won't tell you how they meet again but I can tell you that Luca sure can be a dramatic little shit who likes to cause a scene so it should be good! Hope to hear from you again!**

 **Dear SheuOgama, A vote for the teez huh? The idea was first suggest by the 15** **th** **(so you can thank them!) and I'm glad you liked the idea. I had been trying to decide on it for a while now and thought I would run it by my fans. The votes have been cast and the stage is set! So look forward to Luca's new pet! As for their first kiss well keep an eye out it will be coming and it will certainly because it's bound to be entertaining! Your comment on their relationship filled me with glee to know that you see it the way I do! Enjoy the chapter and don't forget you leave me your theories on their first kiss! I'd love to hear it! ;D**

 **Dear Kp, I'm gonna go ahead and say that you are really excited by the idea of Luca getting a pet from Tyki as your answer was in all caps! I don't know if I would say mushy gushy. I'll leave that up to you when that chapter comes around. As I said last time Joyd will make his appearance in chapter 25. I can actually swear this to you this time. Your comment about my writing being AMAZING had me blushing madly. I take the time to respond to my reviewers because it means so much to me that you take the time to comment and give me encouragement on my story as well as share as your thoughts and feelings on my story and character so there really is no reason to thank me but you're welcome all the same!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, I simply must thank you! Not only for your review on every chapter since your first on on the 15** **th** **of June on chapter 9 but for all your feedback and ideas. You were the first one to make any kind of suggestions to me and here I am now taking one of them! You commented on chapter 13 asking if Tyki would give Luca a teez as a gift and I've been playing with the idea ever since. Finally deciding to put it to a vote among my fans I am happy to inform you that Luca will indeed be getting a pet teez from the Noah of Pleasure. As for your comment of Cross favoring Luca over Allen, that was not my intention at all. Cross is a hard character to write and his emotions as well as his feelings for his apprentices are complicated and hard to write. Cross loves Allen just as much as he does Luca, I never meant for Luca to be more important than Allen. Luca's innocence calls for more variety than Allen's. Allen's innocence can't change what it is. It would be silly for Luca who can make any (well almost any. There are weapons that she can't make) weapon to only be trained in hand to hand combat. Her innocence allows her to switch styles which she can't do if she only has one style. Luca's innocence simply demanded variety and more attention. It also gives her a better chance of survival if she's able to adjust her style to her opponents and just like with Allen despite his attitude and the way he acts towards Luca Cross adores her. Hoshino has stated that Cross loves Allen and sees him as his own child. The same can be said for Luca. Cross cherishes both Luca and Allen but due to what he knows will happen to Allen in the future he tries not to get attached to him. It's easier for Cross to love Luca and show it.** **Honestly their family dynamic and rather sad and very hard for me to write because of it. On a less depressing note I always love it when you tell me that my fight scenes are good. I constantly worry about them as this is the first time I've ever written anything that had fight scenes in them. I see them so vividly in my head that I wonder if I'm conveying them properly and you guys see them the way I do. It actually took me a little while to decide on Mimic's name and what his power should me. I wanted it to be something that would challenge Luca and annoy her at the same time. I initially never planned for him to be so chatty but he just kept talking and I was like whatever just do what you want. Now to answer your question I'm so glad that you picked up on that! If you go to the end of chapter 18: Where Do I Go? Tyki plainly states that Luca is dead to Road. So the real question is WHO sent Mimic and the answer to that will be revealed! You'll just have to be patient and wait to find out!**

 **Well that wraps it up for reviews! If any of you felt that it seems like Cross loves Luca more than Allen please read my response to 15 I explain it up there! So in keeping with the Alice in Wonderland theme that liters this story and Luca's life please enjoy chapter 20: Down the Rabbit Hole!**

* * *

Luca groaned as Wong had her do another test. She had lost count of how many she had already done. She could understand them wanting to run tests on Allen. He almost shattered and finally got his innocence back but she didn't. She was fine, az istenit (god damn it)! She could feel her eye twitching as the tests went on and on.

"Wong I swear to all things holy if you ask me to do one more test I will murder everyone here." the man chuckled though he knew that she was completely capable of what she threatened.

"We just want to make sure you're alright. It was dangerous for you to fight two level 3's at the same time."

Luca shrugged him off, "It wasn't a big deal. I'm surprised that you aren't still checking on Allen. He almost shattered." Wong gave her a look.

"You almost shattered too." She shrugged.

"It wasn't as bad as you are making it all out to be. You people freak out too much. I was fine. Besides the akuma is gone and so is it's dark matter. Thus the effects are gone." She hopped off the exam table deciding on leaving whether or not she was done with the tests.

"You should take better care of yourself Luca." she started heading for the door. "You can't help Allen if you can't move." she stopped in her tracks. "The best way to assist your brother is to take care of yourself so you are there when he needs you most." Wong noticed that she seemed to at least be considering his words.

"I'll keep it in mind." with that she was gone. Luca found Allen waiting outside the exam room for her. He was messing with his shirt.

"Changing back to your regular button up shirt huh?" He looked up as they headed towards the room they had last seen Bak.

"Yeah, the other is good for training but I don't think it'd be good to go out into public in it." She nodded.

"Yeah I guess that's true."

"What about you? You seemed to really like the crop top." he said noting his sister's sweetheart neckline strapless top was back.

She sighed, "As much as I like it, the top gets in the way of my innocence and believe it or not, wearing it the way I was actually saved me in Moldavia. The Noah, he caught me. Had me pinned down, started opening my jacket to get at the innocence I had hidden in there. Unfortunately for him he didn't know that Harlequin crosses my collarbone and thus I was able to get him off me." They found Bak. He was watching the video feed of Allen and his innocence.

"Clown eh? Rather suits me." Allen noted. Luca chuckled and shook her head. Unlike most people Allen actually liked clowns. Holding a special place in his heart because of Mana. _Maybe that's why he hates the Earl so. Because he loves clowns because Mana was a clown but the Earl almost defiles them_ , she noted silently.

"Oh? Are you two all done with your tests?" Bak asked noticing them walking over to him.

The pair nodded together though only Allen answered, "Yeah, Wong says we're in fine shape though Luca didn't let him finish her exam." Bak raised an eyebrow at her but she just shrugged but he moved on with a silent sigh.

"And your left arm?" Allen flexed, moving it around a bit.

"It works, though still a bit numb." Bak smiled at him.

"Good." The man seemed to drift off into his own mind, just staring at the siblings sadly. Allen finished putting on his shirt and was tying his neck ribbon when he finally noticed Bak's expression.

"You look sad. Something wrong Bak?"

"Oh it's nothing," Bak diverted the conversation. "Crowned Clown eh? That's what we'll call you then." Allen was silent for a moment.

"Is it powerful?" Bak looked up in surprise.

"What?"

Allen elaborated, "My innocence. Is it really strong?" he questioned again. _Luca and Harlequin got stronger with every battle. Actually they got stronger with every hit. Her durability is the answer. If she can stand the hit she can return it_ , he hummed silently. He had no doubt his sister was strong but he wanted to stand by her, be able to protect her if she ever needed it. _Next time I won't need her protection. I'll protect her if she needs it. Not the other way around_ , his silver eyes slid over to the girl. He noted the subtle differences in her eyes ever since she met the Noah. He couldn't quite pin down what it was but he couldn't help but wonder how somebody had such an effect on her in such a short time.

"Oh. Yes! It's extremely powerful!" Bak grinned at him.

"Good." Allen smiled at him. Luca grinned.

"Sounds like we're ready to go." Allen nodded and turned to her.

"I wanna say goodbye to Fo first."

Luca laughed, "Yeah me too. Why don't you go and say goodbye first. I'm gonna go say goodbye to Jian before I see Fo." Allen nodded at her.

"Yeah sure." he started towards the door to go see Fo who was still healing from the akuma attack. "Oh, Director Bak," Allen stopped a few steps from the door to look at the blond man over his shoulder. "No matter what Chief Komui says we're going to board that ark." His eyes flicked over to Luca who smirked and nodded her approval of his choice.

"Hell yeah!" Bak sighed as the Hungarian gave her agreement. Allen left to go talk to Fo while Luca went to go find Jian.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the demon slayer." Jian grinned as she entered his training room.

"Oh come on it wasn't that impressive. It was actually pretty sloppy if you ask me." His grin grew.

"I didn't ask you. At least you can fight them. I could only run. But I've already gotten Bak to allow me to watch the fight and I was impressed. You held off two level 3 akuma by yourself until Fo distracted one of them." She rolled her eyes playfully.

"Whatever you say. Anyway I'm not a very emotional person but I wanted to say goodbye. Allen and I are heading out and I don't think we'll be coming back." He laughed.

"I think it's good that you two are heading back out into the field. Neither of you know how to sit still. At least I won't have to hear you wandering the halls at night." She blushed lightly.

"Yeah I know, it's what I do when I can't sleep. It's a trait we both share. Allen was just too exhausted to do it." she chuckled.

"Be safe and remember you can beat him. Don't let what happened in the bamboo forest get to you. Leave the past in the past and move forward." she nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for sparring with me. It was helpful." He laughed.

"You were much better than I was expecting. Go get 'em kid." he reached out ruffling her hair to which she made a face at.

"Yeah, okay." she waved as she left the room. Allen was done by the time she got to Fo's door.

Keep an eye on that brother of yours. He's crazy." Fo spoke. Luca laughed. It was a little weird to hear a disembodied voice speak but it was still her friend's voice so she didn't really mind.

"If he's crazy what am I?"

Fo laughed, "You? You're freaking psychotic. But you're as loyal as they come. I think I'm glad I didn't see you when that Noah tried to kill Allen and I'd hate to see what happens when you get your hands on him." Luca laughed harder.

"Oh I don't know. Allen survived so maybe I'll just kick his ass and let him off with that. I'll decide when I manage to corner him. Right now I have the advantage. He thinks I'm dead. So I think I'll sneak up on him and give him a good scare." Fo joined her in laughing.

"Yeah you two are both insane. Allen cares for both humans and akuma. And then we have you his older sister, who regularly plays with a Noah for fun. You actually enjoy fighting him. You genuinely enjoy fighting in general, but you get a special rush when you fight him." Luca opened her mouth to protest but Fo cut her off. "Don't even try to deny it. That butterfly," it was here that Luca noticed the butterfly that had shown up with akuma was hovering by her head again. Ever since the butterfly had shown up it had taken to following Luca around constantly. Scor tried to chase it off but it just moved to her other side. Scor settled grumpily on her owner's left shoulder. "It belongs to him or he makes them. I saw your face when the butterfly showed up. You were hoping it was him. So get out there and kick his ass." Luca snorted.

"Do me a favor and keep that information to yourself would ya Fo?" The guardian snorted in return.

"Whatever you say. You're my friend so I'll keep your addiction a secret."

Luca pouted slightly, "It's not an addiction. He amuses me, that's all."

"Whatever you say Luca." Fo was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Be careful please Luca. Don't get hurt." Luca snickered slightly.

"It's war Fo. People get hurt but I'll do my best. See ya around!" She waved as she left the room to find her brother.

"I'm not worried about you physically. It's your heart that concerns me. You having feelings for that man. Feelings that you shouldn't have. Please don't let them grow anymore. You can't love him, he will only hurt you." She knew that the raven haired girl hadn't heard her but she wasn't meant to. Luca found Allen talking to Bak again.

"Before you go, here." Bak handed both exorcists a pile of black cloth.

"New uniforms?" Allen asked looking at his. Luca poked her experimentally.

"Yep. Komui sent them over. Better go get changed." Luca shrugged at Allen as they walked back to their rooms. Allen was already back at the gate by the time Luca returned. His eyes widened as they fell on her. The jacket wasn't much different in terms of physical style and she still wore the same boots. Yet instead of the pants she normally had, she wore short shorts. He could already see some of the scientists looking at her longer than he was comfortable with, especially the older scientists. _What was Johnny thinking?!_ cried his internal voice.

"Hey!" He blinked looking up to find her snapping her fingers in his face.

"I'm sorry what?" She rolled her eyes at him as she went back to weaving her thick hair into her signature boxer braids.

"I asked if we were ready to go but you just stared out into space. If you're not ready then we don't have to go." she sounded a bit funny but currently she had both her hair ribbons clenched between her teeth. Allen watched as she struggled to grab one without letting go of the braid. Pulling on of the silver ribbons from her teeth he handed it to her. She smiled at him. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem and no, I'm ready. I've been out of the battlefield far too long, I was just thinking." He shook his head and she smiled at him as she finished tying up her other braid before looking down suddenly startled by something. "What's wrong?" he asked panicking slightly.

"What are these?" He followed her line of sight down to her exposed legs. He calmed down ever so slightly.

"Those are your legs." he informed her dryly. She blinked at them a few times before returning her gaze to him only to blink owlishly.

"Have you ever seen anything so white?" He thought she was joking but her soft tone and head tilt told him that she was serious.

Allen snorted, "Yeah, mine." the pair laughed until Bak called them over.

"Hey you two, come here for a moment!" shrugging the pair jogged over to the blond man. "Wear these." Both were handed a golden earring. "I want you both to have one in case you get separated." The earrings were tall thin trapezoid. Luca reached up to pull the bottom earring out of her left ear only to find the first hole empty. _That's right, he took my earring right before he left. I wonder what he did with it and why he wanted it?_ she thought to herself. The weight of the earring tugged lightly on her ear but it would go away as soon as she got used to it.

"What is it?" Allen questioned as he put his in.

"It's a new communicator I've been working on. Our normal communication golems aren't durable enough to withstand entering the ark. I have no idea if Scor can or not so this is to be safe.

"Can you two hear me?" Komui's voice came through the earring.

"Chief?"

"Chief Komui?" The Walker siblings spoke at the same time.

"Is something wrong? As your superior, it's my job to see that you don't endanger yourselves. More than you already do." he sighed that last part causing Luca to giggled. "I'm looking at you Luca!" he snapped causing Allen to laugh. Taking a moment to compose himself Komui continued, "You see, we don't know whether that thing is Noah's ark or not. It seems to be some kind teleportation device, but we still don't know enough about it. It could be a trap." Green eyes flicked up to the butterfly fluttering by her head. _I don't think it's a trap. It's not his style_ , she hummed. "So we're going to explore the ark with you. And if we decide that it's too dangerous, I want you BOTH to get out immediately."

"Turn tail?! NEVER!" The siblings answered together rather loudly. Komui just laughed at their reaction.

"Insubordinate as ever, I see. Nice to know that a near death experience hasn't changed the old Walker siblings' bullheadedness." Luca cut in.

"Wait, Walker? When did my surname become Walker?" she asked quizzically. Komui was quiet for a moment. He hadn't even realized that he had said it.

"We've been calling you two that for a while. Just like some people call me and my darling Lenalee the Lee siblings." he shrugged. Luca turned to Bak.

"Did you know this?"

He nodded then inquired, "You didn't?" Luca shook her head.

"No. When did you all change my surname?" Komui answered her.

"When Allen showed up. We needed a way to refer to the both of you and we quickly got tired of 'Luca and Allen' or 'Walker and Blackwood' and Walker fits you both better than Blackwood. So we all just started calling you the Walker siblings. It's easier." Allen did his best not to laugh at the face his older sister was making.

"Fine. Whatever. Everyone just change my surname without me. Don't even bother to tell me. Whatever. It's fine." she sighed throwing her hands up as if she was surrendering and then spoke again. "Might as well make it official. You can change all my paperwork to Walker." Komui chuckled again.

"All the same," Komui returned to his more solemn tone. "you're very dear to us. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you. Honestly don't you care about our feelings Allen?"

"Why aren't you asking Luca too?" Allen protested feeling like he was being picked on.

Komui sighed sadly, "Because I know she doesn't care. If she did, she wouldn't go out of her way to poke the same Noah with a stick." Luca groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Oh just let it go! I ran into him! If anything blame him!" She protested though she was ignored.

"Yeah sure Luca. Whatever you say." Komui said dragging out the word sure.

"Fine! You win!" The siblings groaned about to enter the ark when a voice called out.

"Allen wait!" Rohfa, Shifu, and Li Kei ran over all completely out of breath. Luca held in a snort, knowing it would be rude.

"Rohfa, why are you so...? The Chinese girl held something out to him in her open palm. It was the card deck.

Rohfa explained, "These are your cards, Allen. There was a spade missing so the three of us made you a new one." Allen took them with a smile taking a moment to look at the deck.

"Wow. Thank you." The three smiled.

"Be careful!" the brunette smiled.

"Good luck, Allen." Li Kei gave a thumbs up while Shifu just smiled.

"Thanks!" Bak took over.

"This is it. You're back in action." The siblings, along with the butterfly still hovering by Luca's head stepped through the door and into the ark. Luca blinked, once, twice, thrice.

"Can you two hear me?" Luca registered that Komui was trying to talk to them. "Are you inside the ark?"

"Wha...?" Allen asked looking around. The pair wandered after the butterfly.

"What's wrong Allen?" Komui sounded worried.

Allen quickly recovered, "Nothing. It's just not what I expected." Luca looked around at the white buildings. She walked over to kick one experimentally. It didn't budge or give any indication that it would fall.

"Huh."

"What do you see?" Komui's voice brought Luca back. Having no idea where they were or how to get to their comrades Luca decided to follow the butterfly as it seemed to be trying to lead them somewhere. She tuned out Allen as he explained what the inside of the ark looked like. Stopping for a moment the butterfly flew back to her and landed on her finger when the girl held it out.

"I would've never guessed that you were flesh eating if I hadn't seen it before my own eyes."

"What do you mean Luca?" it was at this point that Luca remembered that Komui could hear her. She chuckled sheepishly rubbing the back of her head,

"Oh, sorry about that. I was talking to the butterfly." Quiet fell between the three as the siblings walked through the ark.

Finally Allen spoke breaking the silence, "Chief Komui?"

"Yes?" The Chinese man asked.

"Is everyone all right?" Luca bit her lip at the question. She wanted to think that they were but this was war and if they ran into a Noah she had no idea how that would go.

"Of course. Just think happy thoughts." Luca raised an eyebrow at that. Allen shared her sentiment.

"Happy thoughts?"

"Can't you think of any? How about when everyone comes home again?" Luca smiled. It had been a while since she had been home. She missed her bed the most out of all the things there. Komui kept talking, "The first thing I'll do is pat everyone on the back and welcome them. Then I'll give Lenalee a great big hug! And I'll make sure you get plenty to eat, Allen. There will be all kinds of sweets there for you Luca, and I have more cogs, gears, wires, and other metal things for you as well. And Lavi will probably fall asleep on the spot so I'll have to throw a blanket over him. Then I'll drink a little wine with the adults. We'll have a big celebration . And we'll all fall into a delicious sleep. Then of course Kanda will show up, looking grumpy as always." Luca took a deep breath and sighed. Despite the man's silliness he painted a beautiful picture of home. A place Luca never thought that she would have. A place that neither of the Walker siblings would ever have. Luca sighed again and began tapping her finger against her leg as they followed the butterfly deeper into the city.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Luca turned back to look at her brother. "Here, Lu." he held out the deck of cards to her. Luca smiled at him and took them gently. She ran her thumb along the band holding them together. She slid them into one of the pouches that ran from her left hip to her right one along the back of her belt. They would be safe there.

"I figured you'd want to keep them since Rohfa went to all the trouble of making you another spade." Allen smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"I told you that you could have them. I just didn't have the heart to tell them that they were actually your cards. We were so busy that I just tucked them into my jacket and then we got separated by the akuma and then I almost died." Luca nodded. Suddenly the butterfly fluttered back over to Luca to grab a longer piece of her bangs and attempted to tug her over to a certain door. She gave a yelp of surprise more than pain though she didn't appreciate the pulling on her scalp.

"Allen I think the butterfly wants us to go through the door!" she called pointing at the door causing her brother to jog over to her.

"The butterfly is called a teez." Luca nodded at the new information.

"Good to know. I think the teez is trying to tell us that this is the door that we want."

"Well let's go." She nodded, grinning.

"Time to go! Ready?" He nodded and they opened the door. Immediately they found themselves faced with a large green crystal. "Allen! This is Lenalee's innocence! And she's inside it!" Allen's eyes snapped over to where the Earl was preparing to destroy it. He rushed over. Allen's hand shot through stopping the Earl while Harlequin wrapping around the Earl constricting his movements.

"Good evening Earl." He greeted with a smile. Luca grinned from her place crouched atop the giant crystal giving her own greeting. Though her eyes quickly drifted to the shadow's cast by the light emitting from innocence. She didn't have one due to the fact that she was on top of it. Allen's looked different than he normally did. His hair was spiky but the shadow's was exaggerated. It looked like the Earl and Allen were yelling at each other due to the shadows' mouths being open. _Huh, that's new. I wonder what that...why do I feel like I've seen something like that before? I'll ask Master about it once we find him_ , she hummed to herself.

"Good Evening. We meet again, Allen and Luca Walker." despite the huge smile across his face Luca could feel the murderous intent rolling off the clown. _Even he calls me Walker. Seriously did everyone know this but me?_ she knew it was a bad time to being having these thoughts but couldn't get rid of them.

Allen shot forward shoving the Earl back and away from Lenalee calling over his shoulder as he went, "Luca! Take care of Lenalee! She can't protect herself in that state." Luca nodded feeling that the crystal was about to disappear. She managed to jump off just as it vanished Lenalee falling through the air unconscious. Luca landed on her feet catching Lenalee in her arms. She looked around gauging each battle Harlequin floating around her, ready to defend it's mistress and friend at a moment's notice. Allen was still battling the Earl though she noticed that the weird talking umbrella was turning into a sword.

"Well that's good to know." she muttered to herself. Her eyes flicked over to Lavi. He was fighting a mountain of a man who towered over him. _I'd hate to see him standing over me. My Love is probably about a foot taller than me and that guy's taller than him_ , she noted to herself slightly irked that everybody seemed to be taller than her. _Speaking of My Love_ , her eyes left Lavi and his opponent and moved over to where she felt the Portuguese man's presence. _Oh that's an interesting match up_ , she laughed slightly watching Kanda attack the Noah continuously. _He thought I was relentless he's in for a whole new surprise_ , she chuckled lightly. Lavi's cry of pain drew her attention again. _Better help him before he gets himself killed_ , she looked down at that thought. _Lena's still unconscious so I better attack from afar_ , she sighed. "Harlequin go!" The liquid shot forward, winding around the man.

Lavi's eyes widened, "Luca?" he looked around but couldn't see the girl anywhere. Something exploded and he couldn't see anything. Both the Noah and the molten innocence disappeared form his view. He shielded his eyes from the smoke. Suddenly something white rushed out of the cloud. The silver mask was right in his face. "Akuma?" he questioned. He had never seen one that looked like this, his confusion grew when it went around him.

"Lavi?" The white shape changed into Allen with a white cloak wrapped around his shoulders. "Did the Earl pass through here?" Lavi didn't have time to answer before another voice yelled out.

"Come back here, you son of a bitch!" Kanda shot through the smoke wielding Mugan. He brought the sword down hard, Allen just barely managed to block with his left arm. "Die!" Kanda shouted not realizing that it was Allen, not that it would've really mattered. Lavi jumped completely taken aback by Kanda's sudden appearance. Luca jogged over to see what all the commotion was about, Lenalee still nestled safely in her arms.

"Kanda?!" Allen asked. Kanda's dark gray eyes widened upon seeing Allen.

"Beansprout?" Allen glared at him.

"It's Allen." he snapped. The metal of the sword screeched as it moved along Allen's arm.

"What's going on here?" Kanda growled.

Allen responded in kind, "That's what **I'd** like to know!" Luca groaned at the noise that the innocence was making scraping against each other.

"Knock it off, guys! That noise is driving me crazy!" Reluctantly Kanda moved Mugan away from Allen though he turned to yell at Lavi.

"Oi! Lavi! I was chasing the Noah with the curly hair! Did you see him?!" Lavi looked around rubbing the back of his head.

"Come to think of it what happened to that big guy I was fighting? Did you see him Luca?" The girl shook her head.

"When whatever it was exploded I summoned Harlequin back to me in case the Earl was making another go at Lenalee. I figured you be okay for a few moments." She looked down at the girl still unconscious in her arms, cradled against her chest. The older girl's head resting on her upper chest. Luca focused on coming down from her battle high. So her thundering heart wouldn't wake her friend. _I can't believe that I haven't seen her since our fight in China. I wonder if she's still mad at me?_ Luca thought to herself.

"What's going on?" Allen asked looking around with the others.

"The Noah have vanished." Luca spoke. "Completely. I can't even feel their presences." she noted after a moment. Kanda made a face at Allen.

"What's with that face?" Allen shouted. "Don't act as if I got in your way and caused you to lose them. Besides, I bet the Noah got away because you're such a slowpoke."

Kanda didn't take kindly to Allen's comment, "What was that? It was your punk ass that barged in here like a sloth, later than everyone else." He glared at Allen. "What were you thinking, you slow Beansprout?"

"My name's Allen, how many times do I have to say it?" Luca sighed as the pair started in again.

"It's been maybe five minutes together and they're already like this." Lavi came to stand by her, giving Lenalee a once over.

Allen continued his commentary on Kanda, "Oh yeah, I forgot that your brain's as slow as the rest of you."

"That's some attitude you've got there. I'll show you who's really the dumb shit here." Kanda kept glaring at Allen as the pair went back and forth.

"I think you're both dumb szars (shits). Bickering like children." Lavi snickered at Luca's comment though the arguing pair missed the remark.

"You wanna fight? I'll chop off all that white hair of yours and sell it to some old geezers!" Allen sighed and scratched at his scalp slightly.

"Wouldn't selling black hair get you a better deal?" the younger boy asked in a condescending manner.

"For your insolence, I'll leave one strand behind." Allen raised an eyebrow at this.

"Are you trying to turn me into a kappa?" he questioned mockingly.

Lavi tried to defuse the situation, "Calm down you two. Reunions are supposed to be happy."

"Shut up or die!" the pair snapped in unison. _Okay, that's enough of that. I wonder if this will work on them. Oh well, it will be fun to try_ , she grinned at her thoughts.

"Girls! You're both pretty!" All three heads turned to face her slowly, their brains still processing what she had just said. "Oh good it worked. Now that you two are done bickering, let's go find the others. We need to regroup and come up with a plan." The boys grumbled a bit mostly about not being pretty or girls but did as they were told.

* * *

"Why are we retreating? I was having fun. What's going on?" Tyki asked letting out a puff of smoke. Tyki groaned as the Earl dragged him and Skin through the ark by the back of their shirts. "That exorcist girl may have the heart." he winced as green eyes flashed in his head. He had been having fun playing with the little exorcists. It had distracted him from some rather depressing thoughts. He still missed Butterfly despite his best efforts to convince himself that he didn't. _She is...was just another exorcist. She wasn't anything special. She didn't matter. It's my job to kill them. I don't miss her_ , his thoughts swirled around in his head. _Oh who the hell am I kidding? I do miss her. She means...meant far more to me than she should_ , he sighed.

The Earl ignored his complaining, "You're heavy. You two sure have really grown."

"Hello? Are you even listening?"

"The ark data transfer will be complete in less than four hours." Tyki looked up to find Road wearing a short white dress with thin straps, it was so unlike her usual clothing choice. She was leaning on the railing of one of the windows on a house in the ark.

"Oh you did well Road." The Earl praised with a smile. Road looked bored.

"You owe me a year's worth of candy. Hey...where's Lero?"

"Yes yes." the Earl sighed. Kids were so demanding.

"You're letting them go?" Tyki questioned bringing the conversation back to it's original point.

The Earl snorted at him, "Certainly not." Tyki went back to smoking.

"Didn't think so." The Earl spoke again gaining Tyki's attention.

"And your erstwhile target has returned as well." Gold eyes snapped open wide and he leaned his head all the way back to look up at the taller man.

"He's alive?! Left arm and all?" The Earl chuckled at the Portuguese man's reaction.

"Alive and intact. He thwarted my plan quite thoroughly." _Hoo, boy_ , Tyki thought though he watched as silver eyes bled green. _Why couldn't she have survived instead? Would I have been able to save her if I cut her arm off right then?_ he shook away those thoughts.

Road jumped from the window to land on the Earl's back, "What are you talking about?" she questioned happily.

"Tyki-pon's incompetence." Tyki opened his mouth to complain about the nickname then thought better of it. The Earl already wasn't happy about the fact that Allen was alive and well so it was probably best that he kept his mouth shut for the moment. _Butterfly would laugh at me if she saw this. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like if she ever heard that atrocious nickname. She'd never let me live it down_ , he groaned softly when he realized that once again his mind had slipped to the deceased exorcist.

"Really?" Road asked grinning at him. She moved so she was leaning down into Tyki's face not caring that her dress flipped over revealing her underwear. "Tyki, are you smoking a new brand?" she asked quizzically.

"No. Why do you ask?" he looked up at her curiously but she didn't answer him.

"Oh."

* * *

Luca groaned as she sat on the ground with the others hidden under a bridge with Daisya sitting on her left. She was so happy to see him again. Lenalee still hadn't woken up and Miranda was busy fussing over the others who were injured. She had briefly introduced herself to Luca once they were settle under the bridge but had quickly started to worry about the others. A portly Chinese man made his way over to her.

"Can I sit here?" he pointed to the spot next to her.

"Yeah sure." she shrugged. He sat down and offered her his hand. She took it and shook it before dropping it.

"It's nice to meet you Lady Exorcist. My name is Chaoji. I was a crew member on Mistress Anita's ship. I saw you there and then you disappeared." Luca gave a soft smile.

"Yeah one of the akuma grabbed Allen and I guess I'm a bit overprotective of my little brother." He nodded laughing a bit.

"Yeah I saw you jump from the ship and I knew that I didn't want to be in your way. My older brother can be the same. He's over there." she followed his pointing finger to another dark haired Chinese man who appeared several years older that the one sitting next to her.

"Oh, wow. I completely forgot to give you my name. I'm so sorry." He laughed.

"Oh it's okay Mistress Luca." she blinked a few times.

"You know my name?" she questioned. He blushed.

"Uh yeah. Miss Anita introduced all the exorcists to us, just in case you needed something from us." She nodded.

"I apologize for not knowing your name." He laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal. There were too many of us, so even if you had been introduced to us all I wouldn't expect you to remember me." She smiled at him causing his blush to spread more.

"Are you okay?" she tilted her head in confusion. "I-I-I-I-I mean physically?" She raised an eyebrow at the unusual wording, making his ears turn red. She blinked a couple of times.

"Yeah, I didn't really fight. We should be more worried about the others." He nodded.

"Please use my life in any way that you need." She smiled awkwardly, unsure of how to respond to that really. Luckily for her General Tiedoll diverted Luca attention.

"You're aware that Cross and his altered akuma used you as decoys, aren't you?" Luca snorted.

"That sounds like Master. Actually he does that rather often. So it's not surprising at all." Tiedoll looked over at the dark haired girl for a moment. _Just how the hell did that man had raised his apprentices? If I remember correctly Marian found Luca when she was 7 and Allen when he about 10. Granted their ages were just a guess but still..._ , he wondered silently.

"Right now the only exorcists left in the entire world are Zokalo, Klaud Nine, and Hevlaska at the Order. Marian and the eleven of us here." Luca tuned out the rest of it. Her attention turned over to where Allen and Lavi were leaning over Lenalee. The Chinese girl was starting to wake up. She leaned into Daisya, resting her head on his shoulder. She could hear Allen apologizing to Lenalee about Suman. Daisya looked down at her.

"Are you okay? You're tense."

She sighed, her friend knew her too well, "Let's just say that in the long run what happened in China was good because Allen's innocence is no longer unrefined. It's stronger and better but I don't agree with how we ended up there." He raised an eyebrow and his dark eyes flickered over to Chaoji who had moved closer to Lenalee and the rest of their group before moving back down to the girl leaning on him.

"How did you end up there?" He kept the fact that he hadn't even known something had happened to them to himself.

"I don't mean to speak ill of the dead but one of our deceased comrades sold us out and his innocence turned on him. Allen tried to save him and he broke his innocence, leaving him unable to defend himself when a Noah came after him. He just barely survived by a miracle." she answered. Daisya didn't know who she was talking about. He knew that the other two units had all died but didn't know which one she was referring too.

"How do you know this?" he questioned, his eyes still on the dark haired beauty.

"I was there. I left to go find him and Lenalee. Lenalee and I fought about it before I left to go find Allen. The Noah was already there when I got there. Allen's innocence did something weird and saved him while I chased the Noah off. But he still had to regain it. It was not something I ever wanted to see. It actually scared me." Daisya eyebrows shot into his hair. Very few things scared the younger girl, she admitted to even fewer things.

"Is that why you're tense? Because you're doing your best to bite your tongue and not say anything to them about it?" She nodded.

"Yeah pretty much." she paused for a moment watching Lenalee place a hand on Allen's face. "Though I have to say that they're pretty cute together." Daisya's eyes moved over to the younger pair of exorcists who were clearly having a moment.

"Ya think so?"

Luca giggled at her friend, "Oh yeah. They both like each other. Big time! You boys are so oblivious." He snorted indignantly.

"I'm not completely oblivious! I noticed that you were tense. That's something!" She laughed as her friend protested. She smiled softly.

"I missed you." He laughed.

"I miss you too. I'm glad that Noah didn't chase you down." She grinned up at him cheekily.

"Actually he did, but it had nothing to do with you. I ran into him while I was in Sassari and he just happened to be collecting a piece of innocence which I proceeded to steal from him and run away. He chased after me because I drove him crazy. We actually ran into each other several times, and let me tell you he's a lot of fun to tease." Daisya just shook his head at her.

"I give up! I worry about you only to find out that you had fun almost dying." She smirked up at him.

"Well, I was never bored." He glared at her playfully.

"Don't go quoting my own words back at me!" he huffed in annoyance though it wasn't real.

"Welcome back." Lenalee smiled at Allen.

He smiled back at her, "Thank you. It's good to be back Lenalee." Lavi decided to ruin the moment.

"Aw, he's getting' all teary." Allen glared at him, until Lenalee pointed something out.

"You did too, Lavi."

"Did not!" Allen smirked at Lavi.

"Did you go wah wah wah?" Luca and Daisya laughed as the pair started bickering again.

"I swear if it's not one pair it's the other." she grinned at her friend. Suddenly Lenalee vanished through the floor. Luca shot up over to them.

"Lenalee!" Allen grabbed her hand only to get pulled in. Luca caught Allen's ankle.

"They're after Lenalee! Stop them!" Luca vaguely registered Tiedoll's shout as something wrapped around her ankle.

"Allen! Luca!" Lavi's voice called out behind her. As they all fell through the portal that opened under Lenalee dropping them into the ark.

* * *

 **Way to ruin a moment between close friends, Lero! Jeez such a rude little pumpkin-headed umbrella! No respect! Anyway yay! Daisya came back! I missed him! He and Luca can get into a lot of trouble unfortunately you guys haven't gotten to see any of it because war sucks! Maybe they'll get to cause some havoc once the exorcists return home! I'll keep that in mind! Let me know in the reviews if you want to see the terrible two in action together! Also who enjoyed Luca's response to the Order renaming her? I laughed the entire time I wrote it! Next time! Chapter 21: Little Game Tyki proposes a game among friends and Luca will make a new friend (let me know who you think it will be)! Tune in next Tuesday to understand what the hell I just said! Cheshire is gone for the week~!**


	21. Little Game

**Well it is once again Tuesday and you all know what that mean! An update from me! Speaking of updates As I said in the AN of chapter 19 I am writing a new story. It is about Luca and Tyki they are just on a different adventure. I posted the first chapter on Saturday so you should all definitely go and check that out! There are still demons and fighting but it's got a twist! I'll be updating that one on Saturdays so be on the look out for those! I hope you all enjoy Conflict of Interests! Side note: I still need a ship name for Luca and Tyki so feel free to offer ideas up! I'm all ears! Now on to the reviews as I don't have anything else meaningful to say! Though speaking of reviews! As of this chapter this story has 50! I was so excited when I saw that! I just have to say I love you all and your reviews truly do make me happy!  
**

 **Dear SheuOgama, An interesting observation. The Walker siblings sure do go through several name changes. Not all of them have been seen yet. I'm glad that it entertained you though. As for your thought on Lero being Luca's friend I can assure you that you will know who here new friend is at the end of the chapter! Luca and Lero have an...interesting relationship. Enjoy!**

 **Dear** **AlA52, Thanks, I think. Your review was kind of messy. I don't know if you did that on purpose or not but I had a hard time trying to figure out what you said. I think I translated it as "Very nice story" let me know if I got this wrong. I'm glad you liked it and hope to hear from you again.**

 **Dear Sakuraddiction, I'm so excited to hear that you love the story! It always makes my heart swell to have somebody new review even if they say that they just found the story. That fact that it's still attracting new readers is wonderful news! It's nice to know that you can easily empathize with Luca and I understand those moments well. You were that other people are having problems too and feel like you should be able to deal with your problems by yourself. A big part of Luca's is that like her master she has a lot of secrets that she can't share with her friends and brother even if she wanted too and those are the things that stress her out the most. I hope you can find somebody to talk to about yours! As for your comments on Luca and Tyki well you'll just have to read and find out!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, I'm excited just by your review. It's almost like I can feel your excitement coming through the review into my laptop and then to me. I can feel the jitters in my leg as I wait for your response and thoughts on the next chapter. It's good to know that I portray Tyki missing her properly without being weird or OOC. When he finds out she's still alive, well let's just go with it will definitely be a scene to remember.**

 **Dear Kp, Yes Tyki will be back in this chapter you will actually get a pretty good look in his head and how he's feeling and what that translates into his relationship with Luca! As you've seen in the last couple of chapters things have gotten complicated and they have both realized it. Neither really even knows how or when it happened. You have to remember it only looks like a butterfly and that it's really a flesh eating golem which is fun. I have to admit that I too am actually counting down the weeks until Joyd appears. I'm really excited to bring that chapter to you after so many chapters of you guys asking about it and him and his reaction to Luca. I think that I'm just as excited as you all are! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear EverlastingXTC, I was really surprised when I got your review and half of it was in caps. It brought a smile to my face to know that you are so investing in their relationship that the last chapter has got you so excited for this one. I'm glad you liked the megamind quote! Like you I use it all the time but I had forgotten where it came from, so thank you for reminding me. Honestly I would love it if the writers I reviewed to would reply to my reviews. I genuinely enjoy reading and responding to your reviews. I find that interacting with my readers is as you said part of the experience. To hear what you have to say about the story, my writing, and the characters. Enjoy this next chapter!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, My beloved 15** **th** **I feel like the Earl when he starts in about Neah whenever I say that but I like it so I'm gonna say it again! If he can be crazy why can't I? I've only written a single chapter where she really spends time with the teez and I already love it. I can't wait for you to get to read that chapter and tell me what you think of them. I'm glad you asked me about the family dynamics of Cross and the Walker siblings. I had no idea that it sounded like that. I've made an attempt to portray it differently. So your guess is the Earl? I will not answer about who sent Mimic yet as it will be answered in the story but I'd love to hear your reasoning for your answer. I'm overjoyed to hear that you also like the walker siblings thing. I had never planned it but I found that I needed a way to refer to them as group separate from the rest of them as this will play in later in more ways than one. As for the Earl, well we shall see. I won't reveal anything yet but I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter and remember what I said, there is more to Luca's mother than meets the eye! I enjoyed writing that part when Tyki gives up trying to deny that he cares about her even if he doesn't fully understand why or what it is that he is feeling but Tyki's known for never knowing what's going on. Honestly I think he's the only one that knows less than us about what is going on. It's a really good thing he's cute because the boy doesn't pay attention to anything but hey that's saved Luca more than once so maybe I shouldn't be giving him trouble. I can't wait to hear from you next time!**

* * *

"Guys," Luca did her best to breathe, "I'd like to think that almost dying a bunch of times with each other has made us very close but this is a little too close for me." she grunted feeling the crushing weight of the others pinning her against Allen who was just barely holding himself and the rest of the others above Lenalee. _Lucky twit_ , Luca groaned mentally.

"You're crushing me." Allen groaned. She glared down at her brother.

"Workin' on it." she growled. He shot her a look.

"Work faster please." She ignored him and turned her attention to the other people piled atop her.

"Let me try this again: Get the hell off!" she snapped. Her shouting jarred the rest of them to move all fearing an angry Luca. The pile of exorcists fell over to the side rather undignified into a new heap as they began untangling themselves from each other. Kanda looked around rubbing his sore head which had connected with Krory's boot. Hard, if the pain in his head was an indicator.

"Where are we?" he grumbled. Allen looked up, eyes widening in surprise.

"We're inside the ark?" Luca sat up rubbing the lower part of her neck, right at the top where it connected with her shoulders. Lavi's hard head had smacked her spine when he landed on her. _Man, that seriously hurt! What the hell is that boy's skull made of? Steel? I think the only one not hurt is Lenalee_ , she thought grumpily. Allen and Kanda immediately began bickering causing her to groan and give up.

"How's that possible?!" Kanda growled out.

Allen snapped back, "Don't ask me." Krory tried to convince them to stop arguing with little success.

"Hey! There's some kinda pumpkin-headed thing under Lenalee!" Lavi called out drawing the rest over to him as he lifted the Chinese girl up. _She's still dead tired. Whatever her innocence did to protect her, it's taking a toll on her body. That's not good_ , she noted looking at her friend with veiled worry in her eyes.

To Luca's chagrin the pumpkin began talking, "Get off me you fat exorcists!" Allen and Kanda were quick to question it.

"So did you do this, eh?" _And they say Allen and I are scary when we speak in unison_ , Luca laughed dryly in her head, figuring now was probably not the time for jokes. Luca sighed as she watched the boys threaten the weird umbrella...? she raised an eyebrow at her newest observation. The Pumpkin-headed thing was indeed an umbrella. A pink one at that. _Can this get any weirder?_ she wondered only to be answered, it wasn't the one she wanted.

"After many years of faithful service, this ark is no longer functional. Well done Lero." the Earl's voice came from the pumpkin's mouth. His voice wasn't like the irritatingly grating high pitched one that belonged to the pumpkin or Lero she guessed was it's name as that was what the Earl had called it. "Now it's time for you to begin your journey, my dear exorcists." Luca slid over to Allen.

"I don't think I like where this is going." she whispered in his ear.

"You will accompany this ark into the afterlife!" A huge balloon version of the Earl shot out of Lero's mouth.

Luca glared at the balloon irritated, "Yep. Didn't like it." The buildings around them began to crumble, the floor under their feet shaking dangerously.

"But be careful! The areas of the ark that were transferred are starting to collapse." The Earl continued his explanation with a grin, clearly mocking them with feigned concern.

"What does that mean?" Kanda growled menacingly at the balloon. The Earl answered him completely unfazed.

"This ark will disintegrate and be absorbed into the interdimensional gulf. In three hours you will cease to exist." Green eyes glared at the smiling man.

"Peachy." the Earl ignored the long haired girl's comment instead turning to speak to Lenalee who had woken up at some point.

"Little lady aren't you glad you have such good friends?" Lenalee was startled by the fact that he was talking to her. "They all came with you and will accompany you to the afterlife as well. So you'll never be lonely." Lenalee glared.

"You fiend!" she hissed but he continued anyway.

"And rest assured I'll see to it that no one mourns you by exterminating all your friends and loved ones!" The balloon popped leaving the exorcists with the pumpkin to crash through different houses.

"Perfect. This isn't getting us anywhere!" Luca turned to Allen. "Scor came with us when we came from the Asian branch. You guys keep trying doors I'll see if I can find the one we came from!" she shouted running off after the silver golem.

"Worth a shot! Good luck!" Allen shouted after her. She turned to him, stopping at the corner of the street.

"Be safe, please little brother. I can't lose you." He nodded at her.

"I will, but you must be too. You are dear to me." She smiled directly at him and ran around the corner after her golem.

"Actually there is one way out." Tyki spoke in Allen's ear from behind him, holding out the key for silver eyes to see. "There is one way out, Boy." Tyki grinned. It was funny how the exorcist didn't make the connection between his two different forms. Messy hair with some glasses and the kid didn't have a clue that the man he had played cards with on the train was the same that almost killed him and destroyed his arm. _She would've noticed in a heartbeat. Would have laughed at the glasses too..._ , he sighed internally still keeping the smile plastered onto his face. He tried to shake the poisonous thoughts away mentally. Hopefully this little game with Allen and friends would distract him from the green eyes that plagued him whether awake or while he slept. The exorcists all blinked at him for a moment before Allen, the vampire look a like, and the boy with the eye patch recognized him. They shouted as one.

"Bug Eyes?" He was a little disappointed. That wasn't the best nickname in the world. _My Love is much better. Though come to think of it I don't think I'd be comfortable with them calling me that...damn it I'm doing it again! You're dead and I'm still distracted by you. Damn it Butterfly_ , he shook his head as slightly as he could.

"Huh? Is that my name?" he questioned forcing his brain back to the topic at hand. His poker game.

"What are you doing here?" He was about to speak again but the samurai interrupted him.

"Hey." he drew all attention to him. "That one's radiating a murderous aura." Tyki smirked a bit.

"So Boy," he placed his hand on the head of white hair. It felt different from Butterfly's. The white hair was silky but thin. The loose dark curls that he had seen down when in their dream world were thick and soft. He smashed his forehead into the boy's. "how are you still alive?" the sharp pain in his head cleared it for a moment only for him to be reminded of her once again due to her fondness of that particular spot. _I swear she's haunting me_ , he groaned but carried on, intent on blaming the boy in front of him and forcing him to deal with the feelings he was denying. "I've had to take a lot of ridicule because of you. Even from the Earl himself." The boy's eyes widened.

"What? What are you talking abo-" he was cut off was Tyki let his glasses phase through his body while his skin turned ash gray and eyes to gold.

"Recognize me now Boy?" he questioned. He could feel the sadistic grin sliding onto his features. "You're looking for a way out. I can give you one. The ark no longer has any exits but Road can create doorways through dimensions so she can make you one. So let's continue our game from the train. I'll wager the door against your lives. So what do you say?" he smirked around his cigarette before adding on, "And no cheating this time Boy."

Lero decided to join the conversation, chastising the man, "Tyki, what are you doing? The Earl won't approve!" The Portuguese man promptly ignored the umbrella.

"This key," it balanced at top the tip of his index finger. "will open Road's door and the four doors that lead to it. It can be yours." he tempted. "Think it over." A large piece of the ark shattered with the pieces falling directly on him though he just phased through it.

"Tyki!" Lero's yell was as usual, ignored.

"Is he dead?!" the red headed boy shouted. The key flew through the air and the long haired exorcist caught it

"Hunting exorcists is fun." Tyki let his voice carry over to them. "I'll have Road put the door at the highest point in the ark. If you make it there before there's nothing left then you win." The rubble blocked him from their view but it didn't matter.

"But you Noah are immortal. Isn't that cheating?" Tyki burst out laughing at Allen's claim. _What a ridiculous notion. Butterfly knew they were mortal, hell she had almost killed me, so how could her her brother not know?_ he questioned.

"Oh sorry. I don't know how these stories come to be but we're mortal too Boy. Your sister knew it. We only seem like gods," he phased himself out of the building heading back to meet up with Road and the others. "because you're so weak!" he called over his shoulder before leaving as that part of the ark fell apart. _There was one who wasn't, but she's gone now._

"This is bad!" Kanda shouted as they fell.

Lavi added on, "Find some place more stable!" the ground under Lenalee collapsed. Allen just barely caught her.

"Hold on tight." she wrapped her arms around him as he moved them through the air as the exorcists rushed to a safer part. Luca joined them there.

"It's no good. It's gone. I found the right door but there was nothing behind it. It was just empty. There wasn't even a room." She looked around. "What did I miss?" Allen quickly filled her in on the game.

"If he was telling the truth then this place is going to fall apart in a couple hours." Lavi noted looking around.

"Two hours." Krory corrected. "Either way we're doomed."

"Lenalee and I have experience with Road's ability to move between dimensions." Lenalee nodded agreeing with him.

Luca added on, "Besides they're not unbeatable. I've had him on the ropes plenty of times." Lavi looked over at her. His green eye meeting hers.

"Is that why he mentioned you?" She nodded.

"Had I not gotten distracted I would've killed him back in China." Lavi blinked a few times while Lenalee just stared at the other girl.

"Wait, why did he say knew instead of knows?" Luca shrugged and began to run her left foot along the back of her calf. There was no way in hell that she would ever admit to her friends or anybody else that she had faked her death.

"A Noah's weird wording choice isn't the most important thing right now. We can discuss that later if need be." Allen came to his sister's rescue. Lavi shrugged and moved on.

"But we don't really have a choice but to play the game." Allen walked over to a random door with the key. Slid the key into the lock he turned it. The door exploded into a different one. Luca raised an eyebrow at it. The door was rather different now. It was painted with a large butterfly on it, with rainbows, and stars. Allen and Lavi jumped a bit while Kanda just glared at it.

"We're getting out of here." Allen put his hand out and Lavi put his on top of it. Luca noted silently that Lavi had the same gloves as she did. She liked these ones better. They were shorter and didn't get in the way of her innocence as her other ones had with their cumbersome cuffs. The others placed their hands on top of the pile until only she and Kanda remained. The group turned to stare at them. Luca threw her head back with a groan.

"Do I have to?" they nodded as one as an answer to her whine. "Fine." she stalked over and placed her own gloved hand over Chaoji's bandaged one. The others started staring at Kanda.

"Forget it. Stop staring." he snapped. Luca sighed.

"Figures." Allen stated.

Kanda glared at them, "Yes, it does." The door opened and they all walked through. Luca blinked as she looked around. The ceiling was painted like the sky with several crescent moons and strange stars and a rainbow.

"The hell is this place?"

"What is this place?" Allen's question was similar to his sister's though more polite.

"We're outside." Luca raised an eyebrow.

"Obviously not." Lavi looked over at her.

Kanda diverted the conversation, "There." A large hulking man wearing a large brown trench coat grinning at them. "The rest of you go on ahead." he ordered. All eyes turned to Kanda.

"Huh?"

"Yu?" Luca snorted. Kanda didn't seem to hear or notice as he was already getting ready to draw Mugan.

Kanda explained, "I've encountered this thing before. It's after my general." Luca raised an eyebrow. _Thing? That's a bit mean. But it does kinda look like a monster. I thought My Love was tall. Come to think of it that's the same Noah Lavi was fighting earlier. Picsába (damn) thing was strong though. Doesn't matter, Kanda's strong too so_ , she shrugged it off.

"Don't be silly, Kanda. We can't leave you here alone." Lenalee protested while Luca rolled her eyes. The Japanese teen was strong. Despite all her training he still kicked her segg (ass) every time they trained with swords. _I don't even come close. Gotta get back to that_ , she sighed not looking forward to it.

"I'm not doing this for you guys." Luca rolled her eyes again. This time at the sword wielder. "That thing is after my general. So it's my duty to cut it down." _Way to ruin the sentiment_ , she snorted. "I said that I'll deal with this one so the rest of you go on ahead. I'm not going to say it again. He's after my general," the Noah smiled. "so I've encountered him before." The entire room shook. Luca stumbled around trying to stay on her feet. She could see Lenalee holding on to Allen rather unsteadily. _Her legs are still in pretty bad shape. She won't be able to fight at all_ , the Hungarian noted as the shaking finally subsided.

"This room hasn't been downloaded into the new ark yet, once it is this one will vanish and cease to exist." Luca groaned as Lero explained, it's ever present grin stretching.

"I'm staying with Kanda!" Allen volunteered.

"That's a terrible idea." Luca deadpanned already seeing how that would go. Allen did what all younger brothers did and ignored her.

"The rest of you go through the next door and we'll fo-"

Kanda cut him off immediately, "You must be crazy if you think I'll let you stay and fight by my side."

"Saw that comin'." Luca snorted.

"Kanda!" Kanda cut Allen off again.

"He's mine." It was the end of the discussion. He pointed Mugan at Allen. "Now get out of my sight or I will start with you!" he growled menacingly at them all.

"He's a demon." Lavi mumbled while Allen backed away uncertainly.

"Are you serious?"

"This one's threatening his own comrades." Lero noticed slightly frightened.

Luca snorted, "Yeah he does that." The golem seemed a bit surprised that she answered him. Deciding that they weren't moving fast enough Kanda unleashed his first attack.

"First illusion: Netherworld Insects!" The group of exorcists scattered each running away from the demonic insects. Allen protected Lenalee from the bugs by swatting them away with his own innocence. Lavi ran for his life though he was doing better than Chaoji. Krory got bit on the leg and Luca couldn't help but take a moment of satisfaction when the annoying talking umbrella was bitten too. Seeing more underworld creatures coming her way she sighed and jumped over them weaving between the swarm. The others began to shout at him causing the teen to sigh at them. The Noah just stated at them, a vacant expression painted across his features.

"Now he's sighing! Who the hell does he think he is sighing at us?!" Lavi and Allen shrieked together. Luca laughed at the others started towards the door all commenting on leaving the ill tempered man there, Lenalee paused looking back at her oldest friend.

"Kanda! Kanda you WILL follow us after you're done right? Promise me." Kanda didn't say anything, didn't turn around, and didn't make any indication that he had heard her. She glared at his back for a moment. "ANSWER ME!" she snapped angrily. Kanda winced and turned around to face her.

"Jeez, alright. Now go." he groaned finally speaking. Luca paused waiting for Lenalee to catch up the the rest of them, sparing a glance past the short haired girl's shoulder at her grouchy friend before moving to his opponent. The pair had already started fighting by the time the girls got to the building with the boys. The door looking like one from an office. Plain brown wood with a glass pane with the word NOAH printed on it.

"Kanda if you don't meet us there I'm going to kick you later." Kanda ignored Allen who sighed and unlocked the next door leading the way through the next door.

* * *

Tyki sat in the chair aimlessly flicking the silver button up into the air in boredom. Despite playing a new game, the exorcists would still have to get past the others before they got to him. It would take them at least a little while to reach the tower. Unfortunately for him that left him with his own thoughts or to entertain Road. Neither option was something that he was inclined to pick. Entertaining Road was always such a chore, _Unlike Butterfly. I just show up and she's happy. It never seemed to matter to her that I was trying to kill her. Well except for that last time_ , he sighed running his fingers along the hoop in his left ear gently. And then there was that problem. If something wasn't forcing him to focus on something his mind drifted to the deceased exorcist. He had never once felt this way. He had never missed somebody so much, never mind an enemy. Yet she no longer felt like an enemy to him. She was something else entirely. He dropped his head into his hand, covering his face.

"Are you still thinking about her?" Road's voice jolted him from his thoughts. Due to the fact that Tyki didn't know the girl's name neither did she yet the blue haired girl couldn't bring herself to refer to the deceased exorcist as Butterfly. It felt like an insult to the Noah who was sitting next to her. It seemed like it was something that only HE could call her.

"Yeah. I can't seem to stop. I don't know what's wrong with me." he sighed. Originally he hadn't wanted to tell anybody about Butterfly. At first it was out of embarrassment. A tiny exorcist girl had escaped his grasp three times yet when he saw her near Rome again he had found that he was excited when he saw her. As she'd said he had actually missed her. And then when they had been in the hotel he had liked the way she pulled his hair far more than he should've. All of a sudden he didn't want his family to find out about her because that meant he would have to share and sharing wasn't something he was good at nor would he have been willing to share the girl. He was far more interested in Butterfly than any of the girls that his brother had shoved at him in a vain attempt to get him to settle down and marry. They were all so bland in comparison. Each one trying to be dainty and demure to attract his attention yet it did nothing for him. Sheril may love the family life, playing house with a sick wife (Tyki had nothing against Tricia, she was actually a very sweet woman. A woman that he actually felt bad for in a way. She loved Sheril but he couldn't tell if his brother felt anything towards her at all or if she was just another puppet in his little game.), a child (though Road was practically a monster), and a dog, that life wasn't for Tyki so the women who would fit into the role of homemaker were dull and uninteresting. Butterfly was far more appealing and alluring. But it wasn't even her appearance that had first attracted his attention, no it was her manner, her rather strange manner. When they had met in Barcelona she had been so fierce, yet she had been so playful every other time they had met despite the fact that they were on opposite sides of the war. The fact that Sheril would've throw a fit upon meeting her was just an added bonus.

Road sighed, which was rather unusual for her, "You had a relationship with her. I don't understand it and from what you've said neither do you. Some things can't be described. However since she's dead and there's nothing we can do about it. The best thing to do is keep yourself distracted and give it time for these feelings to subside. It will happen." the little girl continued to stare out the window missing the fact that once again her uncle's fingers brushed against the silver hoop. She really wished that there was something that she could do to ease her uncle's mental torment yet she could think of nothing once again. She had been unable to say anything when he had first told her about the girl, though one of the first things she noticed was the different earring. While his right ear still had the dark stud, his left one now sported a small silver hoop that was definitely not his. Well it was now, she sighed again as the thoughts continued to run rampant in her brain.

"The Earl is so quiet. I wonder if he's upset?" Tyki decided to change the subject hoping to distract himself. He could only hope that the older Noah was right and the feelings would fade.

"He's not angry. He just doesn't like it when we're in danger, that's all. After all we're the precious lambs that he sacrifices to God. However he knows that it can't be helped. The work we do for him is incredibly dangerous." it was strange to see her so solemn. Though she quickly giggled, "Though you are..."

* * *

They walked down a long hallway. Luca looked at the dark blue-green paint on the walls.

"This is such an odd place." she noted to herself. Chaoji was the only one in the back with her.

"What did you say?" he asked, politely she smiled.

"Nothing of any interest. Just sayin' that it's odd." she paused for a moment thinking.

"Are you coming Lady Exorcist?" he asked. She blinked a few times before jogging slightly to catch up with the others. The hallway opened up to a large staircase.

"Joy. Stairs." she groaned as they started up them. "Where the hell is this door?" Luca flailed her arms around as they climbed flight after flight of stairs.

"Calm down Lu there's a door at the top. I can see it from here." Allen called back to her, a smile on his face. No matter what his sister never changed. She grinned and ran all the way to the door.

"Finally! I hate stairs." Allen laughed as he stepped onto the platform and unlocked the large wooden pair of sliding doors. They stepped into a large ballroom. The floor was made of black marble stones with small white marks all through out it, the walls were a cream colored with gold decorations. Standing in the middle of the room was a woman about the height of Lenalee. Like all Noah her skin was gray, her eyes gold, and her long black hair pulled back into a ponytail tied at the base of her neck with a purple ribbon decorated with a small silver bell. Behind her was a set of dark wooden double doors.

"You will go no farther than here." Luca smirked at her.

"Is that so?" She smacked her left fist into her right palm a couple of times as she took several steps forward towards the woman.

"Lu I know what you are thinking and I won't allow it." Allen stated immediately. Luca grinned at him.

"You are forgetting one thing, dear little brother." the white haired boy winced already knowing where this was going and he wasn't liking it. Lenalee raised an eyebrow as she glanced between the Walker siblings.

Lavi didn't like the look in Luca's eyes or the expression of worry on Allen's face, "What are you planning Beautiful?" She turned to grin at them. It was always a bad combination.

"You guys go on ahead. I'm gonna stay behind and teach her some manners. It's rude to stand in somebody's way like she is. Besides it's especially dangerous to do it when that somebody is me. I'm in a bad mood anyway. Those level 3s that we fought in China could hardly be called challengers. Hopefully by the time I'm done with her, I'll have perked up a bit. Now get your seggs (asses) through that door and out of my way."

"Don't worry Allen I'll stay with her." Lavi offered moving towards the dark haired girl.

She laughed, "You will do no such thing, so get rid of that thought. The last thing I need is a babysitter. I'll be fine so do as I say." Allen glared at her.

"You can't make me go." he snapped.

"Remember a few minutes ago when I said that you were forgetting something?" he nodded eyeing her carefully.

"Yeah, what about it?" She smiled sweetly at him though it threatened pain beyond his imagination.

"I can make you go. Now go!" He frowned.

"I refuse. Why do you get to tell me what to do anyway?" he huffed. She turned around fully and glared at him.

"Because I'm your older sister and I say so!" Allen deflated.

"I want you to know that I really, really, really hate that."

The Noah stepped forward toward them, "I won't allow you to leave. Any of you." Luca turned towards her though not fully facing her.

"That's very cute Honey but it's not up to you. They're leaving no matter what you do." She turned her head to look at her friends.

"Well I'm older than you both and I say that I'm staying!" Luca turned to smile at the red head.

"I'm going to give you all one last chance to do as I say before I physically remove you from this room."

"Is there any point in me fighting you? You all seem to be complete capable of fighting each other and seem more interested in that anyway." the Noah spoke again.

"You should see us when we're really mad at each other." Luca smirked at the woman. She could only be a few years younger than her love. She smiled at the thought of the Portuguese man. She was gonna give him one hell of a scare and the beating of a lifetime when she got her hands on him.

Allen sighed, "You're really not going to let us stay behind with you, are you?" She shook her head.

"I already told you that none of you will leave this room alive. Your comrades won't even be able to find your bodies because you'll all disappear with this ark." Luca smirked at her.

"You'll be too busy with me. So this can go one of two ways you can let them pass or I can force you. It's up to you. I'm game either way. The choice is yours."

"I won't let you pass." The long haired girl shrugged.

"If that's what you want to do. By all means try to stop them." she turned to her friends. "Go. Don't even spare her a glance. I'll take care of everything." Allen nodded.

"Catch up with us when you're done, alright?" she grinned at him.

"Of course little brother. Now get going." The silver eyed boy started towards the door still guarded by the woman but he didn't spare her a glance as ordered. Glaring at the parade of exorcists who planned on walking right by her the Noah started towards them only to feel something strange wrap around her leg. Her eyes shot down to find black liquid crawling up her leg. "I told you I wouldn't let you stop them." The exorcist yanked the handle of the whip pulling the taller woman off her feet. Grabbing the whip in her other hand she began to swing it around in circles before throwing the Noah through a large golden statue and sent her crashing into the wall by the doors that they had originally come thorough.

"Be careful." Allen unlocked the door, allowing the others through first. He was about to step through when his sister called out to him again.

"Hey Al," he turned back towards her.

"Yeah?" She turned to him, a shit eating grin spread across her face.

"Kick his ass for me!" He nodded and stepped through the door and slid it close behind him. She turned back towards her opponent who was dusting herself off.

"That was rather rude. However Master said I should always be polite despite what my opponent does so I shall introduce myself properly. I am the one who represents the lust of Noah. You may address me as Lulu Bell." Luca smirked.

"I was mistaken you do have some manners. Yours are much better than the Noah of Pleasure. I've met the man nine times and I still don't know his name." Lulu Bell sighed as the girl shrugged with a shake of her head.

"I will mention it to Master." Luca started laughing.

"I wish I could be a fly on the wall to see it. He makes such wonderfully delicious faces." she sighed happily. "Oh well, I hope Allen doesn't kill him. That would make things boring again."

"He won't fall so easily. Especially not to that boy." Lulu Bell stated in a bored manner. She did not spend a lot of time with Tyki, yet she knew that her Noah brother was strong. However she couldn't help but wonder when exactly it was that this exorcist had met him and what's more the girl had said that it had happened nine times. _How on Earth did this girl survive meeting Tyki nine times? Better question why had she survived the first encounter? Tyki was the Noah family's assassin. The Earl always sent him to delete people. His power made him the most effective and efficient_ , she looked the girl over once again, taking the time to thoroughly examine her. Short and curvy not unlike her own figure yet she could still tell that the girl had muscle. Pale skin and long raven colored hair tied back into twin boxer braids each tied with a silver ribbon that matched the decorations on her skin tight uniform. She wore short shorts like the other girl yet her heavy brown leather boots only came up to her knees leaving most of her thighs bare. Attached to the back of her jacket that stopped at the top of her hips was a hood though the Noah eyed the belt slug around her hips with pouches attached to them more suspiciously. Any number of things could be hidden in there. Her gold eyes flicked up to the strange black liquid like metal that floated around the girl's body lazily. _What an odd piece of innocence_ , she noted to herself before drifting the the most striking feature of the girl. Her bright green cat shaped eyes which glittered with excitement at the thought of battle.

Luca smirked at her, "Careful now, that's my baby brother you're talking about." she shook her head. "Not that it matters. Now before we get started I should give you my name as well, huh? I am Luca Walker, the first and oldest apprentice of General Cross Marian. Pleased to meet you Bell." she gave a bow though it was clearly mocking before sliding into a fighting stance. "Now that we have the formalities out of the way, shall we dance?"

* * *

 **So Luca vs. Lulu Bell next chapter! I'm taking bets! In other news Luca has excepted her new name and now wears it with pride. She was more disgruntled with the fact that nobody bothered to tell her that they changed her name more than anything! Also Luca managed to get Tyki in trouble with the Earl because you know that Lulu Bell will inform him of Pleasure's lack of manners regardless of where this information was obtained. Next time! Chapter Twenty Two: I Will Not Bow! Until next time this has been Cheshire's Mayhem!  
**


	22. I Will Not Bow

**Welcome back my lovely and faithful readers! I've missed you all! Thank you all for not killing me about last chapter. My beta was convinced that you would all hunt me down for having Tyki and Luca missing each other in the last chapter but it just wasn't the right place for them to meet but it will happen you all just have to be patient! Anyway I've decided that each chapter I'm going to ask you all a question and I will answer it in the next chapter! Don't forget to answer it! So this chapter's question is: What is your favorite quirk that Luca has? I'll tell you mind in chapter 23. Just a reminder my other story about Luca and Tyki is up! Go check that out! Also Luca's birthday is coming up! I won't tell you when it is just that she's a Scorpio and I will be doing a special chapter for it. I'd love to hears ideas on what it should be and whether you all think I should be doing special chapters for holidays such as Christmas and Halloween? One more thing before we get into the reviews! Anyone who guesses Luca's birthday correctly may request a special chapter in VIG! Now onto the reviews!**

 **Dear Guest from September 4** **th** **, first off Hi! Glad you could join us. I have to ask if you've reviewed before or not and hope you have enjoyed the story so far. Also thanks! I hope you like this chapter and to hear from you more in the future.**

 **Dear Alexc1209, Well hello dear! Nice to hear from you! Your review brought a smile to my face and made me chuckle. It's nice to know that it came across that way. Tyki certainly is missing Luca! He may just be a little spoiled and wants his toy back. So enjoy!**

 **Dear SheuOgama, Still as excitable as ever. Honestly you and all the other reviewers give me energy. Each review inspires me to write more and more. Whenever I hit a rut I go and read through my reviews for inspiration and to remind myself that there are people waiting for me to finish and that I can't disappoint them. I hadn't even planned the thing with their names I just went to a Noah that would give Luca a run for her money and Lulu Bell was in the right place and her powers make her an interesting opponent for Luca to face. The end of your review never fails to make me grin! I hope you enjoy this chapter and the fight in it as much as you did the last chapter! Till next time!**

 **Dear EverlastingXTC, I apologize but I have absolutely no idea what the means. I'd love to know though! Please enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, I loved your review! I just have to come out and say it. I always enjoy screaming reviews. It means I did something right (well so far. Haven't gotten a bad review on this story yet!) and your exhilaration is enthralling! It pushes me to write better, faster, and quicker. Please don't die! You will have to wait a little while longer before Luca and Tyki see each other but you can make it! I believe in you! Seriously please don't die. I would be sad! I actually do understand what you mean and I ramble all the time. I feel like I ramble during all my author's notes and yet you guys keep reading them, I hope you like this chapter!**

 **Dear Kp, I'm ecstatic to know that the peak inside Tyki's head made you happy. It's nice to know that it didn't seem out of character for him but I wanted to show the effect that Luca has on Tyki and how it's changing his outlook on the world and just his life in general. I love the relationships where you didn't realize how much you loved or needed a person until they aren't there. I can also just seem him being oblivious until he turned around and was like "Wait, where did she go?" just seemed very Tyki. I had a lot of fun writing Lulu vs Luca so I really do hope you enjoy it. There will be quite a bit of banter in here as we all know Luca does not possess the ability to be quiet. Until next week!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **,** **Yay, I am the Earl now ;) I just need some more Noah so I may be a crazy clown who creates demons too! I've always wanted too! I love the title and you flatter me so though I think I'd like to hear about how my behavior grants me a title also does this work in real life? Now onto business I suggest you go back and read chapter 19: Four Crows are Better Than One. Mimic does not state who sent him. Each time he says Master Noah he and Luca are talking about Tyki. I purposefully didn't say who it was so that it could've been anyone. I honestly can't wait for a theory on the matter. I always love hearing what you guys think about the story and where it is going. I loved the opening scene because it shows the difference between Luca and Allen quite a bit. While he asks them to get off Luca yells at them to move. You laugh now but Tyki will actually get scolded about his manners. It will be in the story! I haven't decided on a chapter yet but I have an idea and I swear it will appear in the story. I may use some of your wording in it because yours made me laugh out loud. I scared the hell out of my family when I did it. Your theory on Luca's mother is interesting and I can't wait to reveal more about her mother as she based on my mother a lot and I'm really close with her. I laughed when I saw your comment on Tyki near miss of Luca and still thinking that she's dead. My beta swore that you all were going to kill me and I wondered with so many reviews saying that they couldn't wait for the next chapter because they would see each other again. Each review came in and I was like "Oh I'm going to die. They are going to kill me. I need to find a place to hide!" I was a bit surprised that nobody screamed about it. I can't wait to hear from you again! See you next week!**

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"I prefer my dance partners to be male." The woman or Bell as she had been introduced as Luca refused to call her Lulu, looked down her nose at the exorcist. Luca pouted playfully jutting her bottom lip out as it quivered. The look had worked on her love several times. Even once allowing her to abscond with a piece of innocence along with her life.

"You never know. I could be a lot of fun. You won't ever find out unless you try." she winked at the Noah. "I can certainly tell you that I'm never boring, just ask My Love." she grinned when the Noah raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"My Love...? Who is that?" Luca laughed.

"The Noah who's sitting at the top of the tower like a princess waiting for her knight in shining armor to slay the fearsome dragon." Lulu Bell looked at the younger woman like she had lost her mind whose giggling didn't do anything to change the Noah's opinion on the mental state of the Hungarian.

"Are you always this crazy?" the question was honest and reminded Luca of her second encounter with the Noah of Pleasure when he asked her a similar question though he had said mad. So she answered in kind.

"I'm not crazy. My reality is just different than yours." The straight haired woman blinked, once, twice, thrice before she spoke.

"What? What does that even mean?" The younger woman sighed and dropped her head in despair.

"How can you have not read that book? I mean jeez even My Love knew what I was talking about in Sassari. Oh well," she sighed. "You can read it when you wake up while recovering." she slid back into her battle stance after having moved while talking, a bad habit according to both Allen and Lenalee. _Come to think of it, it caused problems with My Love too. We cracked heads in the maze because I tried to flail my hands around and was stuck. Oh well, I don't think it's gonna stop anytime soon_ , she grinned upon remembering the look on the older Noah's face. It hadn't been funny at the time because it had really hurt but now she knew that it had hurt him more yet he hadn't dropped her. _But there might've been another reason for that_ , the Noah's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"You are very confident that you'll win." Luca smiled at her.

"I can't lose. Not when my brother is waiting for me and My Love is such an easy target at the moment, I'm gonna scare the hell out of 'im!" the girl grinned again. "Now, since you're so eager to lose let's get down to business (to defeat the huns! I'm sorry I couldn't help myself I love that song and movie!)." The innocence moved with a hand gesture from it's mistress.

"If that is what you wish." Lulu Bell spoke calmly as her right arm transformed into a whip, slapping it against the marble with a loud smack. The grin didn't move from it's place on her full lips.

"Oooh! A whip. Kinky!" The Noah didn't have time to react to the comment before the innocence crashed into her, slamming her into the door again. _This one's fast. I hadn't even noticed that she had given the order. I think I understand a bit more why Tyki might have had trouble with her. It's rather strange though with no shape. It's just liquid_ , she noted as she got to her feet again.

"I don't suppose that you would consider being quiet would you?" Luca shook her head and shrugged again.

"It's not really my style. I'm not fond of silence. Besides I don't actually know how. I've just got so many things on my mind that need to be said." The whip snapped out at the girl's head who sprung back out of the way. Landing on her hands and then her feet. _She's quick on her feet too. I should finish this quickly. I mustn't underestimate her. Not since I know she's escaped Tyki. Master won't be happy if she escapes again. I wonder if he knows about her? Tyki has been acting strange lately. Could it be due to this strange exorcist? No, Tyki has better control than that_ , Lulu Bell quickly learned to pay attention to this opponent who threw her into another wall. "I suggest you keep your focus on me. I'm selfish and I want all of the attention and will do whatever to keep it." the girl taunted with a smirk.

"You will regret those words. I will pay attention to you as you wish but you won't like it." she snapped the whip out again only for it to smack against the innocence that shot forward in front of it's accommodater.

"I wouldn't be so sure." The innocence moved again allowing the Noah to see the bright green eye in the sea of black.

"You are arrogant." Luca just laughed at the Noah of Lust's words.

"You say that a lot. How about something more original? Maybe something I haven't heard twelve million times?" The innocence shot forward like a speeding bullet towards the Noah who moved out of the way. _She's just like Lenalee. How the hell do they move so gracefully? I can't walk 20 meters without tripping over my own two feet_ , she groaned watching the older woman silently. _Maybe that's what makes them seem older and more attractive_ , she hummed again as she dove, rolling out to the way of the whip. The marble cracked upon the impact of the whip. "Not bad." she noted glancing at the floor. The Noah didn't speak just snapped the whip out again. "You don't talk much huh? That's no fun." she sighed. "Harlequin." she ordered the metal snapped out tangling around the whip.

"Why would I waste time on pointless chatter with an exorcist who is just going to die? I don't see any reason that I should speak to you at all." Luca pouted and flicked her fingers towards herself yanking the Noah off her feet.

"Rude!" she snapped punching the Noah in face. Grinning she flicked her fingers again pulling the Noah back again for another punch. "Well this is fun." the third time around the Noah started to dig her heels into the floor, though it didn't give her any traction due to it being marble. Seeing she wasn't getting anywhere the whip shot forwards, the spaded end piercing the girl's stomach. Luca winced feeling the blood. She grabbed at the whip and started to pull only for thorns to spear out into her hands. She hissed and yanked the spaded tip from her stomach. The wound wasn't deep, her jacket had held up pretty well against the attack. "Now that wasn't very nice."

"I'll admit that I'm vaguely impressed. Your innocence managed to slow me down dramatically. That attack should've gone right through you yet it only grazed your flesh. I didn't even managed to pierce your stomach." The liquid metal was wrapped tightly around the Noah's arm holding her back.

"Thanks I guess." The innocence unraveled and flew back to it's mistress while the Noah's arm shifted back. The Hungarian wasn't really sure if it was compliment or not.

"It seems that in spite of your incessant prattling you do possess some wit." Luca raised an eyebrow.

"So is it part of the Noah gene that make you people think that you're all superior or is it something that overlord of yours instills into you?" the Noah's eyes shot open wide and she glared at the girl.

"How dare you speak of my Master that way!"

The girl snorted, "Sore spot much?" Her eyes widened when the Noah's arm turned back into a whip and snapped out at her. The blow caught her in the stomach sending her crashing into the wall hard. The exorcist slid from the hole her impact had made slowly. "Okay, that hurt. I guess I should actually start fighting huh?" The taller woman raised an eyebrow. The floor beneath their feet jarred causing both woman to grab onto the walls that they were standing by. _It's starting, this room is now being downloaded into the new ark. I sure hope Kanda's okay_ , she sighed.

"What is it that you've been doing up until now then?" Luca shrugs and answers once the room is stable again.

"Goofing off. I'm told it's a bad habit of mine but that actually hurt and Allen is waiting for me not to mention that I still owe My Love a good scare." the innocence flew back to it's mistress condensing into a dual pair of falx swords (they are a real thing I swear. I'm not just making things up).

"What's this?" Lulu Bell asked eyeing the long pair of twin swords, the end of them were curved in slightly. Perfect for tearing somebody's throat out. _Perhaps she is better suited to Tyki than I thought_ , she was quickly distracted from the thought by the explanation.

"This is Shadow. It can morph into anything. That is Harlequin's base ability. If I can think it I can shape my innocence." The French woman raised an eyebrow.

"Is this your second release?" The Hungarian shook her head.

"Nope! It's the special ability of my first release. I hope you're a close combat type." she grinned and launched herself at the Noah who just barely ducked, skittering out of the way less gracefully than before. She dodged a swipe at her head, eyeing the sword above her head. It had clipped her bangs making them uneven. Luca swung her left arm again causing the French woman to dart to her left to avoid the sword only to run directly into the other one. She shot back hand clutching her bleeding side.

"It appears that I too should start fighting seriously." Luca pouted.

"You should've been fighting seriously from the start. If you don't you'll end up dead. I won't go out of my way to kill you but I can't promise that you'll survive." She shot forward intent on cleaving the Noah in half who bent backwards to dodge.

"You just said you wouldn't try to kill me." she spoke dully.

Luca snorted and shook her head, "Ya know you Noah don't pay attention very well. I said I wouldn't go out of my way to kill you but if it happens I won't lose any sleep over it." she shrugged in a bored manner as if she was discussing the weather.

"Then perhaps you are the one that should be more careful because I am trying to kill you. The only good kind of exorcist is a dead exorcist"

"Talk about rude!" Luca rushed the woman swinging at her with the swords, however she soon grew irritated with the other woman who just seemed to be swaying out of the way. "Okay, I don't mean to complain but would you just hold still please." Lulu Bell raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you wanted me to fight seriously?" Luca sighed.

"Yeah but you're not fighting. What you're doing is wasting my time and it's annoying. So fight me or move." she growled. _This woman isn't nearly as entertaining as My Love. In fact she's completely boring_ , she huffed internally.

"Fine. I will kill you. If only to make you shut up." Luca made a face at her. She opened her mouth to say something, but the whip cracked against her left shoulder. Huffing clearly irritated Luca picked up speed, appearing in front of the French woman she brought her left sword down on her. Lulu Bell brought her whip up to block the swing only for the girl to vanish again. She cried out in pain as the sword tore through her back and side several times before she managed to grab the girl by her ankle into the wall. "That was a dirty trick attacking my back." Luca shrugged, dusting herself off.

"Not really, it was open. If I was a samurai I would agree but I'm not, so I don't have a samurai's code of honor. I'm a jack of all trades."

"Jack of all trades, but master of none." Luca smirked and retorted in a rather snarky manner.

"Jack of all trades but master of none. Still better than a master of one." The whip snapped out wrapping around the sword in the girl's left hand and yanked her off her feet. Grinning Luca jumped using the momentum to kick the woman in the face.

"You are very annoying." she growled wiping the blood from her nose. It was broken. She just barely dodged the attack the downward swipe of the other blade. The whip unwrapped from the blade and smacked her across the face. Luca wiped the blood from her chin and jumped back. Planting her feet on the other side of the room the Hungarian twisted her body around pulling both swords with her. Lulu Bell raised an eyebrow. The younger woman was too far away to reach her so what was she going to do? The liquid didn't give any indication that it was going to change it's shape so what was the girl up to? The Noah just barely managed to dodge the swing as the blades swung around extended by long chains allowing the blades more reach. The French woman ran but it didn't seem to get her anywhere. The exorcist had claimed the middle of the room allowing the chained blades to reach any place in it as the girl spun like a top. "That weapon of yours is very annoying." Luca smirked.

"Pretty sure he said something along the same lines." She swung the blades around again, only for them to pass through the Noah completely. "Well that's new. What the hell was that?" The blades retracted back to the handles the chains disappearing.

"Just as your weapon changes I can take any form I please. I have changed my body into water. Your blades will no longer have any effect on me. I hope you are ready to die." The water snapped out connecting with Luca's stomach sending her flying into the wall again.

"Well that's not good. I don't think I like your power." she rubbed her stomach. She could feel the seam of the slice. It was shallow so it wasn't bleeding too badly. She would be fine.

"You don't seem to be laughing now." Luca shrugged and shot forward, the blades swiped through the water having no lasting effect. She glared at the water.

"Szar (shit)!" The foot connected with the new cut on her stomach.

"You do realize that you are just doing the same thing over and over again right? That is the definition of insanity." Luca laughed despite that fact that her stomach was sore and hurting now.

"I never claimed to be sane. Why would you want to? It's no fun and people expect you to be responsible then." she shrugged and the blades melted back into it's liquid form before flying at the water being. It went right through. Lulu Bell snapped the water whip out at the girl again who dove out of the way landing on her hands before jumping back to her feet. Green eyes widening, she ran to avoid the high speed water bullets flying at her head til she slipped in some more water. _Really starting to hate all this water. I need to get rid of it. Hmm_ , she hissed in her head. Flicking her fingers her innocence flew back wrapping around it's mistress.

"You can't hid in there forever little girl." Luca could hear the woman right outside her protective shell.

"Invoke! Release level 2: Harbinger!" the water whip hit the innocence several time in an attempt to destroy the shield. The teen allowed it to unwrap and smack her opponent away with a wall. Lulu Bell dusted herself off.

"I don't know what your level two ability is but I won't allow you to use it." The liquid solidified into gauntlets and armored boots. The water snapped out aiming for the defiant green eyes that she couldn't help but hate. The Hungarian blocked with her arms. _I just need to defend for now. Build up my energy. Not the best strategy but it will do_ , she thought. Distracted she didn't noticed the water wind around the gauntlets until she was pulled from her feet. Well this is gonna hurt, she groaned hitting the wall several times, her boots disappearing to cover her back, in an attempt to minimize the damage to her body. The water disappeared causing the girl to go sailing through the air.

"Szar (shit)!" The innocence left her back sliding back to her feet, allowing her to go skidding across the floor, her boots having more traction than other shoes while her claws tore gaping holes in the once gorgeous black marble flooring to slow her down.

"You are rather sturdy for a human." Lulu Bell noted in annoyance. The shorter girl stood up, placing her hands on her hips.

"And you're rather unpleasant. The thing is you might be pretty if you smiled or at least got that stick out of your ass, I can't imagine that's comfortable. I guess that overstuffed manipulative overlord of yours didn't teach his little overzealous fanatics that you shouldn't look down on people or you'll find that some of them can surprise you when you least expect it." She dusted herself off and found that despite all the water around her, she was still dry. _Hmm, I think I can work with that_ , she looked up to the Noah.

The golden eye twitched, several times before it's owner shrieked, "I told you not to speak of my Master in that way." The Noah's body exploded into a large creature made of water that remind Luca a bit of Hevlaska with multiple arms who's head reached the ceiling causing the girl to raise an eyebrow.

"Well that's an interesting look." Her eyes widened as tendrils of water rained down on her. Waving her hand quickly the shield came back up to protect from the onslaught.

"You can't hide under there forever!" the water Noah snarled. Upon realizing that none of her attacks were making any difference she changed tactics. Her water began to run along the polished floor and seep under the dome of innocence. Luca gave a cry as she was suddenly engulfed in water and unable to breathe. She struggled desperately to breathe. _I wonder if this is what My Love felt like in China_ , she questioned silently. Most of it was hazy, like she was watching somebody else yet her body was moving. She had no control. Her inner most demon rampaging around, intent on destroying anything and everything that harmed the most important thing in her life, her younger brother.

The shield reverted back to the gauntlets yet she was still trapped in a prison made of water. The only comfort it brought the girl is that they glowed vivid green with innocence energy. Kicking desperately she managed to clear the top of the water dome for a moment.

"Strike, Nightmare's mark!" The fire exploded through the water, freeing the girl from death's grasp and throwing her across the room while covering the room in steam. Luca did her best to cough as quietly as she could. She didn't want to give away her position. Slowly the steam vanished, condensing into the shape of the Noah of Lust. She was glad she was already on the floor at the moment as the entire room jolted violently. _It's getting worse._ She glanced up past the Noah to the figure on the other side of the room. The woman was back again. Her eyes widened as she stared at cloaked figure, her face obscured by the hood. Her lips were moving but Luca couldn't hear what she was saying. _Who are you? What do you want from me? Go away!_ Luca silently begged as she tried to focus on the Noah again.

"That was rather surprising and it hurt a bit. I don't like fire." the Noah hissed inspecting her newly acquired burns. It wasn't nearly enough damage but it was a start. At least she knew that the energy had an effect on the Noah even if the physical part of her innocence didn't.

"Told ya." she coughed a bit more, rushing the oxygen into her lungs as fast as she could. She didn't have any time to waste and she sincerely doubted the Noah in front of her would wait patiently for her to catch her breath. _I need to be more careful. That wasn't enough so I'll have to build up more but that means taking more of a beating_ , the older woman just stared down at her in disgust while she plotted. "You underestimated me and now you're paying for it. Those won't heal like a normal injury would nor as quickly." she huffed pushing her body up to her feet before leaning down to dust her boots off lackadaisically.

"Your innocence's level 2 ability, I understand it now."

"Oh?" Luca raised an eyebrow rather interested now, "Is that so?" The other woman nodded.

"You innocence creates fire, but only in small bursts you don't have the capacity for large flames. I can assure that the amount of fire you just conjured will not be enough to defeat me." Luca bit her lip to stop the smirk, forcing herself to slid her poker face on. _After all, what is battle but a game of poker with high stakes? All of our poker games were practically life and death. Do we get to eat or not? Do we have the energy to run and hide from the debt collectors or to fight them? To train? To fight the akuma? Everything is just one big poker game and I utterly refuse to lose_ , she hummed silently her eyes still trained on the other.

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see. You never know I may just have an ace up my sleeve." A dark eyebrow rose over gray skin, but the girl gave no indication that she was bluffing or not.

"If you have an ace up your sleeve why would you tell me that you do?" The girl finally allowed the smile to appear.

"I said I MIGHT have an ace up my sleeve. You never know if I do or not. I could say it so you think I have an ace when I really don't – that would be me bluffing, or I could be saying it so you think that I don't have an ace and I'm bluffing but I really do have an ace. Or I could want you to think that I do have an ace but I'm bluffing about whether or not I do have one thus causing you to be prepared for an ace but I don't actually have one. Or I want you to think that I don't have an ace and I'm bluffing several times about whether or not and so you don't prepare for the ace and then I'll win." Gold eyes blinked several times. Her mind spun around trying untangle the words of the younger who had been talking for a number of minutes spinning her spider web of lies and deceit. To say that the Noah was now thoroughly confused was a massive understatement.

"I no longer have any questions on the state of your sanity. Clearly you either never had any or you lost it a long time ago because that kind of maniacal raving must take years to perfect." _Well, time to get to work. This is gonna hurt a lot but I don't have anything better so I better get to work_ , she sighed internally.

Luca snorted, "Funny I was just gonna say the same thing. Only a bloody lunatic would want to help that weird ass rabbit eared psychopathic clown wannabe." The water lashed out violent at the rage swelling in the Noah's form. Luca did her best to block the attacks yet her skin still stung with pain and covered in red marks. "I think you Noah need to get that unchecked rage looked at. Honestly it's starting to get really bad. You say the slightest thing and you all fly into a fury." Her innocence slid from her arms to protect against the water whips flying at it's mistress. Luca ducked low as a particularly sharp slice of water screeched as it collided with the black liquid. The energy wasn't building fast enough. The entire room shook throwing both exorcist and Noah to the floor. The curly haired girl winced pushing herself back up onto her hands and knees. A few pieces of the ceiling fell, bouncing off the shield that had wrapped around the girl. She glared when she saw some rocks pass harmlessly though the water of the older woman. _I think I dislike her power more than My Love's. His I understand and can do something about it. This is just ridiculous. I need power and I need it right now. I don't have time for a long fight. I have no idea how much longer this room with hold up or what will happen if I don't get out in time. This isn't the same thing as traveling when I met My Love. I can't just run away, I actually need to beat her_ , the shaking grew brutal and more destructive. More rubble fell around them. _I need to move and move now_ , she pushed herself back up to her feet as her innocence continued to block all the falling debris. She could see green energy moving through the shadowy liquid. _It's still not enough. I need more_ , she glanced at the ripples in the woman's body. _It's worth a shot_ , she hummed. Her eyes glanced at the ghost still standing across the room just staring at her. She turned back to the Noah.

"Are you done playing around on the floor? Are you ready to die with dignity?" Luca rolled her eyes at the other person in the room.

"What is it with you people? Is it the dark matter? Because your akuma do it too! What the hell would any of you people know about dignity?!" Lulu Bell chuckled.

"It seems I've hit a nerve. Perhaps you hate talking about dignity because you don't have any? You lie, and cheat, and steal. Just like the rest of humanity you're nothing more than scum and you know it. You hate yourself so much that you take it out on everybody around you. In your fights whether it be Noah, akuma, or even your comrades." For once the smirk was nowhere to be seen on the girl's face. Instead blank features and hard green eyes, the glint of enjoyment was gone. Luca glared at the woman while twitching her fingers slightly sending the innocence to creep around the room. "Honestly I'm surprised that they all even bothered to try and stay with you. Your brother puts up with a lot from you, but I shouldn't be surprised considering that he is just like you." Luca's eyes widened and her lips pulled back in a snarl. She didn't even respond to the room shaking violently again.

"Listen here lady, I don't give a damn what you say about me. Most of the awful things you could come up with are true about me. I'm not a saint, I never claimed that I am. Hell I don't even care if you think that I am one or not. It doesn't matter. However, I will not stand by and let you speak about my brother whom you know nothing about. You can say what ever the hell you want to about me but if you ever speak of my brother like that again I will slaughter you." Her voice was angry and her tone biting. It was completely different from the girl who was joking about and goofing off in a serious fight hardly a minute ago.

"I guess that's your sore point. It won't matter, you are both going to die here." This time Luca allowed herself to smirk, clearly enjoying herself.

"I already told you that wouldn't happen. There's nothing you can do to keep us here. Remember that ace up my sleeve?" she snapped and Harlequin shot forward from every direction enveloping the Noah completely. She watched the innocence light up green and the Noah fought to free herself from the enclosed danger.

Lulu Bell struggled as she was suddenly trapped, surrounded completely by innocence. She could feel the space getting smaller and smaller. There was little air for her to breathe. Every time she changed forms to give herself more air the strange liquid just tightened around her. The Noah tried to slow her panicked thoughts so she could control her breath. If she started to fully panic then it would all over for her. The exorcist girl would win. She couldn't fail her master! Taking a deep breath she shifted into water again. Pushing against the innocence she began to expand her form ignoring the burning pain until the innocence exploded before sliding along the floor back to it's accommodater who offered a slow clap, a smirk still played upon the younger woman's features.

"I'm impressed. That's killed many akuma. I've destroyed so many because once they're trapped they just freeze before flailing around. By then Harlequin's done enough that they don't have the strength to fight their way to freedom. I guess it takes longer for a Noah to succumb to Harlequin's sweet lullaby." The taller woman glared at the condescending tone and manner.

"You're in trouble if that was your trump card. I'm not about to let you do that again. You didn't have enough power to put me down for good. Perhaps if you had combined your fire with it but you knew there wasn't enough oxygen in there to do so. Your innocence glows green when you can use the fire. It's why you've been stalling. Unfortunately for you, there's not enough power in you to have enough fire to truly damage me. You can't just damage me until I fall. You don't have the energy. You are going to die here and there's nothing you can do about it."

Luca sighed in a rather put upon manner, "You know for somebody with no personality you sure do have a lot to say. Seriously you're just like the akuma. You all have ten lines that you just repeat until your opponent dies. Whether from the attacks or just to get away from your talking. It's not even anything interesting just the same old thing day in and day out. Honestly the Earl speaks of a script but if this is it then I don't think he should be the scriptwriter because clearly he's not very good at it." she sighed again and began inspecting her nails pretending not to notice the silent fury of the woman standing in front of her, the liquid floating lazily behind her glowing green.

"I told you to never speak ill of my master!" Lulu Bell roared the water snapping out in a wild barrage of attacks in blind fury. Luca winced as she hid behind the green wall. She could hear the dull thudding of the water smacking the flat surface. _I'm almost there. I just need a bit more. I'd like to have an abundance of it just to be sure but I don't have time for that_ , she sighed taking a glance around the wall to observe the Noah. She braced herself when the room convulsed. _My time is running out, the room is getting worse and worse. I don't have time for this. Time to finish this_ , she glanced around the room. Had it not been in perfect condition when she walked in she would've never believed that it had been well taken care of or that anyone had been in it at all in the last 30 years. It was completely in ruins. She noticed with a wince that there several person shaped holes. Many of them were hers. _That hurt. Honestly I have so many bruises right now it's not even funny_ , she sighed. The sound of water hitting metal stopped.

"Are you done with your little tantrum yet?" The Noah openly glared at her.

"Once I am done here, I will personally go and find your brother and tear him limb from limb." Luca smirked at her.

"You won't beat me." Lulu Bell watched as best as she could as the exorcist stumbled around. The room that they were standing in was almost completely downloaded. She needed to finish quickly. Her eyes slid upward. The foolish girl was standing right underneath the chandelier. A slice of water snapped out severing the chain anchoring the heavy diamond chandelier to the ceiling dropping it right on top of the Hungarian teen.

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 **PLEASE DON'T THROW ANYTHING AT ME! I KNOW I DID IT AGAIN! I'm rather sadistic and I couldn't help myself. I've been writing Tyki too much and he's rubbed off on me a bit. As always please feed my addiction to reviews so I can feed your addiction of chapters and we will all be happy. Don't forget to answer the question about your favorite quirk of Luca's and what I should do for her birthday (and yes Tyki will get a special chapter for his birthday too) I look forward to all these answers as well as your thoughts and comments but no pitchforks! Oh yeah one last thing before I go: Next time! Chapter 23: Ready As I'll Ever Be! The long awaited reunion! Noah and exorcist will once again see each other! Tyki finds out Luca is alive and names are finally exchanged! Cheshire is gone until next time! Ciao~!**


	23. Ready As I'll Ever Be

**Well it's the moment you've all been waiting for~! So I forgot to mention a lot of stuff regarding the stuff about Luca's birthday. You can guess as many times as you like. And if you don't win first place you may with second or third! I can't wait to hear all of your guesses. You are allowed to guess until October 8** **th** **. I loved hearing your favorite quirks about Luca. All of them were different and it was really interesting to hear. As I promised, my favorite quirk of Luca's is her kleptomania. This manifests in her theft of Tyki's hats and all the shiny things she's been picking up. I think it's really cute and it's not something she can control. So this week's question is: What is your favorite Luca Tyki moment? I still need a ship name for them if anybody wants to make suggestions. I also finally got around to replacing Tyki's lighter with matches like in the manga. Well enough of me babbling review time!**

 **Dear EverlastingXTC, It's all good. I felt really bad and tried all week to figure it out, but couldn't come up with anything! Thank you for all your praise about the chapter!**

 **Dear Crimson Killer, Are you okay?! I was very concerned when I got that review. I opened the email only to find that you had either squealed or shrieked at me. I wasn't really sure which it was to be honest. There were no words. Again. Last time I heard from you it was the same thing. Just a screech. I'd be interested to know why. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and will enjoy this one! Also let me know that you're alright.**

 **Dear Alexc1209, I'm glad you liked the battle. I thought Lulu Bell would be a nice change of pace in many ways. Lulu Bell is very different personality wise to both Luca and Tyki. Luca was very bored and her powers were incredibly diffacult for Luca to overcome especially when she turned to water so I felt that it was a good match. It's nice to know that other people felt the same way.**

 **Dear Wicken25, Honestly I'm not sure Luca is capable of keeping her mouth shut even if she (or let's be realistic somebody else) wanted to. Sometimes her mouth runs faster than her brain and she says things she shouldn't. Just wait until** **Lvellie** **shows up then it will be all kinds of fun. Serious leaving them alone is a terrible idea. Just don't do it. As for the reunion well you'll just have to wait and see and...read obviously. Enjoy!**

 **Dear SheuOgama, I hope you are safe with the hurricane and all the other stuff happening and glad to see that it hasn't gotten your spirit down. Your review is energetic as ever! I'm grateful that you liked Lulu Bell vs. Luca. I was a bit worried that Lulu Bell would see OOC and was surprised when everybody told me that they liked it. I'm afraid I don't know much about Sheu but it could be fun to put the pair together and see what happens. Let me know!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, Please don't die! That would make me really sad! I would miss you and your reviews. Don't freak out besides it's not a cliffhanger it's a chandelier hanger. Okay sorry, really really REALLY bad joke. I do it because I'm a terrible sadistic person and I love it. It always makes the reviews entertaining. It's always excited. I like to guess how you and my other reviewers will react. I have so many chapters that I forget that you and the other readers haven't seen Tyki and Luca together since chapter 17 and don't know what happens next. You'll have to read to see how it all goes though!**

 **Dear Kp, You're like the second or third person to mention that anime to me. I love all the different quirks that you and the rest of my readers mentioned. As for her birthday you are getting close. I won't admit to anything but at the moment you've scored second place with one of your guesses. Feel free to keep guessing! I look forward to seeing if you manage to get it. Your praise about Luca and her character made me grin like the Cheshire cat. I adore her so and to hear other people talk about her like that makes my heart swell. That my readers see her the way I see her. Enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think of the reunion!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, I loved that story you sent me by the way! If it worked for him then why not me? Gather your Noah brethren and we'll rule the world! Let's move out! Luca's behavior I think is a mix of not enough sleep and too much coffee. Honestly the girl lives on the stuff. It's not healthy but she doesn't care. As always you have perfect timing. You review came in right on top of an email of someone who had lead me on and then decided to blow me off and only bothered to tell me via email. I was very disappointed but you once again cheered me up! Your comment on Lulu Bell and Luca's fight made my day especially because I was rather nervous about it. I'd never written Lulu Bell before as was a bit worried that she might be OOC and it was nice to hear that the fight was good. I actually had a bit of trouble figuring out how Luca would win because of Lulu Bell's ability. As promised in the last chapter Tyki and Luca will see each other again in this one! Let me know if it was worth the wait. Also thanks for promising not to kill me. Makes me feel better! Anyway enjoy!**

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 **Also this is the longest chapter that I've written so far so enjoy!**

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Lulu Bell stood still for a moment. She had never expected to have such trouble with one simple exorcist yet she had several wounds. Her body was covered in bruises and scrapes yet the more pressing ones were the burns and slashes she had obtained when she had underestimated the girl with a bladed weapon in her hand. She had more gashes on her body than any other time that she could remember. The most pressing wound was the gaping hole in her side. She pressed her hand against it in an attempt to quell the bleeding which was still pouring like a waterfall.

"That took much longer than it should. Perhaps I should apologize to Tyki for breaking his toy, even if he should really be doing his job instead of playing with an exorcist." The room shook once more. "It's time to go." she turned heading for the door. "Maybe I should rest before I go to tear that boy apart."

A voice called out from behind her, "Shouldn't you finish off your first opponent before going after a new one?" Whirling around she found that the smoke around the room had cleared leaving the exorcist to stand in the middle of the room, the chandelier lay in pieces around her. As it had broken apart to avoid hitting her. The girl's innocence drifted around her lazily blazing green brilliantly. The only proof that she had even been under the chandelier was the fact that her hair was now freed from the braids and fell in loose messy curls. Golden eyes blinked several times. _Who the hell is this girl? The grim reaper itself? Exorcists are suppose to be weak yet this one just kept getting up as if she hadn't just taken a chandelier head on_ , the Noah took a moment to calm her thoughts and compose herself. She couldn't let the girl provoke her into another outburst. The Earl would've been ashamed about the way she had acted anyway, she could not afford to disappoint him any further.

"I will no longer underestimate you. This has gone on far too long and I have let you get under my skin multiple time and my master will not be pleased with that fact so it must end here." The girl smirked back at her. The innocence crawled up the girl's body before forming gauntlets along her arms. "Those seem to be your go to weapon. You like close quarters combat so I will no longer indulge you. Playing the way you would like to."

"I'm game pretty much any way. However you are right I do prefer my gauntlets to other weapons. I just like the feeling of breaking something with my own two hands. It's rather satisfying." she shrugged.

"It's time to finish this." The water whip snapped out slashing against the glowing metal. Wrapping it around her arms she yanks. Luca glared as the water slipped right through her fingers.

"I want you to know that I really hate that power of yours. This is just silly. I feel like I'm trying to fight a pool or a pond. It's completely ridiculous." Lulu Bell glared at the girl.

"Are you always insulting or is it just me?" Luca grinned.

"Always. Don't take it personally. Now lets get down to business and finish this. This room's almost gone." as if to prove it the entire room shook sending pieces of rubble flying all around.

"For once I agree with you." The Noah's entire body transformed into water again and she rushed the girl. She had expanded her body this time to make sure that there was too much water for the exorcist to turn into the steam with her fire. "It's time to die." the water enveloped the girl once again. She winced and struggled. She needed air. The one time she wished her innocence was parasitic and didn't need physical or verbal commands. She kicked her way to the surface only for a hand made of water to pull her down and away from the much needed air. She tried to kick the hand off but it didn't have any effect. Lulu Bell waited until the girl stopped moving to release her ankle. Taking her moment of freedom, she kicked hard, breaking through the surface.

Taking a huge gulp of air she shouted, "Strike, Nightmare's mark!" Lulu Bell laughed.

"I told you that your fire wouldn't have an effect this time." Luca grinned.

"It's not fire, ribanc (whore)!" she laughed as the green electricity pulsed through the water. The huge shock rushing through the water. The force of the blow threw Luca from her watery prison onto the floor with a jolt. She winced rubbing her shoulder. "Well that hurt." she groaned. "And of course it's going to bruise." she huffed irritated before diving out of the way as a large chunk of the ceiling fell. "Yep. Time to go." She got up, allowing Harlequin to wrap around her arms before deactivating it. " **That** was the ace up my sleeve." Looking over she saw that the smoldering Noah was still breathing. "Huh? Well Allen would never let me hear the end of it so I guess I'll drag your sorry segg (ass) out." Groaning painfully she bent down to grab the woman's ankle before running for the exit. She let out another groan upon finding another long hallway. She didn't bother picking Lulu Bell up just continued to drag her down the hall. "I wonder where they went? And how far did they get? Fighting you took way longer than I intended." she continued to talk to the Noah as if the other was awake. A small silver ball came fluttering over to her. "And just where the hell have you been Scor?" The golem bumped her head into her mistress' who winced slightly. Her head was pounding, but she could hear cracking. "Better get moving. Time to go." Hearing a large crash sound behind her Luca took off running for the exit Scor flying behind her before diving into the safety of the hood of the exorcist.

"Luca?" Said girl looked up at her name being called. She now stood in a round library, though it was no longer in one piece. Krory was the one who called out to her. She found him and a strange man (? she wasn't completely sure to be honest but decided not to question it) with long blond hair with some black on top. _That's an interesting coloring and look in general really_ , she noted thoughtfully.

"Oh. Hey Krory. How's it going?" The pair blinked at her for a few minutes. "What?!" she questioned. _Why the hell are they staring at me_ _like that?_ she pouted sighing internally.

"Lulu Bell?" the Noah, _Okay so it is a man_ , she hummed thoughtfully, asked.

"Yeah, do you know her?" she questioned. The guy nodded. "Krory do you want any help?" she tilted her head to the side.

"No, it's fine. Your brother's been worrying constantly since we left you. Just go up and find Allen before he loses his mind." She smiled.

"Al's such a worrywart. If you're sure then," she shrugged and started heading to giant monument that had a door in it.

"Wait." she paused, turning to the strange Noah. She raised an eyebrow at him, telling him to continue. "Your brother?" she nodded. "Your brother is Allen Walker?" she nodded again, smiling. The Noah grinned. "Does that mean Cross is your master?" this time the dark haired girl shuddered.

"Yeah, unfortunately. What of it?" The grin stretched and the girl silently wondered if it was a Noah thing, because her love did the same thing some times.

"Would he pay ransom for you?" He seemed hopeful.

She shot him down immediately shaking her head, "Absolutely not. He'd laugh at me, if he even bothered to show up." The Noah's head dropped. "Why?" she tilted her head to side curiously. "Did he leave you debt?" The guy nodded. She grinned. "Well good luck with that. It's what you get for messing with my master." shrugging she climbed through the monument still dragging the unconscious Noah behind her. She groaned when she saw what was on the other side. "Why? Just why? Why is it always stairs?" she looked up to see how far up they went. "Lots and lots of stairs. Great." she huffed and started up the stairs grumbling the whole way.

Luca groaned when she got to the top. A set of white colored double doors stood in her way. She grabbed the handle to open the door only for absolutely nothing to happen. Her green eyes narrowed as she glared at the door. _Oh, no I did NOT just climb all those stairs to be locked out. I told Allen I would meet up with him and that's just what I am going to do_ , she huffed. She could feel Allen, Lavi, Lenalee, Chaoji, her love, and another person, Road if she guessed right, behind the doors. She paused for a moment, _It feels like it's been so long. Am I ready?_ She reflected for a moment, _Ready as I'll ever be_ , taking in a deep breathe she grinned. _I have always wanted to try this_ , she took several steps back to give herself the room she would need to make the kick.

BANG! The entire room jumped several feet in the air as the doors behind the exorcists burst open and slammed against the wall hard. Tyki looked over at Road.

"Didn't you lock those?" he questioned to which she just nodded dumbly. He couldn't quite see over the chair that the silver haired exorcist sat in. They had only been talking for a few moments when it had happened. His eyes widened dramatically when Lulu Bell's unconscious and scorched body sailed over the chair and long table before crashing into him. The force knocked him and his chair over backwards completely.

"Tyki!" he heard Road call out to him as she rushed over. He sat up and checked to make sure Lulu Bell was still breathing. "Is she okay?" he nodded to her vaguely hearing the sound of heels clicking on the floor.

"Yeah, just beaten. I guess she lost." He picked up the younger Noah gently while Road opened a door to their new ark. Tyki set the French woman down on a sofa before heading back into the tower.

"Have fun Lu?" Allen drawled highly entertained by something, the Portuguese man could hear it in his voice. He stopped dead in his tracks.

"You know, I really did!" Sitting on the arm on the right side of Allen Walker's chair was Butterfly. She grinned down at her brother before turning her mesmerizing green eyes on him.

"Butterfly...?" he breathed out. She was alive? All this time and she was alive?

"Did ya miss me, My Love?" she questioned grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"My Love?!" she giggled as her friends shrieked at the nickname. She only shrugged not really caring. She was having far too much with fun with the fact that she had convinced him she was dead. He could see it in her eyes. She was mocking him and playing at the same time.

"What?" Allen just sighed into his hand. Of all the things she could call the Noah that almost murdered her several times and him yet she called him My Love. "I don't know his name." Everybody else in the room looked between the pair several times while Tyki walked back to his chair and righted it.

"Was throwing Lulu Bell into me completely necessary Butterfly?" She nodded.

"Yeah, pretty sure it was. I could do worse if you like," she paused to think for a moment tapping her bottom lip as she did so. "actually I might still. I'll just wait until you aren't expecting it." her eyes glittered with mischief. "You got off a lot easier than the last person that tried to kill my brother. Especially considering you put a hole in his heart."

"What?!" the Walker siblings winced together. Allen sighed.

"Sorry it just kinda slipped."

Road explained, "His innocence fixed the hole. He's fine" the smaller girl waved them off though she pouted as the clearly not dead exorcist prevented her from hugging the silver haired boy.

"Okay," Tyki sighed, but Road cut him off.

"Don't be rude! You never gave her your name! Daddy would be SO upset if he knew about your lack of manners!" Tyki sighed, he did not need nor did he want another lecture from Sheril. About anything never mind manners of all things.

"Of course, I should've introduced myself when we met in Sassari. We didn't really have time in Barcelona. My name is Tyki Mikk." she smiled at him as he bowed towards her yet it still had that predatory gleam to it. He wasn't used to it being directed at him. Normally he was the one with that look.

"Luca. Luca Walker." He chuckled a bit.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." she rolled her eyes, yet smiled anyway.

"That was bad My Love." She crossed her left leg over her right.

"Okay, I'll bite. How did you survive the virus?"

Once again the rest of the friends shrieked, "What?!" causing the Walker siblings to wince together.

"You got shot?!" Lavi was more than a little pissed at his Hungarian friend who merely smiled and waved him off. The red head could see Lenalee just gaping at her friend completely frozen, out of his side vision.

"Was dying when I left. They both were, yet here they are. Healthy as ever. I'm assuming you were the one to do that to Lulu Bell?" Tyki drew Luca's attention back to him. He didn't really like the attention the bookman was paying to his butterfly. Much to his delight she turned away from her friends and back to him, her eyes meeting his.

"Yep! She got in my way. May have also said a few things that I didn't take kindly to as well," the girl shrugged. "but hey I warned her and she did it anyway." Tyki shook his head.

"I think I have an idea about what she said." his eyes flicked over to the boy sitting next to her causing her wink at him.

"I'm sure you do considering..." she left the comment hanging. He knew what she was speaking and that was all that mattered. There was a moment of silence as metallic green stared at gold and only they existed in the world. The moment was broken by Lavi speaking again.

"Well how did you survive?" Lavi demanded, silently he told himself that it was just for recording sake but the small voice in the back of his head called him a liar and pointed out that he cared for the shorter girl. Her green eyes founds his and she tilted her head to the side in confusion. He sighed, "The virus. You were shot, that's what he said." Lavi pointed accusingly at the tallest Noah's direction. Golden eyes narrowed at the distraction.

"Yeah I think I'd like to know too." She grinned brightly at her love.

"What if I don't wanna tell ya?" He glared at her yet it didn't have the effect he was hoping for.

"Come now Butterfly, play fair. I'm not cheating, I said I wouldn't-" he paused for a moment. "Come to think of it I didn't see you when I proposed the idea of the game."

"Oh, I had gone looking for the door that Allen and I came in through to see if it was still connected." He nodded, that sounded like something she would do.

"I kind of wish you had been there. Now that I think about it, this trip would've been a lot shorter if you had." Tyki raised an eyebrow at the youngest exorcist's comment.

"Really?" The boy nodded.

"Yeah. Had she been there she would've jumped right on the obvious loop hole." Luca grinned. "You never said that we had to go through the doors. Just get to the tallest part of the ark." Luca sighed.

"That would've been so much fun. Maybe the rest of you could stop worrying so much too."

"Is it you?" All heads turned to Road who seemed to be asking Luca a question.

"Is what me?"

Road giggled a bit but explained, "You've been here for a while now and Tyki said that you had been hit by the virus yet we keep getting off topic before you tell us what happened and how you saved yourself. So I want to know if you are like this all the time and does it have any reason why Tyki came home covered in corn and other things before?" Luca laughed until the Noah girl mentioned corn at which point both she and Tyki shivered slightly.

"It depends on my mood really. I've been told that I can be moody however I'm always happy to see My Love because the faces he makes bring me such joy. It's just so much fun to watch. As for the corn thing well, we may have crashed into each other a few times in that corn field. I'm not exactly graceful." she shrugged.

"And the dirt? That suit was more brown than black when he got home." Road grinned innocently dangling the events of Moldavia right in front of Tyki's nose. He glared at her for a moment before changing the subject. It wasn't something that he felt needed to be, or wanted to be if he was being honest with himself which he wasn't, shared with the other exorcists.

"She just has a short attention span." he covered, she shrugged but agreed. He heard the bookman mutter an agreement but only spared the boy a glance. Though he did take a moment to glare at the Chinese man sitting near Luca. She shifted slightly on the chair, leaning against her brother to prop on her feet on the leg of the table. "So back on topic before you pull us down another rabbit hole," he paused for a moment eyes wide before smacking his hand to his face. "Damn it Butterfly. Now you've got me referencing that book. I can only ever think of you when I read it or even hear about it because you grin just like that damn cat all the time." Road started cackling madly. Luca smiled and brushed her left hand along her left hip, fingertips just barely grazing the fabric of her shorts. Tyki waited for a moment but Road continued to laugh. "Anyway," he threw a glare at his niece. "the virus?" she smiled at him.

"You really want to know my secret?" he nodded. "Are you really sure?" he gave her a look and nodded again but she kept her grin. "There was no virus." Every mouth in the room excluding her and her brother's dropped. She giggled gleefully enjoying the look on the Portuguese man's face.

"That's not possible! You were covered in stars! I saw it. I could smell it on you!" he protested. She simply held her right arm out.

"Activate." Both Noah fell into battle ready stances as the black liquid slid off her skin at command. "Stars." she spoke calmly watching as it split into pieces. Each piece turned into a black star against her exposed pale skin. The older man took the moment to observe the new uniform. He definitely liked it better than the other one. His eyes drifted along her figure, from her skin tight jacket, down to the shorts and her bare legs. They lingered there longer than they should've until he realized he wasn't the only one staring. The man only a few feet away from her was also gazing at them appreciatively. A deep guttural growl came from somewhere deep within him. It almost felt like it wasn't just him. He just barely managed to quell it yet he still knew that Road had heard. She glanced between the three dark haired people a few times before smirking at him. Damn it, she knew.

"Alright so you used your innocence to make the stars but that doesn't explain the smell. I could smell it on you." She smiled at him.

"I had been killing akuma before I got there. I smelled like that because I was in such a hurry to find Allen that I just went running through the smoke. I wasn't in it long enough to inhale it but the stench tends to cling anyway." Allen took a moment to lean near his sister.

"Speaking of smelling, why do you smell like a thunderstorm and vanilla?" she laughed.

""Allen you idiot octopus helper-outer," Luca sighed while Lavi burst out in laughter. Allen groaned and the rest of the room was very confused. Tyki raised an eyebrow at the siblings and wondered, not for the first time, if the Walker siblings were sane.

"Do you have to bring that up?" Lavi snorted.

"Allen you are **such** an idiot octopus helper-outer." Allen glared at him.

"Oh well, I guess it can't be helped that would be my perfume and the fact that I ran electricity through my body. I literally fried my opponent." she shrugged it off before shaking her head. She growled in irritation, as she tried to fight her way out of her own tangled hair that fell in waves to her waist. Her innocence slid from her skin back into a single piece which she stuck her hand into. Much to everybody's surprise she retrieved a hat. Tyki recognized it as the one from Rome by the red ribbon. "Nope. That's not it." she put the hat back and dug around for something. "Hat, hat, hat, hat, hat. Where the hell are they?" Tyki raised an eyebrow.

"Are all of my hats in there?" she looked over at him for a moment.

"Yeah." she nodded excitedly before going back to looking for something that she was apparently keeping in her innocence.

"I don't suppose I could have those back?" she shook her head.

"Nope! Mine now!"

He chuckled at her chipper tone, "Yeah I figured as much."

"Kurva életbe (god damn it)! And I'm out of ribbons." she started to card her fingers through it in an attempt to tame it though she was having little luck. Lenalee sighed and got up. Her legs were still unsteady and shaking but she walked over to her friend with determination. Luca looked behind her to try and see her friend. They still hadn't spoken since the fight in the forest of China. Taking in a deep breath the Chinese girl began to gather the thick locks of hair into a high ponytail. The shorter girl held still unsure of what to do or say. Something clicked lightly and the girl reached up to feel it. It was a clip, metal by the cool touch with some kind of cross like shape to it.

"I'm so sorry about our fight." Lenalee wrapped her arms around the Eastern European's shoulders in a hug and buried her face in the unruly locks. "I should've been more willing to listen to you and seen things from your point of view." Luca smiled and patted her friend's head.

"Everybody fights. It's okay. I forgive you." she touched the hair clip again. "Is this...gold?"

Lenalee nodded, "It was Anita's. She gave it to me but I lost one when my hair burned off. I gave the other one back to her but she insisted I keep it and either save it for myself or give it to somebody I care about. I care about you and your hair is gorgeous and shouldn't be kept in those stuffy braids." Tyki had to agree with the taller girl's assessment. He hadn't heard the first part of the conversation only that they had a fight, but Butterfly truly did have beautiful hair. The room was quiet for a minute. The girls were having a moment, which was promptly ruined when the strange card floating next to Tyki's head spoke.

"Alllliiiiivvvveeee." the small creature inside the cage wailed. "Alleeennn Walllkkker is alllliiivvveee." it's water voice drifted out. Tyki groaned and slapped his hand over his face as it continued to whine.

"Yes. I heard you. I heard you the first time. I have heard you every single time you have said it." The man sighed again as Luca almost fell off the edge of the chair laughing. She laughed so hard that she had to clutch her sides causing her brother to hold on to her so she didn't tumble off her seat on the arm of his chair.

"Even the card sasses you!" He sighed for the third time. _I forgot how many times I do this when Butterfly's around. I still can't believe she wasn't dead and that I fell for it. Road's never going let me live that down. Especially with how much I missed her_ , he groaned mentally. _Huh, I actually missed her_ , he hummed glancing at the girl again. At some point during the conversation Road had latched onto Allen again. This time on the side that wasn't guarded by his vicious older sister.

"I'm so glad that my suffering amuses you Butterfly. He's been doing that ever since I got to Edo. Non-stop. Wish he could've told me you were still alive. That's far more interesting." He gave her a cheeky smirk.

"It always has. Why do you think I like to hit you? You have such an expressive face. I love it!" He shook his head.

"I want you to know that it hurt." She smirked and suddenly he was afraid of the sadistic and mischievous gleam her eyes held.

"You weren't complaining in Moldavia."

"What happened in Moldavia?" Allen asked rather confused by what was going on between his sister and the guy that almost murdered them. She seemed to take it rather lightly compared to other times.

"Are you going to keep bringing that up?" he inquired as he dug around for his pack of cigarettes. _God he needed a smoke. Always do when Butterfly is around. What the hell is my life coming to?_ he groaned when he found them. It was starting to get light. He would need a new one soon.

"I didn't really mind what happened." she shrugged. _Damn it she knows that I do. It's bad enough Road knows as it is_ , he now patted himself down for his matches. "Missin' something?" He looked up to find her holding his match box between her fingernails.

"How did you even do that? You haven't been near me." Road giggled with the Hungarian.

"She's right you do make funny faces." he glared at his niece for mocking him.

"Catch." he did as she told him and the little box was back in his hand again.

"Little thief." Her eyes glinted as if she knew something he didn't. He sighed and lit the cigarette. "How long have you had that?" she smiled.

"Only a few minutes. I wanted to see how long before you noticed."

"Road please move away from him."

Road threw herself into Allen's lap to shout, "Whaa...? But I love him!" Allen winced as she was right by his ear. Luca raised an eyebrow though she was highly amused by the look her brother was sporting.

"I've realized that in a fight to the death you've got to give everything you have." Luca sighed silently, only Road saw it. Green and silver eyes snapped over the teez by Lenalee's head. Allen glared at him as he skewered it to the chair.

"I have one thing to say to you Tyki Mikk. If you touch my friends or family again, I'll kill you." Allen was across the table before the others could blink.

"I have nothing against you personally Boy." Luca watched quietly glancing up momentarily at the teez fluttering by her head. Lavi jumped to his feet while Luca hopped off the chair with the dark little golem following her.

"Don't interfere! Tyki likes him too." Road grinned down at the ginger from her place hovering on Lero. "Let's play!" Road's gold eyes moved to the other three _Tyki won't be happy if I break her by accident. So I won't harm her. Maybe we should take her with us when we leave_ , Road hummed. With a thought she caught them in a box. "You're quick!"

Tyki's eyes flicked over, away from Allen for a moment. Luca had avoided the box. She stood a few feet away looking between the two groups uncertainly. He could see the hesitation and uneasiness in her green eyes. Where would she go? Who would she help? It was one of the few times he had seen her without a smirk or the poker face she wore. _Probably because she thinks I'm not looking at her. Which I shouldn't be. Her brother won't just stand still and I don't think he's comfortable with my relationship with Butterfly...whatever it is_ , he turned his attention back to the younger teen who was looking at him strangely. No, he was looking at something on Tyki's left. _Ahh he's noticed his sister's earring. I should grab another from her here. Lord knows she has enough of my hats that she can spare a few earrings_ , his eyes moved back over to the girl who now sat perched a top the box containing her friends, on her toes watching them like a hawk.

"Come on, drop the poker face Boy. What's on your mind? You enjoyed beating me at cards so why is a battle to the death any different?" Allen sighed.

"I'm sad. Every time we meet you seem more likable than the last. You're so human. More human with every meeting. I wish all our battle could be harmless poker games." For a split second Allen's eyes moved to his sister who nodded at him. Giving him her blessing.

"Remember the rules Butterfly." Tyki called out to her teasingly. She waved him off. _Guess she only jokes about her own life and not her brother's. Good to know, though vaguely concerning_ , he hummed though deep down he knew she wouldn't break the rules of their little game.

Luca's eyes flicked over to Lavi for a moment. _He's not hurt. Road attacks the mind, or soul whatever you want to call it_ , Luca wasn't entirely sure of where that thought was going but Allen and Tyki's battle was more pressing. It's weird to call him by his name after so long of just calling him My Love. _Not sure I'll ever really call him something else. It wasn't a bad name and suited him quite well actually, just strange_ , she noted realizing that she liked the way his name rolled across her tongue. She glanced at all the teez the man had released. _Those won't do anything against Crown Clown. His defense is better than mine_ , sure enough Allen tore through them with ease. The pair met each other head on. Tyki dodged as pieces of the cape shot out on him, landing on the air as if he was actually standing on it.

"You can fly huh?" Allen asked watching the man stand on absolutely nothing.

"You can call it that. I choose to touch whatever I want. So I can choose to stand on the air if I want. Anything of this world. I can choose to touch it or not to touch it. However innocence is different. It's not of this world and thus I cannot choose whether to touch it or not. It's rather annoying and what makes Butterfly so dangerous to me. With you I only have to watch your left arm, with Eyepatch boy I only need to watch the hammer but your sister is constantly changing it's shape. I've lost count of how many time she introduced something new. Not to mention when she decides to hide it on me." Crown Clown shot up anchoring Allen to the ceiling. Luca watched as several of the large striped butterflies phased out from Tyki's body. Her eyes flickered back and forth between the combatants. Light flashed brightly and innocence and dark matter clashed before white threads shot through the butterflies skewering them. Luca's nails bit into her palms despite the new thicker gloves. _I can't believe he's using the rules of our game against me. I can't do anything but watch and trust Allen. It's not that I don't but I can't help but worry. Yet here I am worrying for both of them. How did things get so messed up? So tangled? Maybe the others are right? Maybe I am insane_ , she sighed softly before her eyes found them flying through one of the large archways of the tower.

"Lavi!" Lenalee's cry drew the shortest exorcist's attention. Her red haired friend had dropped to his knees, slightly slumped forward. "What's wrong Lavi?" The Chinese girl began to bang on the wall trying to get the ginger's attention. "Lavi! Answer me!" When the boy didn't answer her she turned her attention to the girl sitting on top of the box who was still watching the fight outside completely engrossed. "Luca! Do something!" she ordered. The green eyed girl glanced down at her.

"Can't." The dark eyed girl glared.

"What do you mean you can't? Nothing's holding you back!" Luca sighed but Road answered for her.

"Luca knows better. She can't help Lavi because she can't reach the plane of existence that he's on. As for Allen's fight with Tyki that she can't. This is a one on one fight. If she and Allen were in each other's shoes it would be the same. Luca can't interfere because if it was her fight with Tyki she wouldn't want Allen to get in the way."

"So you're just going to sit there?" Luca sighed but answered her friend's demands.

"Have faith in Allen, Lenalee. There's nothing you can do about it so stop freaking out. It won't help at all." Her tone was flat and her eyes never left the pair outside.

"Your powers scare me the most Mistress Road." Luca rolled her eyes as Lero spoke. _I really wish he wouldn't do that. His voice annoys me so much_ , Road's next comment distracted the girl from her thoughts.

"The true question is where should I stab the bookman's heart to make him bleed. I hope his blood's like candy! Bright red!" Luca shook her head again. _Lavi was many things but weak of mind was not one of them. He'd be fine_. Allen landed against the wall with a thump. _His control of Crown Clown is amazing! He's only had it's true form for a couple of hours and I still haven't seen a mistake yet_ , she could feel Harlequin shift slightly against her skin slightly. Her weapon wasn't completely invoked but would move if something happened.

"Don't fall Boy." Luca sighed. Normally the Portuguese man didn't annoy her but she found herself wanting to hit him again. _Allen can take care of himself. He'll be okay. Breathe_ , taking a deep breath the girl tried to calm her nerves. If anybody else were fighting she'd just sit down and enjoy the show but she couldn't. Her body refused to move from it's battle ready stance. _I won't let him hurt Allen again. Even if I have to let Hyde back out again and kill My Love. Allen will survive_ , she could feel the darkest part of her mind stirring at the thought but pushed it away for now. _Not yet, Allen hasn't fallen yet. I don't believe he will. He can do this_ , she hummed again doing her best to do what she told Lenalee to do. Tyki released another swarm of teez that surrounded her brother.

"That won't work." Luca singsonged softly. Road glanced at her.

"Oh? How do you know?" Luca smirked cheekily.

"I've seen Allen fight. I know Allen, and more importantly I was with him when Crown Clown was born. I know what it's capable of. I can already tell you what he will do about those." she nodded towards the teez that were getting ready to fire blasts of dark matter. Just as Luca knew he would, the silver mask slid over Allen's eyes and the cloak wrapped around him simultaneously protecting him and destroying the golems all around him.

"You look more like a white demon than a clown at the moment, Boy." Tyki chuckled causing Allen to smirk.

"That's funny. I guess you haven't seen what hides beneath the mask." Tyki raised an eyebrow. _Which mask was he referring too? Both a clown and a harlequin wear a mask. Who was the demon he was talking about? Would he really call his own sister a demon? Maybe he's seen something similar to what happened in Rome. I still don't have an explanation for what happened there. Her innocence saved her, just like his, and the Chinese girl's. So which one is the heart? Or maybe none of them are_ , he shook the thoughts away returning his attention to the battle. With Butterfly not being dead he'd have more time to explore the possibility. _Besides the Earl only wanted the Chinese girl dead. He didn't say anything about Butterfly..._ , he let that thought trail off.

"I'm getting chills. I get to break you again. I'm going to enjoy this. You know what they say about history repeating itself. I'll tear that arm of yours off and destroy it all over again." Dark matter gathered in the man's hands as he spoke. Allen met him head on. Light exploded from them. "You can't absorb it! This is absolute power!" Allen snorted, _Clearly he still hasn't figured out Luca's power yet. That's exactly what Harlequin's power is. It absorbs dark matter and damage turning it into strength_ , he winced as cracks spread up his arm. "Crumble to dust, Allen Walker." The energy of the attack sent him crashing back until he hit the box containing his friends.

"Allen!" Lenalee's worried cry came from behind him. He could feel his sister sitting on top, her presence was calming. He couldn't feel it the way she could but knowing she was there was good.

"You've evolved. Tougher than you were before. One blast didn't do it. It doesn't matter, I'll finish it off with this next blast. It will hurt less if you don't fight it, Boy." His gold eyes flicked up to meet green for a moment.

"You're breaking my Allen, Tyki." Road pouted at her uncle.

He sighed, "Indulge me." Road's eyes narrowed.

"You wouldn't like it if I broke your Butterfly." Tyki sighed again.

"Luca! Do something!" Lenalee glanced up at her friend who didn't respond. "Leave him alone! Don't hurt my friend!" she moved her eyes to the Noah who didn't even glance at her, instead he moved his eyes to the silver haired boy who was slumped over slightly.

"Get up Allen." Luca's voice was soft yet she still smiled down at her brother. "What is it nap time or something? Get your segg (ass) moving." Allen raised his head to smirk at his sister's taunting.

"Come on Lu, don't be like that." he turned to face the Noah. "Did you really think that I'd run away? Run from you and your darkness?"

"Upset about your new arm? Is that what this is about?" the Portuguese man smirked though he wasn't sure he liked the way Butterfly was smirking. The Chinese girl started to shout at her friend but he was tuning her out as she wasn't saying anything of interest.

"You don't understand us exorcists Tyki Mikk. You think that without our weapons that we're powerless. If you destroy our weapons you render us harmless but what makes us dangerous is the human part. Innocence only provides the power," To everyone's shock the cracks in Allen's arm healed and vanished, leaving it completely intact. "but our hearts are what make it deadly. As long as my heart can reach my innocence, as long as my body can move, as long as everything that I care about is in this world, as long as I am an exorcist the Crown Clown will not be broken."

Luca watched Tyki's gold eyes widen before something flashed in them. _What was that? His whole aura changed. What just happened?_ she questioned.

"Tyki?" Road's question was soft and nobody but the dark haired girl next to her heard it but it was enough. _She noticed it too._ _It was like he saw something that we didn't. Or maybe heard or felt. I can't place my finger on it though_ , she watched as the Portuguese man looked down at his hand as if he was looking for something. Her eyes widened as his hair fell despite nothing touching it. _Could it be Crown Clown's aura? It wouldn't bother the rest of us because we're human but it might have an effect on him._ She glanced down at the liquid slithering on her own skin. _I can feel mine, it's faint but there, feels very similar to mine own. So far only Master's been able to tell_ , Tyki's hand moved to his chest as if feeling for his own heartbeat. Luca watched apprehensively. Tyki's aura was changing, getting darker and darker.

"You Noah take being human too lightly." Luca winced when Tyki burst out laughing. It wasn't his normal laugh that she was used to, no it was deranged. Road noticed it too.

"What's going on Mistress Road?" Lero asked looking to the Noah girl.

"Tyki's really mad now." Luca staggered for a moment as Road yanked the box off the ground and up into the safety of the air, almost losing her balance. She glanced over to see that the little girl had also pulled Lavi up out of the way though he was now in a box too. The air around Allen exploded causing Luca to wince as it whipped her hair around and in her face.

"Thanks for the sermon. Now taste my power." Her eyes moved to the Noah. He was no longer laughing and that scared her more. She balanced on the edge of the box ready to jump in at a moment's notice. She noticed the small butterfly was far more agitated now, fluttering around her head more than it had been before almost as if trying to discourage her from doing exactly what she was thinking about.

After another attempt to get Lavi's attention with little success Lenalee questioned Road, "Road what's Tyki doing to Allen?!" Road sighed but answered the other girl.

"Tyki's the pleasure of Noah. He can touch or not touch anything of this world. Judging by the way the air is swirling around I'd say that he's created a vacuum around Allen. He keeps it up and Allen with suffocate." Road explained though the playful joy in her voice was gone. She was, now like Luca, worried. Lenalee didn't take the news well. Standing she began to kick to box as if she had her innocence though she only managed to bloody her legs more causing pain to herself with each kick and fall. Chaoji tried to dissuade the hysterical girl with little luck.

"You can't even invoke your innocence." Road pointed out though the girl didn't listen to her.

"I'm an exorcist. I exist to fight!" Lenalee sobbed before snapping up to the girl still perched on the top who had been silent the whole time. "Luca! Do something! Your brother is dying! You ran off so quickly last time yet this time you just sit there and watch! Do something!"

"No," she paused for a moment focusing on Allen's aura. "not yet." Dark eyes glared at her while gold ones looked on curiously.

"What does that mean?!" The Easter European sighed but did explain.

"If Allen falls unconscious and is thus unable to fight any longer I will step in. Other than that I can't do anything. Those are the rules."

"Rules? You can't be serious! That man is killing your brother and you're still playing this game with him?!" she protested completely distraught and confused by her friend.

"It's not about her game with Tyki," Road cut in. "It's about her faith in Allen and his feelings. If he wanted her to step in he would ask for her help. It's the same reason I'm not helping Tyki, even if he needed it. This is one on one combat. The other will only step in if something happens. Only to protect the life of the person and nothing else. Both Tyki and Allen would be mad if someone stepped in when it wasn't needed."

"Oh? What's this?" Road looked over at the long haired girl who had spoke watching the rippling air with wide eyes then back to the vortex herself. She didn't see anything different.

"Can you sense something Luca?" The girl was quiet for a moment as if trying to decide on something.

"Yeah, Allen's aura is changing." Road raised an eyebrow.

"You can feel those? Very few can do that." the girl shrugged eyes still trained on dueling pair as if they could be seen.

"It's not anything special. I've met others and they are better and stronger than me."

"Can you see akuma?" Luca smirked.

"Obviously. How are we suppose to fight something invisible?" she drawled sarcastically to which Road glared at her before smirking back.

"Tyki never mentioned you were a sarcastic little shit." The girl shrugged as something sliced through the whirling vortex. Tyki came shooting out of it, skidding over to the pair of girls. "What happened Tyki?" the Portuguese man placed his hands on his knees as he huffed to catch his breath.

"He's an unusual human." he took in several large breaths. He hadn't fought like this since China. Only Butterfly had ever pushed him this hard. _That's what I get for saying I was bored recently. Not bored anymore_ , his eyes flicked up to the girl who was grinning down at him. True to her word she hadn't moved or lifted a finger to help her brother not that he had needed it.

"Not so funny anymore is it?" he glared at the green eyed girl halfheartedly.

"Not helping Butterfly." he panted, chest still heaving.

"I promised not to help remember?" A smile pulled at his lips.

"Cheeky brat." He looked back to the crackling innocence that was starting to move allowing them to see Allen with a full length broadsword.

"No way." Luca breathed out. "He hit critical." she could feel the power emanating from him, glancing down she could see that Lenalee felt it and it scared her. She was curious as to what Road saw. The girl had tried to shake an image away as if she saw something else for a moment.

"I will protect them!" Allen declared attacking Tyki with the sword. The man summoned a teez shield just in time.

"Why do you fight so hard?" Tyki asked, straining to hold the large sword back. Allen glared at him.

"You should know." the shield cracked.

"What?" Tyki's eyes snapped over to it right as it completely shattered allowing the sword to swipe through him. Everyone stared in shock. The Noah wasn't bleeding or even wounded.

"I'm still alive? What's going on? Why am I not dead?" Tyki clutched at his chest again. He could still feel his heart beating. Luca watched in anticipation. He gazed back up at the exorcist. "Is this an illusion technique?" Allen shook his head.

"It's not an illusion." as if to prove the point, white crosses spread along the line of the cut. Luca raised an eyebrow. Tyki's aura was changing again. "I didn't cut your flesh. What I destroyed was..." Allen trailed off knowing that Tyki would make the connection.

"The Noah inside me." Luca flinched as Tyki began to scream in pain. His aura crackling like a roaring fire as the pain racked him and he dropped to his knees.

"It destroys the demon but leaves the man unharmed. That is the power that Crown Clown and I possess." Allen explained watching the man passively.

"You're too soft, Boy. Trying to cut the Noah out of me instead of killing me. You're just trying to use that sword to soothe your conscience." Allen shook his head.

"I know what I'm doing." Road lept down from the umbrella.

"Tyki!" she stopped when he held out his hand. She halted. He wasn't going to let her help him. Luca's boots hit the ground too though she landed softly, moving silently. Tyki started to push himself to his feet though he glanced at Luca meeting her gaze. His eyes widened as he saw fear and uneasiness in them. _Why would she be afraid? Is she afraid of me? No that's not right. I'm not sure she's afraid of anyone. Never mind me. She's already said that. No fear's not quite the right word. Concern is better. Why though? Allen's not in any danger_ , Allen's voice drew his eyes away from the girl who was moving towards her brother from behind.

"Retreat from this battle Tyki Mikk!" Allen shouted as he drove the sword straight through the Noah's chest. Road froze while Luca gasped. Allen retracted the sword from Tyki who collapsed backwards unconscious. A large white cross marked the wound. Luca ran over before stopping by Allen. _Go to him_. She shook her head at the voice. _I can't. He's the enemy. He tried to kill Allen_. The voice persisted. _Go to him. He's hurt. He needs you._ She inched forward subtly.

"Tyki?" the man didn't respond to his niece's calling.

"Tyki's stigmata disappeared." Lero noted looking at the man. Luca inched closer again, losing her mental battle with herself.

"YOU DID IT! HOORAY! HE DEFEATED THE DEVIL!" Luca winced at Chaoji's whoop of joy. _That's uncalled for. He's not that bad, Besides there's a difference between celebrating a victory and celebrating the death of an enemy_ , she was shaken from her thoughts. Several candles embedded themselves in the Chinese man's back.

"Don't move. If you do I'll kill you." Road glared at them. Luca looked around at the candles that surrounded them. "My candles may not be able to kill your innocence, but they can kill your friends." she ran over to Tyki the silent threat hanging in the air. Move and only you and your sister will survive. "I really do like you Allen, but my family comes first." the Noah picked Tyki up cradling him in her lap and petting his hair gently. "Don't you agree?" Both Walkers inched closer. Road glared at Allen. "Don't move. I'm not quite myself at the moment. I'd hate to have to skewer your friends." _Go to him_ , Luca shook her head again. _I can't! He's the enemy! And I'm surrounded by killer candles. Even if I wanted to I can't. He's not my friend. I can't help him, no matter how much I want to!_ the dark haired girl's thoughts whirled out on control as she stood frozen by her brother's side.

* * *

 **Well shit. That didn't end well. I had such a hard time writing this chapter. It was so hard for Luca. Some parts were fun and I loved them but the last half I wanna say was hard. I've rewritten this chapter so many times that I can't even remember when I started writing it. I can honestly say that I hate Chaoji. I just can't get behind his thinking and he comes off as a sanctimonious bastard. He just really pisses me off and let's just say that he does not find himself on Luca's good side. Random question but would you guys like for Tricia to make an appearance? I've always found myself intrigued by her. Anyway tune in next week to see what happens and were fate leaves Luca and her family! Cheshire's is out~!**


	24. Highway to Hell

**DRUM ROLL PLEASE! IT HAS FINALLY COME! THE CHAPTER THAT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! So I know I told you guys it would be another week but when I was writing the chapter I wrote twenty five instead of four. Not sure how I managed that but whatever. I guess I'm just talented. Yay. =.= Anyway I have an update for you all, I got a job. I now work nights which means that I can't update when I normally would because I'll be working. The job is full time but I promise I will do my very best to update every week. Anyway instead of late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning I will be updating on Tuesday mornings before I go to sleep. Now back to normal things. My favorite Luca Tyki moment would have to be when they got tangled up in the corn maze. Poor Tyki. When she ran him over while running from the scarecrow too. Both scenes were funny. So this week's question is: If you could tell Tyki one thing about Luca what would it be? As for Luca's birthday nobody has gotten it yet but keep trying! Now onto the reviews~!**

 **Dear EverlastingXTC, It's all good, Love. No problem. I figured I'd learn something at least. Your review greatly amused me. Reminded me of a soap opera some how. Does that make sense? If not don't worry about it! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, I loved your theory on Tricia. At the moment I'm debating on her having a roll in the story down the line. I think she'd like Luca a lot and it would be an interesting mix as Allen has never had a mother and Luca was very young when hers died so Tricia would an interesting addition. I'll toy with the idea some more but your input was appreciated! Enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear SheuOgama, First off, breathe! Second, I'd love to see Luca! If you read the end of chapter 21 Lulu Bell gives a description of Luca and it's pretty good. Feel free to tell me what you think and design her if you want. I'd love to see it. I'm always interested to see how my readers see Luca so your interpretation would be great. I loved the hats too and no will be no magical girl transformations. I'm not even completely sure I know what that is. Like sailor moon right? I've never watched it but I've heard of it. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, I can't express how much I love the fact that you are re-reading the story! It means so much to me and touches me deeply. Wow. That was really mushy. I apologize. I had to collect the manga to read it so I knew what was going on and so I could write the story. I still need to get my hands on the novels as it is. I don't mind the screaming but I liked this review too. Just knowing that you liked the story is enough for me and to hear from you faithfully makes it even better. Honestly I don't think that anybody likes Chaoji and his rose tinted glasses are about to be smashed into this face (by Luca's fist). I can confidently say that his relationship with Luca is gonna get real rocky! Can't imagine why, no not at all. I can't wait to hear from you again~!**

 **Dear A** **aaahhfreakinout, First off, I loved the name! It cracked me up! Second of all your review touched my heart. Your plea for Luca and Tyki to be allowed a moment of silence together was sweet. I was worried that the part where she is arguing with herself wasn't very good but you have encouraged me. I'm glad to know that it had an impact on you. I hope to hear from you again! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear Kp, Don' worry about being late, I'm late all the time. It's only far that you get to be late too. I would never be mad at you for it. I try not to be a hypocrite. As for the birthday, you are going in the wrong direction. Chaoji is one of those people where he knows what he believes and don't try to confuse him with fact and logic. Once he's made up his mind there's no going back. I'm glad that you got that Tyki was jealous. I can see him being confident but still possessive at the same time. He doesn't like to share. Least of all his Butterfly. I had fun writing the other's reactions to Luca's relationship with Tyki. I can safely say that she scares her friends, in more ways than one. Road and Luca do and will have an interesting relationship and it will grow as they get to know each other better. I know since the first time that you reviewed that you've been counting down the chapters until Joyd's appearance and I so very excited to bring that chapter to you! I can't wait to hear what you think of it and hopefully it meets your standards. Enjoy!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, Yes! I've always wanted somebody to say that to me! The whole thing in the story where the guy was just pretending, I could totally see Luca pulling something like that, in fact she just might! ;D Stay tuned for that! Luca's kleptomania was actually one of the first pieces I had of her. I knew that I wanted her to balance out Allen's good behavior and it just sort of happened, but I love it about her. Keep trying with her birthday but may I suggest going the other way? Luca didn't save Lulu Bell because she cared, not to be mean, she only saved Lulu Bell because she knew that Allen would be upset that she didn't. She does her best to keep her brother happy even if she doesn't agree. Thank you for your comment on how Lulu acted, she was a really hard to write and figure out what she would do. As for that squeal I thought I heard something! ;D I know that Lenalee sounded a little whiny and petulant with Luca but I knew that she wouldn't understand what was going on and I think that's really why Road captured her, tormenting Lavi was just a bonus. I knew that Luca would have too much of an effect on the battle so I had her sit it out. It was even harder on her because she had to physically stop herself form interfering to save either of them. You've been asking about Joyd since your first review and I'm so very ecstatic to bring you the chapter with his appearance! I hope you like! Enjoy!**

 **Without further ado, no idea what ado is but we will have no further of it! (I have no idea where this is from. I heard it and fell in love with it so I'm using it) I give you: Highway to Hell!**

* * *

The entire room was silent. Nobody moved, fearing the wrath of the small Noah. She wasn't playing around this time. The light of the candles flickered softly. Allen could only clench his teeth and glare. He defeated Tyki Mikk only for Road to take the others hostage. Crown Clown would protect him and he had never seen a piece of innocence move faster than Harlequin. Still, they wouldn't all survive. If Luca defended Lenalee and the others her own flesh would be exposed. Road would kill Luca or at least seriously injure her by the time he got over to her. His silver eyes drifted over to his sister. _She's already wounded too. I left her to fight that woman, Lulu Bell I think. The front of her jacket's damp, she bleeding but it's not bad. At least I don't think it is. It can be hard to tell with her_ , following that train of thought he moved his eyes over to Lenalee and Chaoji. Chaoji was injured. Road hadn't taken kindly to his joy at her uncle's defeat. _Come to think of it, Luca wasn't happy either. I understand being happy about victory but that was too far. Tyki doesn't deserve to die. Nobody does. Besides he didn't try to kill her in China. No, he was trying to avoid her. Even during our battle his eyes moved to her several times and he took the time to talk to her. She wanted to go to him just now. I could see it. She keeps trying to inch forward. I don't think he's dead. He's not supposed to be. I just want to help yet somehow I feel like I've only made things worse_ , he glanced at the green eyed girl who was still watching the comatose Portuguese man intently.

"I wouldn't move if I were you, Allen. Surely your left eye remembers how painful my candles can be." Luca raised an eyebrow at the comment the little girl made directed at her brother. The Noah had yet to move from her protective place with Tyki yet she now wore a sadistic grin. "You wouldn't want your other friends especially sweet little Lenalee to be turning into pincushions would you? So sit tight while I break Lavi." The entire room was once again silent excluding Chaoji's ragged breathing and Lenalee's attempt to help him. Something hit the floor behind the Walker siblings and the turned.

"Lavi?" Allen took a few steps towards him but Luca didn't move. _Something's not right. I don't think he won...no he hasn't won yet_ , she corrected herself while reaching out to grab her brother and pull him back by his cloak.

"I bear unfortunate news Allen. Lavi's heart has died. Now if you want to save Lenalee you'll have to kill that one." Lavi lunged at Allen who just barely blocked with his sword. Luca winced as Allen hit the ground, skidding back a few feet.

"Lavi!" The red head ignored Luca's cry and attacked again. Allen didn't retaliate. "Allen?!" her younger brother took several more hits before shoving the sword through the older exorcist's chest. Nothing happened.

"A sword that doesn't kill won't help. He's lost his heart, not possessed. You have to use your left hand! If you don't switch over I'll kill them." The candles moved closer to Lenalee, moving through the box. Allen winced taking another hit. How could he choose between Lenalee and Lavi?! "Change weapons Allen! Or do you want to hear poor Lenalee scream in pain?"

The punch stopped inches from Allen's face, "That's enough." Allen glanced up to find Luca holding Lavi's wrist in a death grip. "Retreat Allen. This isn't the kind of fight that you can handle." He glanced up at his sister, her green eyes were hard but not empty. She was still in control. Lavi wouldn't die at her hands if he let her fight.

"That's cheating Luca!" Road shouted. "Now they die!" Her eyes widened when Lenalee didn't scream. Instead her candles hit black liquid. "When did you get that in there?" Luca shrugged.

"Don't you recall My Love complaining about the fact that I'm good at hiding it? Besides it's not cheating. You'll still get your fight. Allen and I are switching." Road raised an eyebrow as green eyes fell on her uncle softly. The exorcist almost seemed... sad to see him injured. She had almost run to him when he fell too.

"So you vs. Lavi instead? I think that's even better! Allen has to watch his sister fight his friend to save his other friend! That's beautiful!" Road laughed and retracted the candles though Harlequin didn't move.

"Luca! I can't see!" Sighing at Lenalee's cry the innocence thinned allowing it to become see through.

"Better?" The girl nodded. "Sit this one out Allen."

"Luca! I won't let yo-" Allen started but was quickly cut off.

"It wasn't a choice Allen. You're not My Love, you don't get the pleasure of choosing. Do as I say." Applying more pressure to Lavi's wrist until he unclenched his fist, his nerves spazzing under her fingers. Sighing in defeat Allen reattached his left arm and backed away towards the box that held Lenalee and Chaoji.

"Are you okay?" Lenalee whispered to him. He looked up at her, to his sister's back and then back up to the Chinese girl.

"No, but I know that she won't let me continue to fight. All I can do is watch and hope that she knows what she's doing." Lenalee stayed silent for a moment.

"Is she going to kill him?" Road answered for the boy.

"She has to if she wants to save you. If she wants me to let you go she has to."

"If I have to I guess that's what will happen. Lavi would understand." Luca didn't dare turn around already hearing the tell-a-tale sniffling. Lenalee was crying.

"I'm not your friend. I'll kill you. It won't matter to me." Lavi looked at the long haired girl with boredom who just shrugged.

"Do whatever you want." Lavi swung his leg high, aiming for her head. Ducking under she shot forward, slamming her fist into his solar plexus. He skidded back a few feet coughing, trying to fix his disrupted breathing.

"That was a good shot. I didn't see that coming." Lavi speech was monotone.

"I never thought I'd miss you calling me Beautiful." Lavi lunged again causing her to block. She winced as a punch found her stomach. Her left leg kicked him in the side. She felt one of his ribs break. He tried to kick her away only for her to catch his foot. He fell as she yanked him towards her due to righting her own balance. He yelped when her forehead cracked into his. Lavi tried to retreat only for Luca to kick his feet out from under him. He brought her down with him. She rolled away back onto her feet.

"Call your weapon over Luca! You have to kill him!" Road shouted from where she still cradled Tyki. Luca made the mistake of looking over at them. _Go to him! He needs you_ , she winced at the whispering voice in the back of her head. Lavi took her moment of distraction to attack. A roundhouse kick connected with her temple sending her into the ground. Hard.

"I wouldn't look away if I were you." He growled as he brought his foot down intent of smashing her face in. Rolling out of the way she lept up again.

"You're a decent melee fighter, Lavi. I'll give you that. However you are nowhere near my level. While you learned different languages and recording I was fighting for my life. You can't beat me, but you're welcome to try." she mocked teasingly.

"You can't goad me into making a mistake but you do have a point, so let's switch tactics." he pulled his hammer from it's sheath before ordering it to grow. "Release level 2: Fire Stamp! Hellfire and Ash!" Eyes widening Luca took off dodging the giant fire snake chasing her.

"You have to call your weapon Luca!" the Hungarian glared at the Noah who shouted to her.

"Retract your candles first. I'm fighting Lavi so retract the candles and I'll summon Harlequin." Road nodded and pulled them from the box though they still hovered just outside the boarders. Flicking her fingers towards her body the liquid shot forward meeting the snake head on. The fire spread only to be met with more black liquid.

"You can't do that forever. You'll run out." He pointed adding more fire but the girl only smirked.

"Release level 2: Harbinger!" his eyes widened at the sentence as the fire was consumed, being sucked into the liquid. The green glow appeared. "Your move." She crossed her arms and cocked a hip.

He glared at her, "I know what you're doing. I won't fall for your power play." Luca shrugged her shoulders.

"Do whatever you please. I'm not a bookman. I don't know what you mean." He glared at her.

"Lavi! Please stop!" Lenalee's shout came from behind her. Despite her running around Luca hadn't moved from her place between her opponent and her brother and friends. _Just in case he decides to try something. I've personally never seen the bookman side of Lavi but I'm not taking an chances_ , she hummed.

Road snorted, "There's no point Lenalee. Lavi's heart is dead. Yell all you want." she shrugged before sticking her tongue out.

"Heaven Stamp: Violent Thunder, Whirling Skies!" Luca's eyes widened and she summoned Harlequin to her. This is gonna hurt she braced herself for the searing pain. Allen winced as his sister's scream pierced his ears.

"Luca!" said girl winced as her Asian friend called her name. Gritting her teeth she pushed herself back up to her feet. Harlequin has absorbed most of it but it still hurt.

"Lavi! Wake up! You're hurting Luca!" the red head ignored Lenalee's shouting.

"You play a good game Luca but I know how your innocence works. Yes you absorb the damage but you still take it. All I have to do is wear you down until you can't take it anymore." Luca smirked at him.

"Go for it." He glared at her and brought his hammer down.

"Hellfire and Ash!" Luca winced as the fire covered the room. She blinked several times. _There's no heat. It's here, but there's no heat to the fire, despite it being all around me. He's not burning me. Did he finally win?_ she was jarred out of her thoughts by Lavi who sent her flying across the room with a kick to the stomach. Pulling her innocence back to her in the form of her gauntlets she skid across the floor, her claws slowing her down before she flew out the window. Lavi slammed the hammer into the ground.

"Lavi?" Allen called worriedly.

"Full power! Fire stamp!" The column of fire consumed him completely.

"LAVI!" the Walker siblings screamed together angrily as the fire snake swallowed Road too.

"Stay put and protect Lenalee!" Luca shouted as she dove into the flame with Harlequin following her. It wrapped around her shoulders mimicking Crown Clown. She grabbed Lavi by the arm and yanked. Fighting her way through the flames licking at them, the cloak warping in an attempt to protect them as much as possible. They rolled once out of the fire. Allen and the others ran over to them intent on stopping the bickering that immediately started when Luca began to yell at him for pulling such a stunt. Allen offered Luca his hand, pulling her into a sitting position while Lenalee went straight for the punch. Hitting Lavi right on his cheek, her face bright red with anger. Luca opened her mouth only for Road to start laughing maniacally. The exorcists' eyes shot over to her burned corpse.

"Allen." she called before turning into dust and vanishing.

"Mistress Road!" Lero wailed still using his body to support Tyki's unconscious form. Luca eyed him. _He still hasn't moved or even woken up. Maybe Allen really did do it. I don't know it seemed a little easy. After all that trouble we had with him before_ , she hummed to herself pondering while Lavi teased Allen about Road. His shouting brought her back.

"Whatya ya mean?! I never touched her!" Luca sighed shaking her head. Road's obsession with her brother was certainly an interesting thing to be explored later down the line.

"Uh guys, Road is gone. Wasn't she the one who created the portal at the top of the tower?" Everybody froze at Lenalee's question.

"I'll check on it. Hold on guys." Lavi shot up to the door with his innocence. Luca glanced over at Lenalee who was talking to Allen. She already knew why too. Allen would want to go back for Kanda and Krory. She sighed and turned her gaze back to the Portuguese man. _I can't leave him here. I wouldn't anyway. But if he really is human now he deserves a chance at a normal life. I wonder what he would do with it? Probably go back to those friends of his that Allen had told me about,_ she paused in her train of thought as something occurred to her. _I'd never see him again. He'd be a normal human. Susceptible to the virus. I could never endanger him like that_ , she couldn't help the immense sadness that bubbled up in her stomach, pulling painfully at her heart. She bit her lower lip to stop the trembling and shook away the water burning her vision.

"Luca!" her head snapped towards her brother who was calling her. For several minutes judging by the look on his face. "Let's go!" she nodded and walked over.

"I'll use Harlequin to get up. You have your hands full." she nodded towards the other two that were holding onto him. Together they rose through the hole in the roof.

"Hurry up guys. The portal could disappear at any moment!" Lavi shouted. She glanced back down. She couldn't leave him. Anybody else sure, but not him.

"Allen, I'm-" She opened her mouth but Allen beat her to it.

"I'm going back for Tyki and Lero." she smiled at her brother. Lavi didn't share her sentiment.

"Are you out of your mind?" Allen shook his head.

"Tyki's human now. Completely. Besides he had human friends. They're waiting for him to come back!" Lavi sighed knowing he wouldn't win this argument nor did they have the time for it.

"I don't mind. I know Luca was thinking the same thing," Luca shrugged not really bothering to deny it as she was literally just about to say the same thing. "but if the Order finds out you helped a Noah..." he trailed off not really wanting to think about it.

"So we don't tell them. Nobody will know." Luca shrugged again.

"Helped?" All eyes moved to Chaoji who stood by the door. "You mean you didn't kill him?" Allen shook his head looking at the Chinese man.

"No, he's still alive." Allen looked unsure of where this conversation was going.

"Why?" Luca raised an eyebrow at the question but the man kept talking. "They're in league with the akuma that killed Anita and Mahoja and the others! How could you? You helped a Noah? You betrayed us!"

"Whoa now." Luca's warning was ignored as he continued his tirade.

"If you helped one of them you're my enemy!"

"Chaoji," Allen started but the other cut him off by yelling.

"MY ENEMY! YOU'RE AN AKUMA TOO!" Luca's lips pulled back into a snarl. Allen lunged to him.

"Chaoji!" the silver haired exorcist shoved him out of the way as vines came crashing through the floor grabbing Allen and the door and yanking them both back down.

"ALLEN!" Luca vaguely heard Lenalee also call out her brother's name but she was already falling down the hole after him.

"That's what you get for helping one of them. No matter their reason they kill humans. They're demons." Luca snarled again at Chaoji's comment. She was so going to kick his ass when they got out. She'd make him regret he was ever born. Luca landed in a crouch by her brother who lay on the ground.

"Are you okay?" she pulled him to his feet a bit more roughly than she meant.

"I thought I vanquished the Noah in you." Luca followed his gaze to where Tyki now stood. His bangs covered his eyes no longer parted like they were before as he tugged his tie away from his neck revealing the cross shaped stigmata in his throat. Luca's eyes shot open wide as she gaped. Large vine like tentacles swung wildly from his back as he stared at them. "Who are you? Are you Tyki Mikk?" Her heart thundered in her chest against the confines of her rib cage. She wanted to move but couldn't. Her breathing was shallow and her gaze never left the man. Allen moved in peripheral vision snapping her out of her panic. He was summoning his sword again.

"Al, I think you broke him." she tugged him back a few steps by his cowl. _This awful aura. It's choking me. I can't breath. I've never felt anything like this. Not even from the Millennium Earl so what is this? No, who is this? This isn't My Love, this is different. Darker, deeper. More primal completely animalistic_ , she tore herself from her thoughts.

"What's going on?" Allen demanded but Tyki didn't say a word. Watching them blankly.

"When we get out of this you and I need to have a serious conversation about you breaking all my toys." It was her best attempt at a joke at the moment. Their eyes flicked to the floor. He was bleeding. Blood was dripping from the his hand through the ripped glove onto the floor.

"His blood is black!" Allen noted eyes wide.

Luca nodded, "Yeah, that's probably not a good thing." she agreed with her brother as the tentacles suddenly wrapped around Tyki and he began to scream again. Luca covered her ears in an attempt to block out the sound though it did little to help. The Walker siblings were forced to brace themselves against the wind tearing through the room. When it stopped the Hungarian dropped her arms hesitantly and immediately wished she hadn't. Tyki once again sported dark skin, but now he wore dark metal armor that covered his chest, arms, and a heavy helmet that covered his eyes. Allen attacked but the man was gone. Green eyes darted around looking for the Noah but she couldn't find him. Something tore across Allen's back, blood exploding out of the fresh wound. "Allen!" Luca rushed towards her brother as the Noah appeared behind him and blasted him directly in the back. Leaping over her brother she summon her weapon to form a wall between them absorbing the next concussive blasts.

"Luca! Look out!" she whirled around at her brother's warning and the presence behind her. The Noah of Pleasure's hand connected with her face sending her flying across the room, crashing into one of the walls before falling back to the ground. Her scream echoing in her brother's ears. Luca's head rang like a gong that had been struck. She pushed herself back up slowly. Shaking her head to clear it of the pain did little to help. She couldn't even see three feet in front of her face, all she could do was hear Allen's cries of pain. She staggered to her feet and tried to shake her vision back but it didn't help. She wiped away the blood that was now gushing down the side of her face. His claws had torn into her skin pretty well. Pushing off the wall she started back towards the fight. When her vision finally returned she saw that Lavi had saved her brother. He blinked at the Noah in front of him a couple of times though Luca's attention was drawn to the hooded figure standing across the room from her. The woman spoke again her long cloak swaying in the breeze. The teenager still couldn't understand what the woman was saying over the roar of the chaos that filled the room.

"Tyki Mikk?" he looked the man over for a moment. "Is that outfit supposed to be funny?" The red head's green eye found Luca by the wall. She waved off his concerned look though she wasn't looking at him. Instead she was staring at something across the room a look of horror on her face. What did she see? She wasn't looking at the Noah. Allen was worse off. "Hang in there Allen." He tried to comfort his friend.

"The door. It's broken. We can't get out of the ark now. There's no way out." Lavi glanced down at his friend, over to his other friend and then to the Noah that started laughing. Luca ran over as the Portuguese man shot forward attacking rubbing the blood out of her vision once again.

Luca shouted as she picked up speed, "Be careful Lavi! He's fast!" He nodded and dodged the attack while she kicked the man away.

"Follow me up!" she nodded and shot up after him through the hole. Lavi turned to Lenalee and Chaoji. "Both of you hold onto me!" Luca shook her head.

"There's no time Lavi!" Tyki was standing over them. Lavi met the attack head on with his own. Tyki tore through him. Luca watched as the Noah licked the blood from his hand and started laughing. "He's an animal. There's no personality there." She pushed herself to her feet. "Get the others out of here." Allen was struggling to his feet. "Allen, help Lavi." Harlequin solidified into gauntlets and her armored boots.

"You can't be thinking of fighting him by yourself, Luca!" Allen protested. "This isn't like one of your other battles with him. I'm not even sure if that him or if he's even human!"

"I know that. But of all of us, I'm the least injured. You and Lavi are exhausted. Plus my innocence's power was made for this. Even if I can't beat him I can hold him off so get going!" she snapped lunging at the man.

"Luca!" Allen's voice echoed after her. The pair crashed back through the hole and down to the floor. He threw her off sending her skidding across the floor.

She stood, brushing the dirt off, "Come now My Love, don't be such a sore loser." He didn't respond to her, just stared at her for a moment before attacking. She met him head on. He was much stronger than her. She winced feeling him pushing her back despite her boots tearing through the floor like butter. "Are you giving me the silent treatment? Really? Come now, I only pretended to die to save my brother. Even you can understand that sentiment." He blasted her with dark matter sending her flying back again. She pushed her aching body back up wiping the blood from her eyes. The gash down her left eye was bleeding heavily. The blast of dark matter had torn apart the fragile scab that had just started to form. The Noah sniffed the air almost like an animal.

"Bu...tt...er...fly..." her head snapped up.

"What?" Allen attacked diverting the Noah's attention away from her.

"Get up Luca!" He was shot back with dark matter. Allen rushed him again only to get punched away. Luca pulled herself to her feet.

"Release level 2: Harbinger! Strike, Nightmare's Mark!" The blasts of innocence struck the Noah sending him staggering to the side several steps. "Well that at least has some effect on him. Not nearly enough to end this but it can help at least." she huffed. He turned to face her. "Well," she paused seeing him looking at her.

"Oh francba (shit)!"

He rushed her, dark matter already gathering in his palm. "Strike, Nightmare's Mark!" The tower cracked and then crumbled away, right out from under their feet. She could see Allen and Lavi falling. Tyki's foot connected with her stomach sending her flying back into the rubble. She struggled to push it off. She could hear Lenalee choking. Pushing harder she sent the rock flying away. Tyki had Lenalee by the throat. The Chinese teen's leg connected with the man's head but he didn't budge. The kick had no effect. Chaoji rushed him. "Don't be an idiot!" she shouted but he ignored her.

Pushing herself to her feet Luca leapt from rock to rock. Rushing to stop the Noah before he harmed Lenalee or Chaoji anymore. Her body screamed in protest. She was at her limit. Lenalee couldn't invoke her innocence and Chaoji couldn't fight or defend while holding the giant slab of rock up. _I'm not gonna make it!_ she pushed her body faster. Crown Clown and Iron Hammer flew through the air sending the Noah flying back into her punch. Her eyes widened. He was behind her. She yelped as he flung her into the statue by her ponytail. She burst out of the smoke just in time to see him blast Allen and Lavi away.

"Lenalee!" Luca heard Allen shout. Pushing the energy to her boots she shot forward standing between her friend and the man. Taking the heavy punch sending her flying again. She saw Allen struggle to his feet. Her innocence shot out in tendrils wrapping around the Noah and yanking him to her.

"Come and play with me." she grinned weakly. _I can't take much more. I passed my limit several minutes ago. I'm only moving my body through pure willpower. Allen and Lavi are just as exhausted as I am_ , she was pulled from her thoughts by Tyki slamming her into a piece of rubble. She cried out in pain. "I think I liked it better when I was the one who was out of control." She struggled in his grip to no avail. Her hands were pinned on either side of her head by his much larger ones. She froze as his tongue ran along her face. It trailed up the cut on her eye, lapping up the blood. She blinked several times as he grinned at her.

"Mi...ne." He growled in her ear. Her head snapped up to meet his gaze though she still couldn't see his eyes. She heard a tearing sound to find that he was ripping the collar of her jacket apart exposing her bare shoulders to him with his claws. She hadn't even noticed when he had switched to using the tentacles to hold her down. She thrashed helplessly in his grasp. He tightened his grip until she stopped, she could already feel her skin bruising. He placed his face in the junction where her shoulder met her neck and inhaled for a moment. Luca didn't dare move at all. His grip on her was still as bruising as it was when she had started to resist moments before. Suddenly he sank his fangs into her flesh. She screamed at the top of her lungs as he drew blood and the fangs grounded against the bone in her shoulder. Summoning the last of the energy stored in Harlequin she shot him again.

"Strike!" She smashed through the stone and flew across the ark before hitting something soft and warm. She looked up blearily. Red eyes and hair met her green eyes. "Master?" she questioned looking up wondering she she had finally lost it.

"Luca? What...?" he looked her over, from the burns to scratches, scraps and blood covering her. His eyes widened and his eyebrow shot up when he found the bleeding bite mark on her shoulder. "What is that?" his question was less directed at her and more at himself before he schooled his features. "Oi! You." Lavi raised an eyebrow at the way he was being addressed. "Come here. Take her." Cross placed Luca gently in his arms. The Noah snarled angrily at them. She winced as it jarred the new wound in her shoulder. Lavi jogged over to the others and set Luca down next to her brother. Luca watched her Master look at Tyki. "The Noah clan huh? I guess that explains why there was so much commotion on the ark when it was about to be destroyed.

"Ex...or...cist." The Noah growled at the general.

Cross snorted and began pulling the chains off, "You're a disgrace to your kind allowing the memory to swallow you. On, avata, ura, masarakat, on-gatar! Grave of Maria release!" She watched the coffin release the corpse. "Magdala curtain!" Luca sighed the familiar hymn soothing her ears and relieving the stress that had built up. Particularly in the middle of her shoulder blades and the back of her neck.

"Is this," Lavi paused for a moment to listen for another second. "a hymn?" Allen shook his head and explained.

"This is Magdala curtain." Luca watched the barrier surround them. Tyki's head snapped over towards them.

"Bu...tt...er...fly...?" his head snapped around wildly trying to locate the teens.

"I've had the kids leave the stage. You don't mind do ya?" The enraged Noah rushed the general who pulled his gun from it's holster. "Judgment!"

"What's going on? Why can't Tyki see us?" Lavi asked watching the fight.

"That's what Magdala curtain does. It's a technique that conceals objects or people from his enemy's senses using the power of that anti-akuma weapon. Tyki can't even smell us." Lenalee looked at Maria a bit unnerved.

"That's an anti-akuma weapon? It looks alive." Luca answered her question.

"In a way. It's not a doll if that's what you're wondering. It's a corpse that Master has reanimated using magic." Lavi's eyes widened in shock.

"That's a forbidden spell!" Luca only nodded unfazed by this information.

"The woman's anti-akuma weapon is parasitic. It's in her vocal cords, using the spell Master can control her weapon through her. Maria takes orders from him alone."

Allen picked up where his sister left off, "Master's true weapon is an equipment type, his gun, Judgment." As soon as the words left his mouth the red head fired four rapid fire bullets which connected with the Noah's torso, one of them destroying the helmet. Tyki howled in pain as the bullets pierced his flesh. Cross fired five more. Glaring at the incoming bullets the Noah summoned dark matter to his hand. Straining against the innocence he deflected them, sending the bullets careening into a rock.

"The best you can do is alter the bullets' course?" Cross snorted condescending at the Noah who glared at him as his chest heaved. "Well, we'll see. My rounds don't stop until they've hit their mark." As if on cue the bullets burst from the rock them were previously embedded in and crashed into the Portuguese man's side before he even had time to react. Luca winced, rubbing her right hand along her left bicep remembering the pain of those bullets.

"It's completely one-sided." Lenalee noted in awe.

"The general is amazing!" Chaoji watched the battle eyes gleaming.

Lavi added on, "We didn't have any effect on him but general's beating him with little effort." Surprisingly the Walker siblings were silent merely watching the battle. Allen reattached his arm the sword transforming back into it's original form. "We're just children compared to the Noah and general Cross." The entire room shook, falling to pieces.

"We don't have much time left." Luca noted as Allen held Lenalee up.

"Master!" Allen called out. The man looked around before moving his red eyes back to the fallen Noah who lay upon the ground exhausted and beaten.

"It's almost time. If I don't hurry we won't make it." Luca gulped as her Master pointed Judgment at Tyki ready to put the Noah out of his misery.

"Goodbye My Love." she mumbled under her breath. She wanted to look away as if that would stop her Master from pulling the trigger but knew he had to. Yet she knew it would be disrespectful to look away from the Noah's death. Just before the bullet fired something explodes sending debris flying. Cross stumbled a bit but stayed on his feet. The Earl had rescued Tyki.

Cross snorted as he righted himself, "Well well," The Earl grinned at him. The rocks under the teen broke. Lavi and Chaoji fell.

"Lavi!" Allen reached out for his falling friend while Luca held onto Lenalee her arm wrapped around the taller girl's waist, her weapon floating around her ready to catch them should they fall.

"Allen what happened?" Luca asked when her brother pulled up without their friend and parasite.

"They fell, Lavi...his hammer. It's broken." He just stared down into the abyss. Luca set Lenalee down by her brother turning her attention back to her Master confronting the Earl.

"Good evening!" The Earl greeted Cross pleasantly who had yet to lower his gun though he did smirk. She jumped forward bouncing from rock to rock until she stood next to her master.

"Hey. Still fighting the belly fat eh?"

The Earl ignored the red haired man's rude jab, "How long has it been?" has asked though his eyes did dart to the girl for a moment and the butterfly by her head. _Interesting..._ , he hummed.

"Dunno." Cross snorted again. "I don't write it down in my diary every time I see you." The Earl pouted.

"You wound me so, you really do, my dear elusive General Cross!" Luca looked up at her master and raised an eyebrow.

"Master is there something you'd like to tell us?" Cross glanced down at her, a look of confusion covering his face. She let the evil smile spread across her features. "Because you know Allen and I, we would never judge you. I mean, not for something like that." she giggled as the color left his face before he cuffed her upside the head.

"Brat." she laughed and rubbed the new sore spot, well more sore. The Earl waited for the father-daughter moment to be over before he started talking again.

"I see you survived the akuma I sent after you." Luca looked over at him in astonishment.

"Wait YOU sent the akuma after me? Come to think of it My Love was surprised to see me. New question is why?" Cross' eyes narrowed. He didn't like the sound of that. How on Earth had his 16 year old daughter caught the attention of the Millennium Earl? _Just what exactly have you been up to Luca?_ he wondered glancing back down at her before returning his gaze to the Earl. The Noah patriarch didn't answer the question merely turned back to his conversation with the general.

"That woman. You've been using her power to hide from us. Is that what happens with your creditors or do you just toss those poor sweet children in their way while you escape?" Cross laughed and fired a bullet at the Noah who dodged jumping effortlessly to another piece of rubble.

"I'm in no mood for your nonsense, I get enough of that from her," Cross jerked his head in Luca's direction who just shrugged not bothering to deny the accusation. "So if that's all you've got then take a hike."

The Earl huffed, rather put out, "Me? How dare you! This is my ark." He was almost pouting.

"You forsook it." Cross shrugged in boredom as if he couldn't be bothered to have this conversation.

"It's a crippled bird, this ark. It can't fly away from Edo."

"Oh how the mighty have fallen," Cross mocked. "you've been undone by a rebel Noah. The fourteenth. Remember him?" The Earl's head snapped over to glare furiously at the general. Luca raised an eyebrow. _The fourteenth? Who was that? What are they talking about? Master..._ , she hummed curiously.

"It was you, the fourteenth's authorized pianist." despite the smile his face was filled with rage. _Whoever this fourteenth was I think I'd like to meet him if he managed to ruffle the Earl's feathers this much. I'll have to ask Master about it later_ , she noted. Luca listened intently as the Earl continued to explain about the ark, absorbing every piece of information that she could. She didn't understand all of it but she was confident in her ability to pry information from her Master. Her eyes snapped over as she felt Allen's aura shake as his rage grew.

"Allen! No!" he ignored her shout and attacked.

"EARL!" The Earl's eyes widened as he stared at the sword in shook.

"My sword?" he questioned. His grin grew. "Ah such hate. You look absolutely ferocious Allen Walker." he cheered as he flung the boy back with a swing. The Earl dodged the next swing allowing himself to free fall.

"Brain Puppet!" Allen's sword dug into the cliff and he felt familiar black liquid wrapping around him.

"Maria and Harlequin?" he glared at the innocence.

"Knock it off fool. Don't allow your friends' death to cloud your judgment." the general sighed, while he understood the boy's anger it wasn't a good idea. He could see the look of worry spread across his eldest child's face. Allen was concerning his sister again.

"Master! Let me go! I must kill the Earl!" Cross shook his head.

"Crawl back up here. You can't defeat the Earl with hatred." Allen deflated and let Harlequin carry him back up. Lenalee latched onto him immediately. Luca's green eyes followed the Earl carrying an unconscious Tyki through Road's door.

"A part of him was suppressing the Noah within. I always have such great expectations for the "pleasure" of Noah." she didn't like the way the Earl had said that. It gave her a bad feeling deep in her gut causing it to twist painfully. "Goodbye exorcists!" the Earl called as the doors slammed shut and vanished

"Get up. I need you to help me with something." His apprentices looked up at him in confusion.

"Help you?" Allen raised an eyebrow.

"What are you going to do?" Lenalee asked curiously.

"With what?" Luca questioned.

"My duty." Cross sighed.

Luca raised an eyebrow, "You mean all this time you were actually working? Who are you and what have you done with Master?" Cross gave her a look for the cheeky remark but smirked at her ever so slightly.

"Your duty?" Allen asked. Luca sighed.

"We don't have time for this. We need to destroy the akuma factory so let's get going, there's hardly any ground under our feet. The room should still be intact, right Master?" He nodded at her rushed explanation of it.

"Open the way Tim." Luca closed her eyes at the blinding light.

"Where are we? Dead bodies!" Allen panicked looking around. Luca merely shrugged and followed her Master who was already walking away. She simply walked after him uncaring of the bodies under her boots, she didn't have time to dance around them.

"They were guarding the factory."

"That thing is the factory?" Allen asked. Luca looked at the egg. _It's breathing. How strange_ , from the look on his face Allen had noticed too.

"This is the last room to be downloaded. Once it is the ark will completely disintegrate taking us too." Cross explained.

"What are we going to do?" Cross sighed again. Sometimes Allen really was too naive. Luca smirked already knowing what was going to happen.

"Isn't it obvious Al? We're going to steal the egg. If we have the egg than the Earl can't make new akuma." Cross nodded. His oldest really was devious.

"General, are you going to move the ark?" Lenalee asked curiously. She didn't understand how Luca managed to catch on to her master's ideas so quickly.

He shook his head, "No, that job belongs to Allen. Luca, I need your help keeping the egg here as long as we can. Repeat after me." She nodded. "On, avata, ura, masarakat, kikero, take effect! Bind!" The magic wrapped around the egg, slowing it down. "Luca!"

"On, avata, ura, masarakat, kikero, take effect! Bind!" Her magic joined her master's. Lenalee stared in awe at her friend. Luca had never told her that she could use magic. Never even hinted at it. The download slowed down even more.

"Allen, move the ark if you want to live. Hurry!" Allen blinked.

"Wait! I don't know what you're talking about!" Cross explained.

"Follow Tim. He'll show you the way. You'll understand." Allen vanished through the new portal that Tim created. "You're the only one who can do it, my silly pupil." It was quiet for a moment as the two sorcerers struggled to hold the download back as much as possible. Lenalee just watched. Luca staggered as the floor started to crumble even more. Lenalee started to fall with Luca darting forward to catch her. "Idiot apprentice! Hurry up and stop the ark!" Cross shouted through the wireless ear piece. Luca winced as it came through hers too.

"Master! Catch!" She tossed Lenalee over to him. He caught her with ease, holding her up with one arm.

"Are you alright Allen?" the Asian girl asked from her place.

"Yes I'm fine, Lenalee. You sound very close to Master." he paused for a moment before he figured it out. "Master don't you touch her!" Luca rolled her eyes at her brother and his little crush.

"Allen we don't have time for this!" she shouted straining. The magic was quickly depleting what little energy she had left.

"We don't have a lot of floor space left. I'm just holding her. There's hardly enough for me and your sister. If you don't hurry up one of us will fall followed by the other." Luca tuned the rest of the yelling out, doing her best to focus on her breathing and maintaining the spell as well as ignoring how quickly the floor underneath her boots was falling apart.

Most of the floor fell away causing Lenalee to shriek and bury her face into Cross. He held her with one hand, he wanted to comfort her but was unable to. He couldn't take his attention off the spell. Luca was fading fast as it was. He could see the exhaustion creeping up on her.

"Control the ark Allen! Play your heart out! Play with hope!" he shouted. There was hardly any floor. He could see it starting to give way under the Hungarian. He could see it in her eyes too. She knew that she would be the next to disappear if Allen didn't do something.

"Allen! You can do it! Do it so we can all go home!" her words of encouragement jarred his memory of the conversation they had with Komui. The music began. A familiar tune that Luca had heard before. Many times through the last five years of her life. She began to mumble the words and hum along with the piano music. Allen would sing it to her when she had nightmares. Mana taught it to him. Taking a deep breath she allowed her voice to grow in strength accompanying Allen's playing. The teez by her head hovering by her head begins to dance to the tune joyously. She sank to her knees as the song ended allowing the spell to dissolve. Cross and Lenalee joined her there on the floor.

* * *

 **Well, I honestly don't know what to say here. So much happened in that last chapter. I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I've had it all planned out for a while and I love it deeply. It means a lot to me and I revealed a couple clues in it about several things so be on the look out for those. As I said earlier updates will be occurring earlier on Tuesdays and I will do my best to update weekly but please have patience with me this new job is taxing. Reviews always make me feel better so keep that in mind~! I'm going to bed now. Cheshire's is out~!**


	25. Home is Where the Heart is

**Welcome back to another week of Veil of Ink and Gold! Yes I'm still here. Work hasn't killed me...yet. It just might though, man I'm dead tired. Seriously I'm going to bed after this. Just a quick reminder that this coming Monday is the last day to guess Luca's birthday. As of Monday October 8** **th** **, 2018 at 11:59 I will no long be taking guesses. The winners will be announced in next week's chapter. Now to answer last week's question, if I could tell Tyki one thing about Luca I would tell him that Luca has body art. ;) So this week's question is: What was the biggest surprise to you so far in the story? Now onto the reviews!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, I can say that Tricia and Luca will meet. I haven't decided on the extent of their interaction but I hoping to include her more into the story. I have a feeling that she would make an interesting addition.**

 **Dear Freakinoutagain, Yeah Tyki's having a rough day. He's gonna be having them for a while now. I love to hear any theories you may have on the bite mark and what it may mean. ;)**

 **Dear Guest from the 28** **th** **, I'm so glad to hear that. I hope you like this new chapter!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, Your review brought a smile to my face. I can't really tell you why. Something about the wording "** **I never knew I wanted" It brings a warm feeling to my chest. Hope to hear from you again, enjoy!"**

 **Dear SheuOgama, I look forward to seeing if you manage to find all the clues I hid in the chapter. It's like a literary treasure hunt! Please don't hurt yourself as you fangirl. Remember to do it in a safe place. Yes the teez likes to dance like his mistress. Your excitement at Joyd's decision was highly amusing and energetic. I'd love to hear you take on it all. Unfortunately for you Allen and Luca is completely fraternal. They are siblings and nothing more. I can't wait to see your picture of Luca!**

 **Dear Kp, I'm so glad that this chapter lived up to your expectations. I know you've been looking forward for this chapter for a while at least. You loving everything about it was amazing. Joyd does seem to have an interest in Luca huh? Theories are always welcome. As for the Earl and Luca, well that will all be revealed in due time. Unfortunately Tyki and Luca aren't going to see each other for a while. Tyki needs to heal from his wounds and sort a few things out ;) while Luca's got some problems of her own that will require her attention. Fear not they will meet again and just because they don't see each other doesn't mean that they won't be in touch. Oops. I've said too much. Enjoy!**

 **Dear WinterYule, I've been waiting for so long! I'm glad you finally caught up! Knowing that you saw the intensity of the fight was amazing! It was so real to me so knowing that you saw it the same way was fantastic! As for Cross well, read and find out! Yes Luca does know how to use magic. It actually wasn't out of nowhere there are several hints to it if you reread the story. It's alluded to several times. So you think that her mother passed it down to her? Well you'll just have to wait and see! Yeah the fight with Lavi was actually hard to write. I spent a while trying to decide if she should do something about it or not. Eventually it came down to the fact that Luca wouldn't be able to standby and watch. It was different with Tyki for several different reasons. You have to remember that Luca had already fought Mimic and Lulu Bell. She was bound to be tired and that effects Harlequin's ability to move and absorb energy and damage. Even Luca has her limits. I'm excited to know that I managed to keep you on your toes!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, You are going to make me blush with praise like that. Especially considering that you were the first one to ask about Joyd and how he would respond to Luca. You asked about him way back in your first review on chapter 9 and ever since then you've been asking about him and how he would react to her. At the moment I'm trying to decide if he should make another appearance or not. Let me know what you think. I'm glad you liked the puns, I put them in just for you. I just read that part in the manga and the way it was said by the Earl. There was no way that Luca would pass that up. She's just not capable. XD And to answer your question no it's not about the telephone game they played. He doesn't actually know that it was her on the other line, he thought it was Tyki playing around. As for Joyd and his hotness, well yeah he is very hot. He wasn't happy with Cross' interference and then Luca seemingly vanishing from the ark. So you think he was claiming her when he bit her? Maybe she just smelled good? You never know. As I promised before you will see Tyki's etiquette lessons in a few chapters. He's not gonna get a break for a while. As always I love your theories on Sheril and his reaction to Luca! Thanks for the encouragement on my regular life and my new job. Your review made last night possible so thank you! Until next week!**

* * *

Luca was too exhausted to care that she was sitting on the floor or about the weird face her master was giving her. Every single part of her body ached and she was still bleeding. She vaguely registered that Cross was talking but she didn't care at the moment. She only moved once a door appeared. Pushing herself to her feet she got up and walked through the door, hearing the heavy sound of her Master's boots and the light clicking of Lenalee following after her. Allen was standing at a piano he smiled up at her and Lenalee. Luca rushed over and threw her arms around him. He hugged her back though he glanced suspiciously at the teez perching happily on her head like a bow as if it belonged there. Scor was sitting on her mistress' left shoulder and if golems could pout he would've sworn that the little silver one was doing just that. _I guess she's not fond of Luca's new pet. What is she even going to do with that thing?_ he questioned in his head before turning to glare at his master. There was a more pressing issue.

"Well done, my pupil. Now would you stop glaring at me like that?" Luca reached out and rubbed her brother's back soothingly.

"Why? Why was that music score-" He was cut off.

"COME AND GET IT, ALLEN!" Lavi's shouting rang through the ark sending Allen crashing to the ground and the other three exorcists leaning away from the sheer volume.

Allen sat up, "Food?" he questioned looking around.

"Lavi, he's not a dog." There's Chaoji's voice. _Damn. He survived. I was sad that Lavi fell but I was really hoping that Chaoji wouldn't come back_ , she huffed irritably.

"Oh yeah? Just you watch Chaoji. He will definitely come running! Here boy!"

Luca snorted, "Allen why didn't you tell me you were a dog? Dog biscuits are a lot easier to carry around instead of all these extra snacks." he made a face at her but she just smiled teasingly. She decided to tune out all the arguing that started as Allen and Kanda starting bickering upon reuniting. _Honestly boys_ , she rolled her eyes. She eventually followed the boys out to explore the ark. They wandered around for a while just poke and prodding the buildings. Luca glanced over to see Allen tearfully reuniting with Timcampy.

"Come to think of it I haven't seen you since we parted ways in China. And then things were so hectic that I'd forgotten but I missed you Timcampy!" Luca rolled her eyes with a snort as both her brother and the golem started crying. The golem snuggled into his left cheek. Luca raised an eyebrow when the boy pulled a ruler out of nowhere and held it up. "You've gotten bigger too. Why?" _Where did that ruler come from?_ she questioned silently rather confused as her brother continued to measure the golem.

"Excuse me you two..." Lavi tried to gain the white haired boy's attention with little luck. Kanda had better luck.

"Beansprout! Shut your face!" Luca sighed as Allen turned to glare at him.

"I'm not a beansprout." Kanda ignored him and continued.

"We've looked all over. There isn't a trace of the Noah left."

"Obviously. The Earl was expecting the ark to disappear. He pulled us in here to kill us. He wouldn't leave his precious Noah here." Kanda glared at her but she ignored him. His glare didn't have the same effect on her anymore.

"This has been bothering me for a while. Kanda what's with that huge mark on your chest? You haven't always had that giant tattoo have you?" Kanda turned away from Allen.

"It's none of your business." he huffed. Allen smiled sweetly at him.

"That's not very nice of you, Kanda! C'mon let's play catch with the conversation ball!" the British boy clapped his hands a few times as if trying to encourage the older teen to throw him a ball.

"Shut the hell up!" Lavi sighed and leaned over to Luca.

"Why are they always like this?" They watched as the pair glared at each other. She grinned and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"Maybe they're secretly in love and this is how they flirt?" she started snickering as Lavi choked on his own spit and began coughing violently. The other three looked over at them to which Luca smiled innocently as she patted her friend on the back. She watched Allen walk over to a random door with Kanda not far behind him. Eyes widening Luca rushed over just as Allen opened the door.

"How the hell do we get out of here Beansprout?!" Kanda growled.

"Allen! Wait!" It was too late and he stepped out into the darkness.

"Ahh! There's no floor!" Lunging after her brother and friends she grabbed onto somebody's wrist and then onto something else. Felt like fabric. She felt the larger hand close around her wrist to hang on better. Glancing down she found that she was hanging on to Kanda with Allen holding on to what was left of Kanda's long jacket. Turning her gaze upwards she found Lavi. She had grabbed his shirt somehow and taken him with her. Poor guy was hanging upside down with Chaoji being the only one to hold them to the ark by Lavi's ankle. Allen looked around at the emptiness.

"I don't think this is the right room."

Luca snorted and rolled her eyes, "Ya don't say? Jeez Allen look before you walk out into nothing!" Kanda's reprimand was much more colorful.

"Damn you Beansprout! If you want to fall to your death do it alone!" Luca glared down at him.

"My name is Allen." Luca groaned.

"Guys stop flailing around down there!"

"You guys are choking me!" Lavi thrashed around trying to loosen the collar of his shirt causing the chain of exorcists to swing dangerously. The teez hung onto the Hungarian's bangs tightly.

"Knock it off Lavi. If you keep doing that we're going to fall." Luca tightened her grip on his shirt. Desperate to hang on.

"Hold on! I'll pull you up!" Chaoji strained while Allen apologized to which Luca just huffed. She knew at the moment it was probably best not to start something. She was still planning on kicking the punk's ungrateful ass.

"Hurry please! Seriously! I'm gonna pass out any moment." Luca saw something glow above Lavi but couldn't see what it was past his body. Suddenly they were flying through the air and then hitting the ground. Allen hit first on his back with Kanda not far behind. Luca groaned when she landed on Kanda's chest hard. She yelped when Lavi landed face first in her breasts. She twitched angrily.

"Would you mind getting the hell off?" She resisted the urge to hit him as it technically wasn't his fault. Apparently her new pet did not agree with her assessment as he (she wasn't completely sure if the golem had a gender but she couldn't keep calling the butterfly it) promptly bit down on Lavi's ear causing the bookman in training to shoot up shrieking in pain. _Huh, I should give him a name. But what to call him? Hmmm_ , she pondered silently as she rolled off Kanda before he could start complaining and insulting her by calling her fat or something. The boys began to talk about Chaoji's innocence. Luca groaned internally, _Just great. I was really looking forward to getting rid of him but now it appears he's coming home with us. Just perfect. Peachy. Perhaps there can be an unfortunate accident..._

"Anita and the others gave it to me. I just know it." Luca rolled her eyes again. _I didn't know that the afterlife had messengers. I've been rolling my eyes around him. This isn't looking good for when we get home. Maybe if I'm lucky an akuma will kill him relatively quickly. Is that mean?_ she wondered silently before pausing. _Oh wait, I don't care!_ As if sensing his mistress' sour mood and the cause of it the butterfly fluttered over to Chaoji and chomped down on his nose hard. The Chinese man began to screech and flail trying to remove the golem that was hanging on rather determinedly with all it's might.

"Luca! " All three exorcists shouted.

Luca shrugged and questioned, "What? I didn't tell him to do that! I don't have any control over him!"

"Call him off!" Luca shrugged her shoulders again.

"I don't know how!" Allen waved his hands around wildly for a few minutes while he tried to come up with a way to remove the teez. He noted that his sister didn't seem all that concerned with removing the golem. In fact she seemed to be enjoying it rather sadistically.

"Try calling him or something!" Sighing she did as she was told.

"Gambit, come here!" Upon hearing his mistress' voice the little butterfly released the bleeding red nose of the man and flew back over perching on her head rather happily. The Walker siblings would've sworn that the creature was incredibly smug and oh so pleased with himself.

"That thing is evil!" Chaoji shouted pointing an accusing finger at it. Luca glared at the man and growled.

"Don't you dare call Gambit a thing! He's a butterfly. Now get your finger out of my face." Lavi glanced sullenly at it as the girl smacked the large hand away from her personal space.

"A carnivorous one. C'mon Beautiful you can't possibly think about keeping it." She turned her glare on him. "Him, you can't be thinking of keeping him." he corrected though he did note the girl's reaction to the Chinese man. _This doesn't look good_ , he thought.

"She's already named him. Besides I don't think that he'd just go away. This one seems to have a mind of his own. When did he show up?" Allen asked gazing at the insect.

"When you guys started fighting. Probably when he sent that one after Lena." Allen nodded.

"And he hasn't done anything to you?"

"He's just been sitting with me...and biting people. But he hasn't bitten me. Maybe he's a gift?" she offered a shrug.

"Could be. Tyki Mikk seems to really like you." Chaoji glared at the pair. Luca glared back and Gambit took off from her head and started flying menacingly towards the Chinese man again who immediately leaned back away from it.

"Gambit." hearing his name the small creature flew back over. Scor glared at it from her place on Luca's shoulder causing the girl to laugh. Allen joined her.

"I think somebody's jealous." she nodded at her brother's comment.

"I think you might be right. Anyway back to the topic at hand: where did the innocence even come from?" she asked.

"Dunno." Allen shrugged causing the girl to snort at him.

"Speaking of innocence, mine got shattered. I hope it'll be okay." Lavi moaned dejectedly hold up a bag labeled hammer shards. Kanda held a similar bag though his was only labeled Mugen. Allen waved his worries off.

"Komui will fix them. I'm sure of it."

Lavi grimaced causing Luca to snort knowingly, "Yeah but for how much? I nearly cried the last time he fixed Harlequin."

"I'm more worried for Krory, he won't wake up no matter what we try." Luca turned to look at her brother. None of them had gotten up from the ground where they had crashed. "Lenalee and Master are taking care of him right now..." he trailed off as a thought occurred to all the boys at the same time.

"Lenalee and that womanizer?" Kanda spat angrily.

"Alone together?" Lavi asked worriedly causing the group to jump to their feet and go thundering back to the room with the Hungarian following after them at a leisurely pace. _Lenalee can take care of herself and wouldn't fall for any of Master's tricks_ , she thought with a smirk. The boys screamed causing her to enter the room. Cross was rather close to the Chinese teen with his hand cupping her cheek.

"THAT'S A CRIME MASTER!" Allen bellowed.

"We're too late!" Lavi cried. Lenalee tried to clear up the misunderstanding.

"What? Guys no! He was just-" Cross cut her off.

"16 years old is a fully grown woman!"

Lenalee turned to berate the man, "General!" causing Luca to burst out laughing easily defusing the tension. The pair broke apart and Allen insisted on taking Lenalee with him instead leaving Luca with their master instead.

"Luca," she glanced up at her master. She had been rubbing her left shoulder again. The wound still stung all the way down to the bone. "what's with the butterfly?" he questioned examining his daughter.

"It was a gift. The Noah gave it to me before the fight started. He's stuck by me ever since. I doubt that he'll leave my side any time soon." The red haired man got up and walked over to her. He tugged the shredded remains of the collar of her jacket. He glared at the bite mark. It was bleeding again.

"What's this? Did he..." he trailed off still glaring at the wound. She reached up to stop the bleeding but he caught her hand and started to inspect the wound more thoroughly. "He couldn't have..." the man trailed off again as he prodded the wound causing a hiss to escape between her teeth. The area was incredibly sensitive. His finger ghosted over the wound following the shape as if he could believe what it was. That it was there. What had happened to his oldest apprentice? _Why did the Noah bite her? What does he gain from it? His instincts should've had him trying to kill her yet this wound isn't life threatening at all. Despite being so close to her jugular vein, he had missed it or avoided it on purpose. But why? Did he want something from her? Was it something only she could do?_ he pondered as he racked his brain for something unique that only his daughter could offer. She had many abilities and unusual traits but none of them would mean anything to a Noah never mind the memory so why had Joyd bitten her yet not killed her. Had it been on the front of her neck he would've assumed that she had managed to dislodge him before he ripped out her throat but that wasn't the case. "What happened when he bit you?" he finally asked bringing his cigarette to his lips.

"I was trying to distract him from the others. He caught me and pinned me against the wall. Then he licked some of my blood." she pointed to the wound running down the outside of her left eye. It was still bleeding though not as much as it was before. "After that he said "Mine" and ripped my jacket open. He smelled me for a moment then bit down on my shoulder. I fired Harbinger and then crashed into you." He nodded though he didn't allow his face to betray his worry. As if one apprentice having a horrible fate isn't bad enough now the other one has this? It sounded a hell of a lot like a claim and he wasn't ready for that nor was he sure that he could even do something about it. _If_ _HE_ _was awake I could ask him as he would probably know but that would mean losing Allen_ , he groaned mentally. To save one he'd have to lose the other.

* * *

Road watched with worry as her uncle paced around in his room restlessly. Almost angrily. When he reached one end of the room he would turn around and start again. It was almost as if he was looking for something in the dark room. She heard the door open behind her allowing some light into the room. The taller Noah whirled around and hissed at the light. Road glanced over her shoulder at the other Noah who had joined her though she didn't dare take her eyes off her uncle completely.

"No change?" she glanced up to meet his gold eyes for a second.

"No. He's been like this ever since he woke up." she had been with him when he had but instead of changing back, Joyd was still in control. Sheril sighed as he watched his younger brother sadly. The man was wandering around his darkened room muttering in a rather deranged manner. Any attempt to talk to Tyki was lost completely. "What about the Earl? He was upset earlier." she asked glancing up at her father again in an attempt to have a normal conversation with the man.

"Bad news. The exorcists stole the old ark. They have the factory and the egg. I believe Lulu Bell is planning to steal it back but she'll have to heal up first. She's got some nasty bruises and cuts. I'm more interested in the burns she's got though." Road sighed. She knew exactly where they had come from. Lulu Bell would heal.

"Butt..." both heads snapped over to the awakened Noah who was scratching at the wall, as if trying to dig his way out, "er...fly." A sharp yank ripped the wallpaper away from the wall. Pieces of rubble fell as he continued to tear at it.

"Did he just speak?" Sheril asked. He hadn't heard an intelligent word from his younger brother since he had woken up.

"Butt...er" Road ran over and grabbed his hand before he could tear more away. "fly." he leaned down to sniff Road only to crinkle his nose and go back to the wall.

"No no no no no no no. The Earl wants you to wait here, Joyd." He turned to look at her again.

"Butter...fly." Sheril blinked a few times from his place by the door.

"He wants a butterfly?" Road just shrugged at him and continued her attempt to keep him from tearing the wall apart though she wasn't having much luck. "I think we have some in the garden? I could send one of the servants out to get it. Do you think that would help?" he was completely out of his depth here. He had never seen anything like this before and thus had no idea how to help at all.

"You could try it. I don't see how it would help but I don't really know what to do either." she shrugged before running over to the window to pull the awakened Noah away from yet another escape attempt.

* * *

Luca laughed as Wong came thundering back with Bak leading the charge. They had startled the Asia branch with their sudden arrival but it was the only place that the ark was connected to at the moment. She shook her head as upon seeing Lenalee Bak broke out into hives and Wong had to save him.

"Er...who is that?" Lavi asked looking over at the strange pair. The four teens sweatdropped at the pair.

"That's the branch head, Bak Chang." Allen answered weakly. Lavi leaned over to whisper in Allen's ear.

"Is he okay to be running things?" The question didn't get answered as Rohfa immediately welcomed Allen back with her love sick puppy look. Luca groaned as as the small Chinese girl began to cry.

"I'm so happy to see that you are safe and sound!" Allen panicked while Lavi looked on rather confused.

"Please stop crying!" Lavi looked from Rohfa to Luca who just shrugged her shoulders trying to tune it all out.

"Allen! Who is this girl and why is she crying?" Luca walked over to try and fix the chaos that was quickly unfolding around them. She just barely managed to jump to the side as Cross shoved Allen out of his way via grip on his face.

"Hmmm," The general inspected Rohfa for a moment. "Allen, is this your woman?" Luca snorted while Allen flailed around as the older man started to walk away after examining the scientist making her go red in the face. Both his apprentices snapped their attention over to him.

"Where are you going Master?" Allen asked.

"Allen! He's making a run for it!" Luca shouted having long since learned the signs of a rather abrupt departure for them or their master. Lenalee lunged forward wrapping her arms around the general's waist upon her friend's revelation of the man's intentions.

"Stop General!" Cross froze and looked down at Lenalee who looked up at him, large eyes and cuteness in full effect. She looked up at him pleadingly.

"Please don't disappear again!" Luca was stopped from laughing at the look on everybody's face by the high pitched banshee like scream that came from Bak. She winced and glared at him. While Lavi just stared at the scene before him before leaning down to the Hungarian girl as their friend clung tighter to the general.

"Just who is General Cross?" She gave a non-committal shrug as she wasn't quite sure what kind of answer he was looking for. The Walker siblings and junior bookman looked over at the three scientists who were freaking out. Li Kei now obviously had a crush on Lenalee and Rohfa was still focusing on Cross calling her Allen's woman. Shifu just looked dizzy as Li Kei was shaking him violently in his love-struck daze. The three deadpanned at the scene in front of them.

"Master Bak!" Luca closed her eyes and whimpered but turned to the branch head along with Allen and Lavi. The Chinese man was once again lying on the floor in Wong's arms, a towel over his eyes, and clutching Wong's hand as if he was in immense pain. Luca groaned and rolled her eyes as Bak sobbed.

"First Lenalee's hair! And now her purity!"

"Please pull yourself together Master Bak!" Wong's yelling wasn't helping the massive headache that was starting to pound in the girl's skull.

"Is the Asian Branch really okay?!" Lavi asked looking around at the chaos while Luca just sighed into her hands. She really just wanted to go home and sleep in her own bed for about a month.

"No. I don't think any part of the Black Order is okay." The welcome home was cut short by the appearance of the demon from hell aka the Head Nurse. Every exorcist was dragged straight to the infirmary. Luca hissed as a nurse pulled a bandage rather tight. "This is excessive. I'm fine. Really." The nurse gave her a pointed look, raising a single eyebrow before going back to what she was doing. The nurse got up to grab some more bandages and Luca took the opening. Bolting for the safety of her room was easier said than done. The Order was like a zoo only if every animal had gotten out of their cages. Scientists ran around balancing things and comparing notes, despite all the finders there didn't seem to be enough and all the exorcists were in the infirmary. Luca groaned as she dodged another finder on her way up to her room. "I swear this is ridiculous Scor." The golem floated up and down to agree with her mistress who ducked behind a desk. Head Nurse had entered the room no doubt looking for the escapee. "She's like a freaking bloodhound. I think I'll be safe in my room but I need to get there first. Some food would be good too. I have no idea when the last time Gambit ate was." As if to remind her that she needed food too her stomach growled. "Or I ate for that matter." She glanced over at Johnny who was balancing a huge stack of books. "Mean but he will survive. Gambit go untie Johnny's shoe laces." the butterfly nodded and fluttered over. She heard the man yelp and fall. A small part of her felt bad but it was quickly killed when the nurse went over to see if he was okay. "He'll live." she shrugged and jogged into the cafeteria.

"Luca! I didn't figure I'd see you for a while. The nurses made it sound like you exorcists were hurt pretty bad." she smiled at Jerry.

"Oh you know how they are. Overexagerating things all the time. I'm fine, but I could really use some food. Feel like whipping something up?" He grinned at her.

"Oh you know how I love to do that! So what will it be?" She thought for a moment.

"How about some bread pudding! Oh I love that stuff and yours is just the best!" He laughed.

"It will be right out in a few moments." She smiled again at the thought of food and walked over to the coffee maker to pour herself a cup. She'd need it to hide out. _I've got to talk to Master. He's got some explaining to do but Head Nurse is insane. Honestly the woman should worry about the others more_ , she sighed sipping at the warm liquid. She closed her eyes to savor the soothing feeling spreading in her hands and down her throat. The image of Tyki being consumed by those dark vine like tentacles rose to the surface of her mind. She winced and tried to shake the image away. The sound of his screaming echoed in her ears.

"Stop it." She covered her ears with her hands in an attempt to block out the bone chilling sound. "Go away." The girl clutched at her head tighter, her fingers digging into her scalp, her claw like nails drawing blood from the abused skin. "Stop hurting him." Her shoulders shook and he lunged at her again.

"Luca!" she jumped at the sound of her name drawing her back out of the memory. She turned to see Jerry who was standing next to her, giving her a worried look his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" She blinked at him a few times and looked down at the shards of porcelain and coffee that now covered the ground by her feet.

"Yeah, I got lost in thought for a moment." She bent down and began picking up the broken pieces of the mug. "I'm sorry about the mess. I must've dropped the cup while I was zoning out. Don't worry about it. I'll clean it up." His expression didn't change.

"Maybe you should still be in the infirmary. I can have somebody go get Head Nurse." Luca jumped cutting her hand on a fragment of porcelain. She hissed at the bleeding wound that run diagonally across her hand. "Oh no! Here." he handed her and towel but she merely put the piece in it and emptied it into the trash. Unwrapping the excess bandaged from around her arm she tied it around her hand.

"It's fine. Is my dinner ready?" He nodded though the concerned look didn't leave his face.

"Yes, perhaps you should talk to somebody about it. You looked upset about something. I couldn't understand what you were mumbling but you were clearly agitated about something." she sighed and took the tray.

"It wouldn't help. What's done is done. There's nothing that can change the past, we can only look to the future now." The Indian man didn't know how to feel about the melancholy tone of voice the normally cheerful and grinning girl used, her green eyes cast upon the floor. "I think I'm going to eat in my room. It's been a long day and I think I've had enough excitement. I'll bring the tray down tomorrow." she waved lazily at him as she took the tray of food and left. Jerry was torn unsure of what to do or what he could even do. He had almost never seen her like this. The others spoke of the battles of victory. Kanda had killed a Noah while Luca and Allen had both defeated one in lone combat. Lavi had even survived a battle with one though he had gotten some assistance from the Hungarian yet the Harlequin user acted as if she had lost something. The Indian man stared after the girl long after she was out of sight.

* * *

Luca was on her way to return the tray and her dirty dishes when Head Nurse jumped her having finally tracked down the fugitive exorcist who had dared leave the hospital ward before she had been fully treated never mind healed. Luca hissed violently as the hand clapped onto her shoulder right over the bite mark. The older woman moved her hand, sliding it down the girl's arm before locking it around the girl's small wrist.

"You haven't even been treated completely and you thought it was a good idea to just go wandering off and don't even try to tell me you are fine. I barely touched your shoulder and you flinched and hissed." She glanced back at the girl as she dragged her back to the infirmary. "And your eye is bleeding again. Luca I thought you were the smart one. It will be even worse if they get infected. A beautiful young lady such as yourself should be worried about this wound scarring." Luca sighed.

"I'm a soldier Head Nurse. My beauty as you call it won't kill akuma. I'll never be free so it doesn't really matter." She huffed though her mind started to wander as she was pulled down the hall, _I wonder if he thought I was beautiful. Nah, probably not. He probably has all kinds of women throwing themselves at him with the way he looks. He has to be some kind of nobility with clothes that nice. Woman who are dainty and elegant without huge scars or have tried to kill him and almost succeeded in that endeavor, though almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades_ , she shook her head free of these thoughts as the older woman shoved her down onto a clean hospital bed and ordered one of the other nurse to fetch the medical supplies no longer trusting the exorcist who would probably make another escape attempt the moment her back was turned. The Hungarian hissed as the woman poured disinfectant onto her face, her eye closed securely to prevent the medicine from damaging her eye or eyesight.

"These scratches on your face are pretty bad. They might even scar." The older woman spoke as she covered the entire green eye with a large bandage. Luca groaned at the fact that suddenly half her vision was gone but held still none the less. She'd be running into things for a while now until the bandage came off. "Now let's see that shoulder." she removed the jacket from the girl's shoulders. The nurses around her gasped at the once again bleeding wound. She tried to tune them out though the other noise in the room was Komui's sobbing about Lenalee's hair. The Hungarian just listened as the Chinese man sobbed about it as she fidgeted with her own long dark hair idly, feeling a bit awkward about it and the unruly state that it was in. She couldn't help but wonder if anyone would mourn if her hair was lost the way the tall Asian man was doing at this very moment. She laid down on the bed to appease the older woman.

"I made her this pillow that plays a lullaby." Luca looked at the pink and white striped monstrosity. The fake Komui head on the end was singing creepily.

"Sleep, sleep. My Lenalee." Lenalee sweatdropped at it while Luca just looked horrified.

"She doesn't need that." Head Nurse hissed at the man angrily and slammed the door in his face.

Luca sighed, "Well that's gonna haunt my nightmares." As soon as the old woman was out of the room the Hungarian was out of the bed.

"Aren't you supposed to be staying in bed?" Luca grabbed her long hooded cardigan. The knitted fabric soft against her skin and bandages.

"I need to see Allen. I wanna make sure he's okay." Lenalee looked after her friend now worried about her other one. Scor and Gambit fluttered after her. She easily found her brother in the piano room of the ark with a huge bag of food, and Timcampy.

"The path I've chosen, Or did somebody choose it for me?" She leaned against the door with her arms and legs crossed.

"Of course it's your path. Somebody can't choose your path for you. A path is what you leave behind. You make your own path as you go." His eyes darted up to meet hers.

"Hey Lu." The greeting was halfhearted and weak. She sighed and walked over to him, shoving him over so their was room on the bench for her too.

"I can't tell you anything about it. I'd love to but I know as much as you." she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "Things...sometimes things happen that we can't explain. I know that Mana is a sensitive topic but you didn't really know a lot about him. Don't think on it too much." She looked up watching Scor and Timcampy chase Gambit around. The two golems had finally accepted the teez as one of their own and were now playing with him. She sighed. She didn't know how to comfort her brother. The pair sat in silence both just thinking while watching the golems dance through the air. The peace was ruined when the door slammed open. The Head Nurse had found them again. Neither Walker sibling escaped her grasp. She dragged them back to the infirmary berating them the whole way. Luca did her best to tune it out as it was the second time that she had heard the rant.

Luca glared at the blond man who was offering Allen a pumpkin pie. Despite his politeness and wording she knew what he really was. A member of Central. Clearly the Order no longer trusted Allen. So much so that they had assigned him a watch dog. Allen was as usual stuffing his face full of food. She vaguely heard Allen and Lavi arguing about the pie but she ignored it. She needed to find her master and find out what was going on.

"The fourteenth?" Allen asked curiously tilting his head to the side. Link, as the man had introduced himself as explained.

"A Noah who was killed by his clan. He was born after the original 13 Noah and nobody knows his name so he's just called the fourteenth. Have you heard of him?" Luca listened intently. _It's good to know how much they're sharing. Obviously because they don't trust him they won't tell him everything they know. I'll have to see if I can find out what they know that they aren't sharing_ , she thought silently. She watched Link stare at Allen. He seemed to suspect something.

"What does any of this have to do with me?" Allen inquired still not understanding what the older man was talking about. Link sighed.

"First of all we'd like some information." He set down a huge stack of papers taller than Luca herself. "I'll need you to fill out this questionnaire and it will have to be done by tomorrow morning." Allen blanched and Luca snorted. She watched as Link began to drag Allen from the room to the library to start filling out all the paperwork. The man suddenly yelped in pain as the black and purple butterfly bit him. He turned to glare at the Hungarian who shrugged. Allen stifled a snicker as the man tried to pry the golem from his skin. In response to it the golem released his nose and bit the finger that was moving to remove him from the flesh. He tore a chunk out as he fluttered back to his mistress.

"Opps." she shrugged mockingly. "You'll have to forgive Gambit. He hasn't eaten yet."

"Walker, you would do well to control that thing." his hissed.

"He has a mind of his own." she spoke innocently but he just glared at her.

"Or it will get squished." Her venomous green eyes narrowed threateningly daring him to try it.

"Baszódj meg (Get fucked)." she snarked back though he didn't understand her at all. "You couldn't do it if you tried. He's far more intelligent than you." She rolled her eyes when he made a face at her. Allen sighed. They hadn't even known each other for a day and the pair was already fighting. This didn't look good for him. Link led him away. Luca stood up abruptly though she did grab the piece of meat for Gambit that she had ordered.

"Where are you going Beautiful?" Lavi asked looked at the girl who was already walking away, her golems flying after her, one of them chewing on a raw piece of meat.

"For a walk. I've lost my appetite." Her words were biting and he almost flinched despite knowing that it wasn't him she was mad at. He sighed as she left. She wasn't very far from the cafeteria when she was surrounded by CROWs.

"Inspector Lvellie wishes to speak to you Luca Walker." she glared at the CROW in front of her.

She spat irritated, "Peachy." the leader moved closer to her.

"You will do well to remember to keep your hands to yourself this time." She snorted and shrugged.

"What? He looked better like that." One of the other's stepped towards her threateningly but the leader held up his hand. She followed them to the small, rather dark room where the inspector was waiting for her. He sat at a table with a sickly sweet smile.

"Good evening Miss Blackwood," he paused. "No, it's Miss Walker now isn't it. How funny that you chose to take your brother's surname. If I remember correctly you aren't actually siblings. Please have a seat." she sat slumped in the chair, one leg crossed over the other. He eyed the butterfly fluttering by her head. The small silver golem sat on her left shoulder, it's tail twitching violently back and forth, almost like a cat.

"Family doesn't end with blood. Just because you're blood doesn't mean that you're family. You have to earn that." Her words were calm but the fire burned in her eyes he noted to himself. Sitting up he placed a platter on the table.

"That's very eloquent Miss Walker. Would you like some cake?" Luca took the piece but picked at it not really eating it but she did offer it to the black and purple golem. The creature refused it. She snorted and put it back down. "Remove that thing from this room." She glanced up at Gambit.

"He stays with me." His eyes narrowed at her.

"Are you arguing with me?" She snorted.

"The last person who tried to remove him from my presence is still missing a rather good size chunk of his flesh. Gambit has a mind of his own and does what he wants." He waved his hand to shoo the butterfly away. It was a mistake. Understanding the intention of the movement the golem sank his teeth into the gloved hand. The girl shrugged as the man tried to shake it off. "Told you so." He was unable to pry it's needle like teeth out of his skin. Sighing the girl called for it, "Gambit. Come here." Immediately the small insect flew back to her.

Lvellie smiled at the girl in front of him doing his best to be pleasant despite the new injury to his hand, "Now it's all very simple Miss Walker I just need you to tel me what you know about the 14th and the previous incarnation of the Noah family." He folded his hands in front of him and placed them gently on the table once the bleeding had stopped. _The 16 year old would be easy to fool. She probably won't even know the importance of what she has seen or what it could mean. She's just a surly teenager_ , he smiled at the thought. Luca looked up at at the man, completely bored. Her head rested in her palm which rested on the table, her piece of cake still untouched except for the fork that was stuck in the middle of it straight up.

"They're all dead." He blinked for a moment then shook his head.

"No, no, no, no." Lvellie spoke firmly. He didn't need the obvious stuff like that.

The girl shrugged, "Alright then, they're all living."

"No, no, no, no." Lvellie spoke seriously but felt like groaning. _What on Earth was this girl doing?_ He had always gotten the impression that she was smart but now he was beginning to question that.

"Well now we're getting into philosophy."

This time he did groan, "We are NOT getting into philosophy. I think that's enough for now Miss Walker. You may leave." He motioned to the door for her to leave.

* * *

The Earl stepped into the room, "How is he?" he asked though he stopped to bat away a bright blue butterfly that tried to land on his nose. Both Kamelots looked up at him from where they sat. Joyd was still pacing around the room angrily unwilling to sit down or hold still. The more time that past the more agitated he grew.

"About the same." Road sighed. The Earl looked around at all the butterflies that filled the room.

"What is with all the bugs? We haven't had this ark long enough for them to all get in here all on their own." Sheril sighed.

"He keeps asking for butterflies. So I thought maybe this was what he want. It doesn't seem to be right though. He doesn't seem to be happy with them." As if to confirm the comment Joyd grabbed a butterfly and looked at it for a moment before sticking it in his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. The three other Noah flinched.

"Yeah I don't think that's what he wanted." Road grimaced, feeling a bit sick. Joyd wandered over towards them.

"Butt...er...fly." he moaned looking around. He sniffed at the Earl and got closer. "Butter...fly." he spoke more clearly looking at the Earl expectantly.

"Okay so he definitely wants a butterfly but apparently these ones are wrong?" the Earl spoke looking around at the different species and colors of all the butterflies. "Have you tried giving him one of his teez?"

"Butter...fly." Joyd demanded.

* * *

A lone figure moved through the halls silently. Their feet making no sounds, they clung to the shadows avoiding every living thing in them. Even the golems missed the small frame. Two golems floated by her head. The hooded silhouette watched the guards talk for a moment. There were only two of them. That would make things easy. Glancing around, hidden eyes found that there was nobody else in the hall the figure slunk around the corner and over to the guards. Grabbing each by the back of the head, they were smashed together, the bodies crumpling to the ground. A voice called out to the attacker as they rested their hand on the doorknob ready to open it.

"Come in Luca," Ignoring the unconscious bodies of her master's guards Luca opened the door, stepped over them, and closed the door behind her. "We have much to talk about and very little time."

* * *

 **So Luca's sneaking around which is never a good sign. I couldn't help but include the singing pillow! It's just too entertaining and poor Luca. It scares her so. Anyways it didn't take long for her and Link to become good friends. As you all asked Luca now has a pet teez. I can't wait to hear what you all think about him and how he changes Luca's life. Lvellie and Luca are always an interesting. I've hidden a favorite scene from one of my absolute favorite tv shows as a kid. You will see more of that show in here as we go. Poor Tyki, he's having a bad day. Too bad the others can't figure out what it is he's looking for. As always reviews help me survive work! Please don't let me die! Cheshire is out~!**


	26. Honey I'm Home

**I swear Tuesday comes so fast when I'm unprepared. Work is seriously killing my writing time. I hate it so. Ugh! Life, why must you cost so much? Anyhoo random rant aside, Congratulations to my three winners! In third place we have 15** **th** **with their guess of November 15** **th** **which was her original birthday. In second place we have KP who guess November 13** **th** **which fit with Luca's theme a bit better and in first place we have KimiKitteh with the correct guess of October 31** **st** **. Luca was born on Samhain which goes hand in hand with her over all theme! So good going guys! Reach out to me so I can get started on your special chapters! I look forward to see what you will be requesting. Oh! Before anyone asks yes, Luca's birthday does play in with her it's not just because it's Halloween though that fits pretty well too. Okay now on to the story answers.**

 **So every reviewer asked why Road didn't make the connection that it was Luca that Joyd wanted, you guys have to remember everything that just happened. Lavi beat her, Tyki almost got exorcised, Joyd lost control and went on a rampage, the ark returned meaning that the 14th's pianist has appeared which means that the man whom she considered (and still does) family who slaughtered her entire family excluding her and the Earl is coming back. They have no idea how just that he is, this is also the part where the Earl begins to become unbalanced as he is reminded of Neah and how he longs for his brother to be by his side again, the exorcists now have the ark and the egg allowing them to move freely and study the egg, the Earl can no longer make akuma without the egg until he builds a new one or Lulu Bell manages to steal it back, and Joyd won't give Tyki back control over their body, so I think it's a pretty safe assumption that the nickname of an exorcist girl he only told her once may have slipped her mind. She also hasn't realized how deep of a connection the pair have and you have to take in the fact that it's Joyd asking for her. Road doesn't realize that Joyd has even met Luca. She wasn't in the ark when he came out. Lavi had already beaten her when it happened and she had vanished. So I hope this satisfies everybody's questions. Now on to the reviews!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, Yeah I have to agree with you, at least Link has some use. It doesn't make me like him any better but there's value in his existence where as Chaoji is just annoying and in the way. He talks big but doesn't really do much. As for Lvellie I don't think she's physically capable of being near him and not giving him lip. It's just not something she can do. He has a habit of pissing her off. Yeah Tyki would like his Butterfly back but unfortunately for him it's not gonna happen. Eventually Road will piece together who it is that he's looking for. Tricia will be a few chapters away. 32Ish I want to say but don't quote me on it. The numbers have a habit of shifting on me. Weird I know but it happens.**

 **Dear Wicken25, Hey! Back from the grave! I missed you. I hope my answer up above satisfied your needs. If you still have questions feel free to reach out to me! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear SheuOgama, Excitable as always! I'm thrilled that you love it so! Joyd is rather cute in a murderous creature kind of way. I was telling a friend earlier this morning that he kinda reminded me of a kitten. Not really sure where that came from but there you go! Now onto Gambit, I'm overjoyed that you love him so. He's certainly a lot of fun to write including his decisions on who to bite and who not to bite. No, Gambit can't enter Luca's body. That's Tyki's power not the teez. Even if she could I doubt that she would. I think it would creep her out a bit. He really likes her hair though? Does that count?**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, I adore Gambit. The minute I started writing him he just sprang to life and immediately became one of my favorites. He just has so much personality to him for such a little thing. He has a very clear definition of who is allowed near his mistress and will bite any who displease her or get to close to her like when Lavi fell on her chest. Luca was annoyed but that was a territorial thing for him because she still likes Lavi, it was just an unfortunate place for him to fall. Now about your theory on the bite mark, spot on! It is his version of exactly that without so many words. He's not particularly articulate but he knows what he wants. As for your dilemma about wanting to read the who thing but then it would be over thing, you are not the only one to feel that way. It's okay. I can't tell you if Tyki sent Gambit to Luca on purpose or not because it's part of the story. You'll find out in the next chapter. Enjoy!**

 **Dear B-chan, first of Joy Boy? This is absolutely hilarious! I crack up every time I read your review which I admit has been more than a couple of times. A rather interesting nickname, I may have to have Luca use it if it's alright with you that is! Your praise had me grinning. It's always wonderful to hear from a long-time reader. I do have to ask what part made you finally decided to review? Now for Luca and drama, yeah they basically go hand in hand. Luca likes to stir up chaos when she gets bored. Be on the look out for the food fight. ;) I found that Luca and Tyki go very well together, they have good chemistry and bounce off of each other that creates the drama. What about Joyd surprised you? Was it a good thing or a bad thing? And yes he is looking for what belongs to him (well in his eyes anyway. Other people might have different thoughts) Cross does have a pretty good idea what's going on and he's not exactly happy about it and telling anybody is the last thing he'll ever do. I feel like Gambit is quickly becoming a fan favorite and is gonna steal the show! He's kinda a twit but he's so cute! As for Joyd looking for his mate, well, we'll see won't we?**

 **Dear Kp, Yeah Tyki's having a rough day, and it's not going to get any easier. He's gonna get in trouble next chapter! Be on the look out for that, it's going to be great! I've always found that I feel better when I have somebody I love with me when I don't feel good but I'm not that nice of a writer so he's on his own. Poor baby. Gambit does act a bit like Luca and Tyki combined doesn't he? I didn't actually do that on purpose. I'm not sure if I'd go with parents but Luca is proud of him. In a single day he bit the three people whom she hated the most so he's got her vote. I had fun writing him turning down the cake. Enjoy!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, Well if you insist! I guess I will survive, somehow. The Earl will reveal why he did what he did in due time. He has his reasons for it, he very much like Cross knows more than he's saying. I always love your theories and suggestions, they never fail to make me smile and sometimes I can use them or they inspire something else. You were the first one to bring up a pet teez for Luca and so far he's been a hit. I'd love to hear your thoughts on him! Speaking of suggestions I was wondering if it was okay with you may I use your wording for the Earl reprimanding Tyki for his lack of manners towards Luca? I just loved your version of it so much! Of course I would add things in but I adore the line your wrote and it's just pure gold. If not then I understand! As for Joyd appearing more in the story, I do not know as of yet. The biggest part would be finding a place for it to happen and how it would all go down. Also if Luca cuddled Joyd he'd never let her go. Like she would be physically unable to pry him from her person. Like I'm not even sure if Cross would be able to remove him from her. It's part of why he was so pissed last chapter. He was not pleased with her disappearance. As always I look forward to your response!**

 **So this week's question is important and I really need you all to answer it! So the question is would you guys like me to add in bonus chapters? Chapters that I wanted to write (or were requested) but couldn't find a place for them? Things that just couldn't fit anywhere else?**

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 **Update! I have created a Discord for this story! Feel free to message me with any comments or questions or just to chat about the story. /channels/499534598972112906/499534598972112908  
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* * *

Luca was waiting for Allen outside the bathroom, knowing that he should be done soon. He found her leaning against the wall, deep in thought. Scor sat on her left shoulder while Gambit who was ever present, was fluttering by the girl's head. Her green eyes were focused on the floor but were distant. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, her eyes darted up to his though for a moment they looked past him. He almost swore they were looking at the dark creature, he knew to be looming over his shoulder.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to space out." He nodded, though looking worriedly at the dark bags underneath her eyes. Lavi looked between them for a moment.

"Jeez you two look horrible. How is it even when you look like death ran over you, the pair of you manage to do it together. Your bags match. Are you two even sleeping? Like at all?" Luca rolled her eyes at the red haired teen who was trying to make a joke, though it wasn't a very good one.

"I haven't had any coffee yet. Lenalee's still hi-" she paused and glanced at Link with a distrustful look though Allen could see the animosity in her eyes, "not feeling well, so there hasn't been any coffee delivered to my room." she corrected. Allen sighed. She and Link had been nothing but antagonistic towards each other. Gambit was always flying threateningly towards the inspector who was ready to swat it away before the girl would call it back.

"Then lets go get food and coffee. You look like you could use it Lu." Allen patted his sister on the shoulder. She had been working on something since they got back to headquarters. He could hear her in her room, muttering to herself and pacing around at all hours of the night. Often he had to talk Link out of pounding on her door demanding that she be quiet lest they have another fight. They were walking to the cafeteria when he noticed it. Luca's shirt was a tank top, not her normal strapless, what was more her innocence's was wrapped around her left arm turning the entire thing black from her shoulder to her fingertips just like his arm. In her left hand, a blue pen. She was writing something on her skin. Nudging her gently to avoid gaining Link's attention he raised an eyebrow before nodding at the ink on her arm.

"Nothing of any importance really." she shrugged hardly whispering the words as she slid the pen back into her pocket. They were distracted from the conversation by the commotion in the science division. The moved over to the area that was roped off with a sign.

"What's happening over here?" Lavi asked as the exorcists walked over to the sign. Reever smiled upon seeing them.

"Good morning!" Luca just waved not really in the mood for talking at the moment. Instead she was glaring up at the akuma factory that now sat in the middle of the room.

"You brought it in from the ark?" Allen asked quizzically also looking at the egg.

"To study it right?" Lavi tacked on.

Luca spoke sullenly, "You shouldn't meddle with things you don't understand." Reever gave her a look of surprise at the tone along with the other two. Only Bookman seemed unfazed though she had noticed him observing her a bit more closely since the incident in the hotel room, though he did raise an eyebrow when she pulled a silver flask from one of the pouches on her belt. It's strong stench wafted over to him. It was heavier than the rather similar one that came from General Cross but still identifiable. Allen's nose wrinkled at the smell.

"Well that's the point, it may tell us more about the akuma and how they evolve." he explained. Despite what the scientist said it didn't change the look on the girl's face. Lavi changed the subject.

"So when will my hammer be fixed?" The oldest teen asked hopefully. Luca ignored Reever's lame excuse of why it hadn't happened yet and started back towards the cafeteria knowing that the others would follow eventually. She glanced up at her golems.

"Something bad is going to happen. Soon. Any moment now. I can feel it." Scor tried to comfort her mistress by rubbing into her cheek while Gambit settled in her hair on the top of her head. Her long hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. She hadn't felt like braiding it this morning. She toyed with a loose piece of hair. _Should I start tying it like this? Maybe the others are right, the braids are kind of stuffy and a pain to tie but my hair...it's not gorgeous like Lenalee's. Her is silky and shiny and it behaves, what a novel concept. Mine's just messy. I can't even brush it or my curls frizz and that's even worse_ , she sighed at that thought as she stepped into the cafeteria. She needed coffee. She stared at her black hand as she stirred the creamer in with the caffeinated liquid. _It's so strange to see it like that. For it to be a different color_ , out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the finders look at her arm and then look away. His gaze came back and he stared at it in a disgusted fascination. _Must be a new guy. Otherwise he'd know that this isn't my real arm. Even so he has to know that it's made of innocence so how can he still make such a face at it? At a substance that will save him and the rest of the world, well that's what the higher ups say anyway. The exorcists are all that stands between him and oblivion yet he still stares at it and me like a freak show put there for his pleasure_ , she reached for her flask again before she shook away the poisonous thoughts as the others joined her in line for to order from Jerry. Best to have something to eat before having too much of it. No need to get sick. The Indian man jumped when Luca stepped up to the window.

"Luca, darling you startled me, what did you do to your arm?" He asked. _Even Jerry?_ she asked dejectedly in the silence of her head. She opened her mouth to explain but he kept talking, "You have blue ink all over your beautiful skin. That can't be good for it." he watched the smile spread across her face. "Was it something I said?" she nodded.

"Yeah, don't worry it's a good thing. Can I have some cinnamon rolls please?" he nodded though he didn't take his eyes off her. Allen, Lavi, and Allen's shadow joined her at the table. The German man piled more questionnaires on the table in front of Allen.

"When you are done with breakfast you will need to fill these out." He turned to Luca and handed her a small folder. "You too. The inspector would like to know more about how you met and grew up together in your words." Luca raised an eyebrow at him but he merely turned around not allowing her to argue with him on the matter. Snorting the Hungarian teen pulled the first paper out and began to read it. She set it down after three sentences and took another drink from her flask. This one much longer than the last two. _There's no way in hell I'm going to fill this shit out. They can both go screw themselves or each other. Heavens knows Link acts like he wants to. Might be good for them. They'd have to take those sticks out to do it_ , she huffed and began to fold the paper. After several escape attempts Head Nurse had tied her down to the bed. Some hours of whining later the irate older woman had thrown the first book she found at the complaining girl's head and told her to read it and get some rest. It had been an interesting read and she was dying to try out her new information. Allen took a moment to stop eating when he found a paper crane sitting in one of his bowls. Another sat next to him and Timcampy had one balancing on his head. Lavi nudged him.

"Dude did you make this?" Allen shook his head.

"Walker it isn't funny or polite to put paper in people's food." Allen jumped when Link spoke.

"What? Me? I didn't do this!" Link sighed.

"I wasn't talking to you. I'm talking to your sister. This may prove to be rather problematic." Link muttered the last part more to himself than anybody else. Allen looked from the paper crane that was innocently sitting on the top of Link's cake and then over to where his sister was sitting. Sure enough she was in the middle of folding another paper crane and either hadn't heard a word Link had said or she was ignoring him which was what she normally did. She looked up at the blond and licked a bit of frosting from her lips.

"What? Cakes need to be decorated. I think it looks cute. I even drew a frown on the crane for you. See doesn't it remind you of the inspector? It's got a frown and alarmingly ugly little toothbrush mustache." she grinned at the man tauntingly. Lavi burst out laughing.

"Hey Beautiful can I have one?" She smiled and nodded, leaning over to hand him the one she just finished folding.

"Sure! Here you go! Take good care of him." she grinned when he noticed something.

"That's a very pretty necklace." She smiled and placed her hand over it for a moment.

"Is that new? I haven't seen that one before?" Allen asked as he looked at it. "Can I see it?" His sister nodded and pulled the leather cord from her neck, pulling the pendant from where it rested below her collarbone. She handed it over to him.

"Thank you, it was a gift from my mother. Master gave it to me. Said that he was on his way to see her when he found me but my wounds were bad enough that he feared I'd die if he waited to get them treated. As it was he still had to go to the next town over for it to happen and I was very close to death when we finally made it to the hospital. We never made it back to the house before we left." Almost as if she didn't realize what she was doing the Hungarian moved her right hand over to rub the back of her left shoulder. Link narrowed his eyes.

"I don't recall the guards saying you visited General Cross." She rolled her eyes at him and sipped from her flask.

"He gave it to me while we were still in the ark. I haven't seen him since we got back." she snipped doing her best to control her temper. Allen ran his thumb along rough surfaces of the pendant.

"Is this a tooth of something?" Lavi shook his head.

"No that's a stone, a tooth would be smooth this has many facets. Can I hold it?" Allen nodded and handed it over after looking at the girl who had given her own approval.

"Allen's actually not too far off. It's a tooth of a wolf pendant. It takes the shape of a wolf tooth without actually harming the animal. My mother is telling me that my spirit animal is a wolf." Link raised an eyebrow at her. She shot him a look. "Just because I am a part of this war does not mean that I believe in your god. There are many gods all around us. I'm a non practicing pagan."

"Luca you do realize that this is a black diamond right?" Lavi asked causing all three heads to snap over. He held up a scratched piece of glass.

"Oh really?" she asked holding her hand out for it. He handed both over. She immediately tried and succeeded in her endeavor to scratch the glass with the pendant.

"Those are incredibly rare." Link noted with suspicion. "Where did she get a black diamond? I thought you were from Hungary." She sighed and rolled her eyes again.

"My mother traveled around the world her whole life before she had me. Am I going to have to explain every single minuscule thing about my life to you? Because I'm about ready to punch you." She growled. Sensing his mistress' irritation Gambit immediately sought to remove the source of her displeasure. The three exorcists turned upon hearing a cry of pain. Lavi and Luca did their best to stifle their snickers of laughter as Link attempted to remove the butterfly from his flesh once again. Allen sighed at the older two, neither were helping in the slightest.

"Lu," she pouted at the silent request but did what he silently asked.

Grinning she singsonged far too entertained, "Gambit, breakfast time." The golem floated over and happily began to eat the meat set on the plate for him.

"So what does a wolf spirit mean Lu?" Allen asked glancing back at the necklace again which was back in his sister hands.

"A wolf symbolizes sharp intelligence, intuition, spirit, a longing for freedom, and a fierce loyalty in Native American culture. To the Celts they represent bravery, integrity, and faithfulness. My mother is saying that I have the potential to be all of these things."she glanced down at the pendant and ran a finger along one of the sides. She slid the leather cord back over her head down to her neck as Lavi brought the conversation around again.

"So what's with all the paper cranes? I didn't even know that you could fold origami." The girl laughed lightly.

"I just learned. I made another attempt at freedom and Head Nurse finally tied me down, but then I was bored and couldn't sleep," she left out the fact that it was due to all the nightmares she was having since they had returned home, "so I started protesting my imprisonment and she threw a book at me, telling me to shut up and read while I got some rest. So I did. Did you know that according to Japanese legend if you fold-" She was cut off by Allen's eye activating and her own head snapping up.

"AKUMA!"

"She's here." Allen's shout drowned out the older teen's comment though the junior bookman still caught it. Allen lept over the table with the Hungarian hot on his tail. Together the pair raced off with their golems flying after them. Luca could hear Lavi, Link, and Bookman running after them. Their feet brought them to the area where the science division had been earlier. Several attacks against the strange barrier preventing them from passing through and Allen was starting to get upset. "Allen." Luca spoke but he ignored her.

"Reever and the others are in there! I need to find a way in there!" Luca took a deep breath.

"Allen! Use the ark!" He caught her eyes. "Use the ark to get in. Let's go!" Nodding he took off with her hot on his heels. She called over her shoulder. "Lavi! You have to report the attack! Go now!" he nodded though she could see that he didn't like it. Bookman followed them. "Harlequin activate!" Her innocence's unwound from her arm down to her legs creating her boots. The three exorcists fell through the portal, Allen's sword cleaving through a skull about to attack Reever.

"That's enough of that." Allen stated glaring around the room. Luca's boots smashed down and she landed on a level 3. The entire room was full of them. _Well this will be fun_ , she snorted looking around. Her eyes found Lulu Bell. She smirked at the woman and jumped from akuma to akuma, destroying each one, until she stood in front of her.

"What? One segg (ass) whooping wasn't enough? You had to come back for more?" Her smirk grew. "Are all you Noah masochists or is it just you and Tyki?" Her heart clenched tightly at the mention of the Portuguese Noah but she ignored it. It was still strange to say his name instead of My Love. Lulu Bell snarled at the girl and ordered the akuma.

"Attack!" Luca snorted and smashed the akuma she was standing on. She laughed as she bounced around the room, demolishing any akuma dumb enough to attack her.

"Lu! There are too many civilians to play around." She groaned at Allen.

"You don't let me have any fun." she pouted but stopped playing around. "Invoke! Release level 2: Harbinger!" The innocence shone green and peeled away from her legs morphing back into it's liquid form. "Go!" she thrust her hand out sending it flying around catching any akuma in it's way. "Consume!" Lulu Bell watched in disgust as the innocence swept across the room like the angel of death moved through Egypt. The akuma could not escape fast enough.

"Luca! We could really use something wide spread!" Allen shouted cleaving through another akuma. The girl sighed.

"Yeah I know." Allen made a face at her.

"Soon?" he questioned the Hungarian hopefully.

Luca commanded, "Strike, Summoner's Mark: Hellhounds!" Allen took a moment to watch the ethereal wolves made of bright green mist as they raged across the room tearing apart any akuma they came across. Luca stood high above them, her innocence constricting the dark forest green akuma she stood on preventing it from lashing out at her. Lulu Bell glared at the other woman. The teenager was mocking her by mimicking the way she and her brethren often stood on the akuma. They way she was practically sat on the akuma's shoulders at the exact moment. As if she had the right to use the akuma as a throne. She still hadn't forgiven the girl for what she had said about the Earl back on the ark yet either and she doubted she ever would.

"What an impressive attack." Bookman observed as his needles impaled several akuma. The wolves ran rampant through the room at the girl's direction. Allen's eyes darted over to the akuma egg that was almost all the way through the dark gate.

"Luca! The egg!" Green eyes following his gaze, darted over to it.

"I'll see what I can do!" She shouted back, Harlequin crushing the akuma under her launching her through the air. The akuma holding Lulu Bell just barely managed to throw it's mistress to another before the girl tore through it with her clawed gauntlets. Snapping out the liquid wrapped around the top of the egg, yanking it back up. Landing on the railing of the second floor, she struggled to pull the egg back.

"Kill her." the Noah ordered seeing that the girl was stronger than the ark gate and was actually making progress dragging it back up. The ghostly wolves regrouped around their mistress and changed shapes, becoming solid once again.

"Beowolves!" The wolves gathered together forming large man like wolves that stood on their hindlegs. They reminded Allen of what he pictured a werewolf to be. They were completely black excluding their glowing green eyes like all of Luca's living creations. The creatures stood several feet taller than any of the akuma currently in the room. "Guard!" She ordered the behemoths who proceeded to rip and mangle any akuma that attacked in an attempt to kill the exorcist. Glaring at the monsters the stood in her way Lulu Bell began barking orders.

"Fuse! Destroy her at all costs! Do it now!" Allen's eyes darted over to where his sister was.

"Luca! Watch out!" The giant level 3.5 akuma blasted the the mass of dark innocence destroying the wolves, sending Luca crashing into the wall and allowing the egg to sink back into the black depths. "Luca!" Allen shouted turning away from the akuma.

"Got him!" One of the akuma jumped Allen grabbing him by the head.

"Heaven Compass!" The needles speared through the akuma defending Allen from it.

"Hey Boy, did I make it in time?" Silver eyes darted to the old man pinned against the wall.

"Bookman!" The boy moved over to help the older exorcist as one of the akuma's power immobilized him. Taking his moment of distraction a group of akuma attacked him, restraining him allowing the giant akuma to blast him with dark matter. Allen groaned as the pain wracked his body, he didn't have the energy to struggle just at the moment. Lulu Bell approached. The Brit readjusted his grip on his sword ready to skewer the woman only for her to transform her arm. The cracking sound of skin on skin rang through the vast room. The French woman would admit she was rather disappointed. The Hungarian had been so venomous about defending her brother in the ark yet she was nowhere to be seen when he really needed her. Perhaps she was dead or maybe she had run away after her innocence failed to stop the egg from being taken. A pity the girl had earned herself a special place on Lulu Bell's kill list for her interference alone never mind all the things she had said about the Noah's beloved master. The boy fell limp in the akuma's grasp, his innocence deactivating leaving him vulnerable to them.

Luca staggered from the wreckage of the wall, her skin still smoldering. Harlequin blazing green furiously. Her green eyes surveyed the field. Bookman was incapacitated and her little brother was in the hands of the enemy. Two akuma held Allen captive. Lulu Bell looked down at him from her place on the akuma's shoulders.

"Die exorcist scum!" Her head snapped over to the blue gray akuma about to sever her brother's head.

"Wait! This is perfect." Luca raised an eyebrow as she crept forward. "We'll take him with us, the one chosen by the fourteenth to be the pianist. I can kill him right in front of Master." Luca froze as red clouded her vision. "Withdraw. We've recovered the egg." Lulu Bell ordered as the pair of akuma carried the Brit's unconscious body over to the black ark.

"Get your hands off my brother Bitch!" The French woman's head snapped over towards the Hungarian's teen's ferocious snarl just in time to the armored foot to kick her into one of the akuma holding the other exorcist captive. The green energy crackled around her and her armor dangerously. Another akuma rushed over and immediately picked the woman up.

"Mistress Bell!" A blast of energy destroyed it before she was caught. Lulu Bell grunted as the teenager slammed her against the wall, armored gauntlet tightening around her throat. The Noah struggled in the exorcist's grip. She could hardly breathe, never mind use her powers.

"Tell me you sneaky little ass kissing bitch, do you remember what I told you I would do if you spoke poorly of my brother back in the ark? If that's how I react to you speaking ill of him what on Earth made you think that I would allow you to attack and try to kidnap him? Hmmm? I'm going to tear you limb from limb and send your head back to the Earl in a box with a pretty ribbon. Won't he like that? He can use the ribbon to make a new hat." she snorts. The akuma around the room shriek in rage at the girl's words as threat to their Mistress and maker. Several akuma shot forward only to be consumed by the innocence not wrapped around the Noah's neck.

"Luca! They're still taking Allen!" Johnny's shout was the only moment Lulu Bell needed. A fraction of room to breathe and her whip smacked Luca across the face sending her flying away. An akuma carried Lulu Bell over to the ark gate.

"I'm going on ahead of you. Kill any survivors. I want that girl's head. Bring it to me on a silver platter when you return." she ordered glancing one last time in the general direction that she had hit the girl before she fell through the gate. Luca shoved herself back to her feet and went flying back towards the gate. She'd throw herself in and fight her way to her brother if she had to. Any Noah or akuma that stood in her way would be sorry they were ever born.

"Allen! Wake up!" he didn't answer her shouting. "Damn it!" she pushed her body faster as the sickening sinking feeling from her time in the bamboo forests of China returned to her. She felt like she was going to lose him all over again. _I won't let anyone do that to him again. No matter who it is! Not Lulu Bell, the Earl, Road, or even My Love. I'll kill them all before I let that happen to him again_ , she swore to herself as she ran. Her heart hammered against her rib cage in her chest as she thundered towards her brother who was slowly sinking through. A hoard of akuma blocked her path.

"Time to die!" they roared at her but she just glared at them for a moment before trying to glance past them. Angrily she began to tear through them. Ripping limbs and heads off not pausing for a moment or even sparing a glance at the ones she killed or to even see if they were completely dead before moving on to the next one closest to her. Her progress through the demons wasn't fast enough. Her rage grew and the violence of her attacks grew with it.

"What is this thing? We can't move!" Luca's head snapped around to see that the pair of demons holding Allen were now trapped a barrier created by a talisman.

"You think that we would let you have Allen?" Luca turned her gaze to where Bak stood on the upper level of the room. "Wake up Walker!" He turned to her. "I can only hold them for so long, use that time wisely!" she nodded at him allowing a grin to spread.

"Bak you're so amazing right now I could kiss you!" His face exploded into a brilliant blush.

"Now is not the time for that kind of thing, Walker!" he snapped. She laughed and tore through another akuma heading towards her brother.

"Allen wake up!" Allen didn't stir despite Johnny's yelling. Luca kicked the head off another akuma, using it's shoulders as a launching pad. From her place in the sky she could see the two akuma kicking at the barrier. She needed to move quickly.

She muttered to herself as she flew threw the air, "Almost there!" She crashed through several more akuma on her way over. _Even once I manage to get Allen we still have all these Akuma. Bookman is out of commission until one of us manages to kill the akuma who's power is trapping him but that could be any of them. I could ask him once I have Allen. Damn it I wish all these scientists were some where else. I can't use Maddening Mark will all the civilians around_ , she groaned. Her most powerful attack was unusable at the moment. Johnny's yelling jarred her from her thoughts.

"WAKE UP ALLEN!" She was about to yell at the American for scaring the hell out of her when Crown Clown activated, slicing through the akuma holding her brother captive. She leapt over to him just as several presences appeared in the room. Including one she had been missing quite a bit not that she would even admit to it. Not even under torture to the death.

"Time Record! Activate!" Miranda's voice echoed through the room as she and Marie came swinging in on Noel Organon. Luca landed on the very top of the egg with her brother as the egg rose up out of the blackness of the enemy gate.

"The ark is a smooth ride, eh Kiddo?" She and Allen glanced around as all of the generals landed on the egg facing outwards towards the akuma. Socalo kept talking though this time it was directed at the akuma. "What would you like us to do to you akuma?" he grinned at them all before speaking again. "Master Socalo is very lucky today!" The entire room looked at him strangely while Luca turned to her master.

"Why is he referring to himself in the third person?" The red haired man didn't answer her or he didn't have time as the deranged general spoke again.

"There hasn't been any fun like this in a while! I'm going ahead if you don't mind." The Hungarian was surprised that he even bothered asking the other generals. The others shrugged.

"I don't mind." Klaud Nine was the first to answer.

Tiedoll was next, "Do as you please." Cross Marian's answer was of course rather predictable.

"I'm only interested in women." Green eyes rolled in their sockets, an exasperated sigh fell from full lips. Allen snickered, wondering why his sister seemed surprised.

"Quit trying to act cool! You guys are so boring! I won't hold back!" Socalo crowed gleefully before leaping up and attack one of the giant akuma. She watched him rip through the monstrous creature like a piece of wet paper.

"Well he's excitable," she noted dryly, not completely sure what to make of the strange general who was currently laughing like a hyena, though that's offensive to hyenas she supposed as hyenas were cute and he was not, nor was his laugh. She looked over but Allen was already gone, killing the akuma that had been in the middle of attacking Reever who was defending Bookman with a talisman. "aaaaand he's not listenin'" she grumbled a bit peeved at her brother. Maybe she had spent too much time thinking about laughing carnivorous mammals. Cross snorted at her.

"Were you expecting something different Brat?" she pouted at her master. _Why had she missed this Segg (ass)?_ she questioned silently.

"No I guess not." she sighed as she watched the majority of the akuma fuse into several giant ones. "Oh goody." She moved to attack one of them that was about to step on a large group of injured scientists, to protect the civilians but somebody beat her to it.

"Maker of Eden!" She watched the strange white vines covered in roses spread to protect the scientists.

"Well that's pretty handy." she hummed and then paused "Do I see birds? Like real live actually living birds?" she questioned. Nobody answered her. "Huh." she shrugged as her weapon melted away from her skin and speared through several of the akuma who hadn't fused. She jumped from the egg down to the garden, nudging it with her foot a bit.

"I'm leaving the injured in your care Froi." Luca looked up at the blonde woman and the little simian sitting on her shoulder. She had only met the female general a few times. She had liked her, any woman that could control her master was a goddess in her eyes. The blonde woman handled the older general quite well in Luca's opinion. Not to mention that the monkey was so cute! _I really want to pet him. Maybe after the battle I could pet him, I think it's a him. I mean I know it's a weapon but so is Allen technically and he's also adorable. Not as cute as the monkey but close_ , she noted.

"That's fine by me. We can mop up, that if if the prodigal son hasn't gotten rusty."

Tiedoll looked over at the red haired man who feigned innocence, "Who me?" Luca shook her head at her Master.

"Harlequin, go!" The liquid shot forward, wrapping around one of the behemoths until it looked like a mummy from Ancient Egypt. "Consume." she clenched her fist. She glanced over as the giant monkey killed one of the giants. She really wanted to pet the monkey. The generals were murdering the akuma. _Maybe if I ask nicely she'll let me pet him. Or perhaps I could buy the general's approval to pet the monkey_ , she hummed.

"You're good." Cross smirked at the American woman.

"You should work." she reminded him with a sigh as she rebuffed his flirting.

Cross bemoaned, "Work, ugh. I hate that word the most. More than anything, truly." Klaud Nine snapped her whip at him.

"Do you want to get whipped?" she glared at his back but he wasn't upset by this.

"Not a bad idea!" in fact the man seemed almost cheerful about it. "I'd rather spend time with a gorgeous woman like you than fight a bloody battle to be honest." he shrugged.

Luca cut it, "Master, please leave your kinks in the bedroom, thank you. You can harass the lovely general later when the rest of us don't have to be in hearing distance." Cross shot his daughter a look but she just ignored him. "Besides she's too good for you." she smirked at him over her shoulder and dodged the bullet shot at her.

"You are such a brat." Had it been anyone else she would've said that he was pouting but he was Cross Marian who didn't pout so instead he was scowling.

"I knew I liked her." Klaud smirked as the three split up. Luca glanced around the room as she caused one of the few giant akuma left to fall. Socalo was still laughing like the loon she knew him to be, Tiedoll stood tall and protective over his garden defending his charges, Allen was slicing through akuma left and right, the other two generals were still bickering as they killed the giants which were rapidly disappearing with the efforts of the newly arrived exorcists. Harlequin speared through the last of the stragglers, sucking up the dark matter like a thirsty animal. She wrinkled her nose as the noxious gas began to drift from the akuma corpses. Groaning she pulled the collar of her shirt up and over her nose. It helped a little. She could hear Marie trying to reach the command center. She looked around. _Lulu Bell never reappeared despite Miranda calling the egg back with her innocence. It's not like her to give up_ , she noted reaching out trying to feel the older woman's presence. _Nothing. Did she really just leave? Pfft what am I thinking? This is Lulu Bell we're talking about_ , she groaned and moved toward the egg as she was certain that's where the french woman would reappear. She jumped over to where Cross stood. He was talking to Komui, she needed to warn him before something bad happened...again.

"Master!" Cross gave her a look as she ran over.

"Not now Luca. I'm busy." Luca's left eye twitched as he spoke to her in the same way he had done when she was 8. It had taken her a few years to get the hang of wording and when the man was being patronizing as he was at this very moment. Glaring at him, she stalked up right into his personal space. He stepped back to move away for more personal space, he didn't get very far before she had grabbed a fist full of his hair yanking him down to her eye level.

"This is important. It will only take a moment. Chief can wait. This cannot." She spoke calmly. Past her master she could see the other generals watching her. Both looked amused. While Luca enjoyed the look of respect she was getting from the female general she had more pressing issue. "Now that I have your attention, this isn't over. I've fought the Noah of Lust before. She's not one to give up. I had to beat her unconscious before it was over. She's here somewhere or she's coming back." he nodded seriously and she released her grip on his hair knowing that he wouldn't brush her or her words off this time.

"Very well. We should destroy the egg while we have the chance. We'll be ready to deal with her when she shows her face as you say she will." Luca nodded, satisfied that her master was taking her seriously. Luca looked around as he red haired man spoke to Komui.

"It's dark matter. Klaud, Socalo and I may be able to destroy it if we work together and hit it at the same time. Luca say that the Noah is probably coming back so we should move quickly." Komui sighed on the other side of the line.

"Well then please get to it before something happens." Cross turned to the German woman.

"I'm ready Miranda." she nodded only to be swallowed up by a vortex of water.

"Miranda!" Luca rushed forward. "Harlequin!"

"I won't let you do that again." A band of water snapped out connecting with Luca's stomach sending her crashing into the wall on the opposite side of the room. Luca hit the wall hard, creating a crater with her impact. She slid down to the floor with a groan. Her vision was fuzzy and her head was pounding like Lavi was hitting it with his hammer. Repeatedly. She would've sworn he was, if it wasn't for the fact that she knew his hammer was still in pieces. She could hear the generals yelling and Marie's voice was in there somewhere. She staggered to her feet. The woman stood across from her.

"Use me." It was the first time in years that she had heard the woman speak properly. Most of the time the battle was too loud and she was too far away. The rage of war was no place for whispered secrets of the past. Luca had no idea if she would've heard her in the town near Rome. She had passed out right after the woman had appeared before a single word could leave her lips. The abuse to her head had been too much. It was the last thing she remembered seeing before she hit the wall and collapsed. Tyki hadn't seen the specter. She had been hoping that the woman had been a hallucination caused by the concussion. She hadn't wanted to believe that the ghost that haunted her as a child had been anything more than a shadow on the wall as Cross had said so long ago when she had gone running into his room to wake him.

"It's just a figment of your imagination. That thing can't hurt you. Humans and akuma. Those can hurt you, specters and ghosts are harmless, Brat. Just go back to sleep." As the days passed Luca lived by those words but they no longer applied.

"Looks like you were wrong Master." she mumbled to herself as she tried to look past the woman to the battle. The generals were having a hard time with Lulu Bell's power. _Well it's nice to know I wasn't the only one who was having trouble with it_ , she thought. She almost expected the woman in front of her to steady her but her muddled brain reminded her that the cloaked figure wasn't actually tangible. The beak of her hood casting the upper half of her face in shadows, only the glowing green of her eyes could be seen.

"We can beat her. Together! You and I. All you have to do is unleash my power." Taking a deep breath Luca cleared her head and vision allowing the blurriness to fade. "Just re-" Luca cut her off sprinting back to the battle, going right through the woman not even bothering to glance over her shoulder to see the woman disappear into green mist. Luckily she still had all the energy from her battle with the akuma stored. She was in the middle of experimenting with the power of her innocence but that would have to wait.

"Invoke! Harbinger!" she felt something twinge but ignored it. That wasn't important at the moment. "Strike, Nightmare's Mark!" Green fire exploded and surrounded her fists and wrists as she lept at the egg. Lulu Bell shrieked again and tried to defend the egg with her large hands but the heat was too much. Water turned straight to steam. A large crack spread across the surface of the egg.

"Nice job Brat!" Cross shouted aiming for the new wound in the egg.

Klaud also joined in, "It's a starting place." Socalo just laughed.

"Kid's got spunk! We should spar sometime!" Luca chose to keep her mouth shut. She had no intention whatsoever to fight the bonkers Mexican berserker that they called a general. That was far above her pay grade. She was pretty sure that he would even give her love a run for his money.

"What about Miranda? Did we get her out yet?" Cross shook his head causing Luca to sigh. She glanced around. There had to be a way to free Miranda and still destroy the egg which had already sunk halfway back into the black ark. They were running out of time and so was Miranda. "What do we do? We can't let them have it but..." she trailed off. She wasn't sure she had it in her to say what might have to be done. A broker or Noah was different than a comrade. Different than Miranda, dear kind, sweet Miranda who was doing her best and yet still managed to be nice to both Luca and Allen. _She doesn't deserve to die, not like this. Now Chaoji on the other hand...Maybe she'd let us switch him for Miranda? After all she doesn't know that nobody likes him and would gladly kill him to destroy the egg_ , Luca wondered to herself. So far she had been unable to get rid of the Chinese crybaby. Between Head Nurse hunting her down for unnecessary bed rest to Komui keeping an unusually close eye on her, she couldn't help but wonder if one of the others had told him about the bite mark. She doubted it was Cross but perhaps Head Nurse mentioned it and Lenalee probably told him where it came from. Central was also keeping a close eye on her. For her close relationship to both Allen and Cross and her previous record of violence towards Central agents. Luca growled in frustration as none of the generals' attacks were hitting. Lulu Bell had too many arms to defend the egg with. She could hear Marie's strings snapping too. One by one as the egg sank further into the abyss. Luca's eyes darted around unsure of what it even was that she was looking for, she saw Allen rushing over towards them.

"I'm losing it General. I can't stop it!" Marie shouted. Klaud sighed.

"Marie's strings are too sharp to grab Miranda but if we attack the ark we might kill her." The woman's eyes darted over to Luca. "What about Harlequin?" Luca and Cross glanced down at the liquid. Luca shook her head.

"Luca's the only one it doesn't burn. There's also the possibility that she'd boil Miranda alive in that water before she reached her." Cross explained to which Luca shrugged apologetically.

"Miranda's an exorcist. She knows the risks. We have to take out the Noah to get to the egg." Socalo pointed out. Luca blinked in shock.

"That's weird. Socalo actually made a rational point." The others ignored her witty commentary. Luca pouted at that but understood. Cross sighed.

"Destroying the egg takes precedence." he spoke evenly but his red eyes met Luca's green ones. She nodded as his darted behind the egg and back to her again.

"General! Wait!" Marie was ignored. Lulu Bell's eyes widened.

"Is that truly wise, Exorcists?" she reached into her chest and pulled Miranda from her water prison and slammed her against the most exposed area of the egg. "Are you really going to kill her to stop me? Isn't her power important to you?" the generals ignored her. Lulu Bell grew more frantic when they didn't slow down. "I'LL TAKE HER ALONG WITH THE EGG!" Cross just smirked at her.

"No you won't." All three attacks fired. Lulu Bell sighed.

"You missed." Cross' smirk grew as the egg sunk into the ark gate.

"Did we? Luca! Do it now! Stop holding back! Use your full release!" Lulu Bell's head snapped over to the other side where Luca was with her glowing green gauntlets.

She grinned as she spoke, "You suck ass Master! Fine. Eternal Hunter! Invoke! Harbinger! Strike, Nightmare's Mark!" The energy shot from the gauntlets tearing the egg to pieces just as Allen jumped from the egg, Miranda safely cradled in his arms. Luca followed him up out of the gate. Allen glared at Cross.

"You're despicable! I wouldn't have made it if Luca hadn't thrown me." Cross just continued to smirk at them as the gate closed and disappeared.

"I trusted you two." the pair landed on the ground and Luca deactivated her innocence's wiping the sweat from her brow. Glaring she picked up a chunk of rubble and threw it at Cross' head.

"You suck major ass!" She turned to her brother who was having Bookman examine Miranda. "Well?" she asked hopefully. Bookman nodded.

"She's alright." Marie sighed in relief and Luca grinned. It didn't last long. Allen's eye activated and then the laughing started.

* * *

 **Out of one fire and into another! That's the way it always seems to be with the Walker siblings. Get rid of Lulu Bell only for this thing to appear. Not much to say here this time around really. Don't forget to answer the question. It really is important. Also at the time of this posting VIG is up to 90 reviews! Only ten more before we hit triple digits! I figure that the 100** **th** **reviewer should get something special! Haven't figured out what yet. As always I love to hear from you guys. Reviews keep me alive during the week until the weekend. They help me survive work and encourage me to write more so don't forget that! See you next week! Cheshire's out~!**


	27. Lightning Strikes!

**Welcome Back! I apologize for this taking so long! My life's been really hectic. I was really sick yesterday and then my boss fired me cause he's a prick! I woke up and we had no power! So yeah great 48 ish hours I've been having. This chapter was really hard for me, I just couldn't seem to get it to flow properly. I've rewritten different parts several times and I hope I finally got it right. Next order of business! HOLY SHIT! AS OF RIGHT NOW I HAVE OVER 100 REVIEWS! Seriously all of you guys rock. I really want to thank everybody who has reviewed for getting me here and just really supporting the story and letting me know what you think of it! To those who won Luca's birthday contest I will start to work on those chapters as soon as I get my freaking life in order. Anyway Discord server! I never asked you guys about it and the link I put up didn't work so here we go how would you all feel about a discord server? I'd be co-hosting it with my good friend WinterYule who is in the process of writing D. Gray Land (** **"Qin!," Alma glomped onto me, his tears seeping into my shirt "Yu is being mean again!" Sighing, I patted him, aware that a mini-Kanda glaring holes into my back. When I died, I never expected to wind up in this crazy world, much less as a Second Exorcist. Life certainly has a way of playing cruel pranks on me. Oh well, at least there's no homework. Slightly AU. OC-insert.** **) which is an excellent story. I highly suggest you go and read it when you finish with this chapter! Anyway let me know what you think of it. One more thing before we move on to the reviews, I dropped a big hint about the woman in the last chapter and so far none of you have commented on it! Now Reviews!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, I'm glad you liked Lulu Bell's attack. I always knew that it would be interesting just because Luca would flip when Lulu tried to take Allen. The pair's relationship might be a bit unhealthy but considering how they grew up I think they can get a pass on it. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, Hey Ark long time no see! Nice to hear from you again. I laughed when you said you were hiding at work just to finish it. I can tell you that I have done the exact same thing so I'm thrilled to know that you are doing the same thing for my story! I hope you don't get in trouble at work! Be careful and enjoy!**

 **Dear Wicken25, I'm sorry to say Love, I have no idea what you mean by that. Feel free to reach out to me and explain. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Guest who reviewed on the 16** **th** **, I love the hellhounds too. And no they were inspired by the hellhounds from Supernatural. I didn't know that there were hellhounds in Bleach. I'm really excited that you like Luca's hot and cold personality. I really wanted her to be different from others and it's just how she is. There's really no in between with her she either loves you or she hates you and if you fall in that last category it's really hard to get out of. EnjoyQ!**

 **Dear SheuOgama, Yeah Luca did not appreciate it as you can see. She's a bit attached to her brother and not about to hand him over and despite her feelings for Tyki she's still smarting a bit from China and what happened there. It was one of the scariest times of her life and not something she wants to relive. As always your enthusiasm is inspiring and I continue to look forward to hearing from you!**

 **Dear .13, Congratulations! You're the 100** **th** **reviewer! I'm so excited! I can't believe it! I have to agree with you I love Gambit as well. The moment I started writing him he came alive and now he has such a life of his own. He's so cute and violent. He's basically perfect for Luca. As I have said before to other reviewers Sheril will definitely have a reaction to Luca and her relationship with his little brother. It will definitely be something to look out for.**

 **Dear WinterYule, I love the idea of Link labeling them 1 and 2 but I don't think he would. Seems a bit too uptight for that. May have him just refer to Luca as Miss Walker though I don't know. I'm kinda having fun with the 'which one?' gag is that bad? I enjoyed telling you guys more about Luca and her mother. The necklace will be important later on so keep an eye out! As for your comment on the woman that Luca keeps seeing...maybe. You'll just have to keep reading. Also no Harlequin isn't turning blue, Luca's writing on her arm with a blue ink pen. Keep reading and I can't wait to hear what you think about the woman after this chapter!**

 **Dear B-chan, Wow that completely slipped my mind. I actually watch One Piece myself but I'm so far behind that it's not even funny. I just can't seem to watch it in long bursts. I'm always happy to have input from my readers and hope to continue to hear from you in the future. Joyd possessiveness will be explained soon. There is a bit more to it, Tyki's also pretty oblivious so that's part of it. A Gambit mini series seems to be popular, I guess that's what's going to happen, now I guess I just have to figure it out. Oh well it will be interesting! I'm not going to say much on the specter Luca keeps seeing as it's part of the story and will be explained. I will tell you that her lack of sleep and writing on her arm has nothing to do with it and everything to do with her little visit to see her Master. The black diamond pendent will play a part in the story later down the line. Yeah I had fun making her second release and there's more to come. Harlequin isn't finished just yet. Luca's still got a few tricks up her sleeve. As much as I love the idea of Tyki trying to romance a kidnapped Luca it's not going to happen. I might consider a spin off work where that happens. I really want Luca to be kidnapped for some reason! XD I think I have an issue! But no that doesn't happen but Tricia will appear in the story! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, I was so excited to read that giant chuck of text! It made me squeal when I saw it! So much love to read through. I couldn't wait to read it. There was so much praise that I was blushing madly when I read it. VIG being your favorite so far is an honor and I can explain how excited I am to hear that. Selfishly I hope that it will continue to be your favorite. I try my best to allow all the characters to grow when it's the right time for it. The first thing I noticed when I read your review is that you are very articulate and I was rather impressed. And yes Luca is rather out of sorts. Her life which she thought she finally had figured out just got shot to hell and now she trying to get her head back above water again. Luca moved her innocence so that one of her arms would be free for her to write on it with. She's making notes and wants it on something that she won't lose. It's an idea I got from Mulan. She does it in the movie and it was a very Luca thing so I added it. One of your guesses about the visions is correct and that's all I'm going to tell you. She'll also answer the paper cranes question in the next chapter so stay tuned. As for her mother, if you go back to chapter 11 at the end Luca tells Tyki that her mother's been dead for 12 years so it's not a bad relationship but there's not much of one in general. Joyd, Tyki, and Luca will be explained a bit more in a later chapter. I loved the part about Joyd and his feelings on Luca. I was highly entertained by it and you're not very far off. There are a few points that you've missed but I'm still thoroughly impressed. I will say that you are right in the fact that Joyd sees things differently than Tyki does and doesn't always understand what's wrong with his host. Oh yeah Sheril will definitely be entertaining, honestly Luca and Sheril it's just a really bad idea. Don't worry about the length of the review I love to hear your thoughts,** **interpretation, and imagination** **and where that all goes. So feel free to let it run wild! I wish I could give you a Gambit of your own. A cockatoo is similar but they are seriously evil and I would NOT suggest one. If it makes you feel better I too wish I had a Gambit. Also yes! Come to the dark side! We have Tyki and cookies! Tyki has always been my favorite villain and my love (get it ;D) for him only grew as I developed Luca and they grew together. I thoroughly enjoy the fact that you are loving them as well and take full responsibility! Enjoy!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, Well here you go! Tyki's scolding on his manners or lack there of is here! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Honestly I enjoy torturing Tyki far too much. The poor boy will never get a break while I'm around. Yeah expect Luca and Link to butt heads quite a bit. They both really only tolerate each other because they have to and Allen asks them to try ot get a long. Luca can just feel that them messing with the egg is a bad idea (cough cough cough thirds cough cough cough) and that they shouldn't do it but why would they listen to Luca? Luca has very much seen what the human race is capable and it's not always a good thing. She's met some very bad people who have done her harm and she's gonna remember them. For the rest of her life because the proof is on her body. I'd love to do your chapter on Joyd but I need a bit more information if you don't mind. Just a bit more to go on and a direction to run in. Enjoy the chapter and I can't wait to hear from you again next week!**

 **Also! I almost forgot but this chapter marks over 300 pages written for VIG and I'm really excited about it. It's the most I've ever written for anything~! It's thanks to all your support that this has happened so thank you for sticking around with me and Luca and we hope that you enjoy!**

* * *

The laughter grew louder, it rang across the room ominously. It was high like a little kid's yet she knew for a fact that there were no kids in the Order at the moment. Luca and Allen whipped around looking for the source. Luca followed after Allen as his eye led them to it. She could only stare in horror at the akuma carcass that was still smoldering. Something had exploded from it. Johnny was talking to Allen but she missed it. Instead she focused on the dying scientist pointing to the new akuma. The child-like demon peeked out from behind the level 3.5's corpse as if it was shy or something.

"I'm Level 4." he greeted calmly. Luca blanched as Allen collapsed and threw up what was left of his breakfast. Luca herself felt pretty sick, she could see the tears running down her brother's face. Looking down she saw that her skin was white as snow and her hands were shaking. Allen's eye was showing them both what the soul attached to the level 4 looked like. Well what was left of it. Luca couldn't even find the words to describe it. There were no words for how horrifying it truly was, she almost swore that she'd never eat again if she survived this battle. She couldn't even begin to comprehend how this must feel to Allen. She knew that every Akuma he saw a reminder of what he had done to Mana. In a way it was all akuma were Mana. Johnny continued to blubber to Allen but Luca just watched as the akuma walked over to them. And just like that the room erupted into chaos and became a battlefield. Allen launches an attack with his broadsword as Luca pulled the liquid from her skin.

"Activate!" Luca ordered as it sprang to life. She thundered after her brother, past Bookman and Marie who were still seeing to Miranda who had yet to wake up.

"Oh yeah that. I forgot that I was in the Black Order's headquarters. As a weapon of carnage I will continue to fulfill the purpose of my existence given to me by my Master." Luca felt her weapon shift into a familiar pair of long falx swords. They had worked well for her in the ark, allowing a range of movement. She had the feeling she didn't want to be too close to this akuma. Even more so than the awakened Tyki. She still didn't know if that was even Tyki or something or somebody else. Would it matter if it was somebody else? She shook away the poisonous thoughts and the fatigue that was starting to set in. She launched herself at the akuma. The chained blades wrapped around the akuma before it could attack Allen. The level 4 struggled in the chains that burned it's skin as she swung it around and away from her brother tossing it into a wall. "You seem a bit tired. Here. Let me help you." She whirled around to find it behind her.

"Luca! Move!" Allen shoved her away as the level 4 flicked. She rolled across the ground bolting up. Her eyes widened as Allen flew across the room and crashed into the wall. He hit the ground unconscious. Crown Clown deactivated when he hit the wall.

"All of them. I'll kill all of them." The level 4 spoke giddily.

"Allen!" Luca shrieked. She was on her feet before she knew it, flying at the akuma. It turned to her.

"Oh? Are you next?" Her swords melted over her arms into her gauntlets. She smashed her fist into it's face. It planted a kick into her stomach before launching her away. She hit the wall and slid down the wall. Her stomach clenched and she spit out the mouthful of blood. Her entire body ached. She looked up through blurry vision. The akuma hadn't even been fazed by her hit. Her head rang, worse than the time that Tyki had thrown her through the house in Rome. _I can't keep taking hits to the head. My vision's getting worse_ , she attempted to blink away the dark spots in her sight. She watched the akuma curl in on itself for a moment and cover it's mouth. _Is it gonna be sick?_ she wondered. Instead it released a shriek like that of a banshee. Her skull felt like it was splitting down the middle. Every single nerve in her head felt as if it was bursting at the seams. She clutched at her head desperately trying to drown out the noise in anyway she could. _Kurva életbe (god damn it)! Where was Daisya when they needed him?!_ she tried to concentrate on a way to counter the scream but she couldn't even manage to string together a single sentence with that terrible screaming happening, never mind an actual plan to do something about it. Several minutes went by after the screaming stopped before Luca could get her body to move again. Her vision was still messed up, more so on her left side than the right and she had blood running down her head from her hair but she could get up again.

"Walker. Walker, can you move?" Luca glanced up as she pulled her hands from their place over her ears. Blood and skin were stuck under her fingernails, she could feel the droplets beading on her skin. Link's blurry form stood over her. Allen was on his way over. She nodded. Surprised when he offered her his hand, none the less she let him pull her to her feet.

"What happen to Master and the others? Where's the akuma?" she looked around wildly.

"The others are gone. I don't know what happened to them but we don't have time. At this very moment you and your brother are the only available and armed exorcists. You need to fight." Groaning she turned her glare on Link.

"Yes I'm fine, no that massive blow to my head didn't hurt at all. Thanks for asking. I get how much you truly care about all of us little people that you step on to-" Allen cut her off before the tirade could fully start.

"Luca, we don't have to time for this right now. I need your help." She turned her glare and glanced him over.

Her gaze softened and then she spoke, "You shouldn't fight anymore. You can barely move. Just because you can use Crown Clown to force your body to move doesn't mean you should. I'll deal with the level 4." Allen gave her a horrified look.

"You aren't in any better shape than I am. We should fight it together. It will work better. The quicker we kill it the quicker we can save the others. I'm sure Master is fine. Remember not even death can kill him." He placed a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it in an attempt to comfort her. Taking in a deep breath she reached across her chest and rested her hand over his. Just taking in his presence for a moment. It was all she needed to steel herself for the battle. Nodding the Walker siblings took off after the akuma who was rampaging through the Black Order headquarters. They chased the akuma all the way to Hevlaska's chamber. Allen attacked without a second thought. She could see that he was using Crown Clown to force his body to move despite the substantial damage he had obtained from the first hit of the level 4. Taking in a deep breath she leapt over the railing and fell after Allen.

"Armor." she ordered calmly. Standing across the room on one of the upper floors was the woman again. Luca glared at her.

"You can't win without me. You'll die. You and your brother." The Hungarian teen did the mature thing and ignored the woman as she landed on the akuma's head.

"Oh, you're back. I thought you had left or died. Oh well I'll just kill you right now." she glared at it.

"Just try it. I'm tougher than I look. I just may give you a run for your money." She brought her left leg up and smashed the armored boot down on it's head. The innocence burning it's body. A large crack spread across it, where the heel connected. She held on as it flailed around trying to dislodge her. Seeing Allen come flying at them, she covered the akuma's eyes with her hands. Gouging her fingers into it's eye sockets, attempting to yank the eyeballs out and blind it.

"Get off! Get off! Get off me you filthy little human!" The akuma shrieked and managed to grab her long hair which had fallen loose when she had hit the wall earlier. She let out a yelp of pain as the demon flung her across the room and straight into the wall. She slid down it. The floor under her crumbled and she fell.

"Luca!" she could hear Allen shouting after her. She slid down the wall, her claws and boots digging into the wall, shredding the stone.

She called back up, "Don't worry about me! I'm fine. Don't take your attention off the akuma!" Allen begrudgingly did as he was told. She didn't tell him the the muscles in her arms were on fire. Maybe Fo was right, perhaps she did use her gauntlets too much. _Guess I better get back to training and expanding my range of weapons_ , she sighed as she finally came to a stop. Glancing around she looked for a way back up to where the fight was happening. "Change, chain scythe." she ordered. She began to fall again. She flung the blade up and it wound around the akuma's foot. "Not what I was aiming for but I'll take it." She yanked the akuma down with her.

"You sure are persistent. I guess I'll kill you first." Luca grinned at it.

"You can't. Besides you should pay more attention to the exorcist with the big sword eh?" she teased almost laughing at the creature. It kicked it's foot out sending her flying again. She hit the wall and her vision went black. She hit something and just allowed herself to lay on the cool surface. She waiting for the pounding in her head to stop and her vision to return. Slowly it did. She saw Allen, or it had to be Allen. Nothing else was that white, attack the akuma that was standing on Lenalee's head. _What was she doing here? I thought she couldn't invoke her innocence, so why is she in the middle of a battlefield? Has Komui finally lost his mind?_ she continued to wonder. She could feel Kanda and Lavi near by. The woman was standing in front of her again. This time she had an angry look on her face.

"Stop it. Stop it! Stop suppressing what we could be. If you don't stop it then I'll stop too. You can't dance if your partner isn't dancing. If you won't dance the way we are meant to then I won't dance at all." Luca huffed as she stared directly into the ghostly figure's eyes as her chest heaved. She didn't know what to do. This was happening far more often in her life than she was comfortable with. Taking a deep breath Luca spoke to her for the first time.

"This is not the time for it." Pushing herself up to her feet, she shook her head. While her vision had cleared up, it wasn't pristine clear which worried her but she didn't have the luxury of time to worry about it. It would clear up the rest of the way on the go. Allen didn't have the time for her to wait around for her eyesight to get better. The blood that was running down her face wasn't helping. She wiped it away with the back on her hand but it was quickly and easily replaced with more. She groaned and attacked. Whirling around to face her the akuma back handed her across the face. She hit the wall between Kanda and Lavi, creating a crater with her impact. She slid down and her innocence deactivated on it's own. She glanced down at her arms as best as she could. Her vision was almost gone. Blood poured down her head.

Lavi rushed over to her shouting to her as she tried to get up, "Luca! Wait! You're in no condition to keep fighting." Luca blinked slowly to clear her sight.

"Allen, he needs me." Suddenly Lavi's hands grabbed her left arm trying to keep her from getting up. Luca jumped several feet in the air. She hadn't seen him. Luca turned her head but she still couldn't see Lavi. Something's was seriously wrong. Craning her neck all the way to her left she finally saw him. He looked at her worried.

"You need to stay down Luca. You're in no condition to fight. What's up with that look?" He asked, voice laced with concern. He glanced over at Allen. "Look! Lenalee's with him and she's got her new innocence!" Luca turned away from him just in time to see Lenalee grab Allen and vanish as the level 4 fired a blast of dark matter.

"Allen!" Luca's scream bounced off the walls drowning out Lavi's shout.

"They took it head on!" Even Kanda was worried. Luca jumped to her feet completely panicked.

"No, it missed." The Level 4 spoke calmly and Luca sighed in relief and her legs gave out from under her, causing her to sink back down to the ground on her knees. The akuma shot up drawing Luca's eyes after it.

"Yu, where did Lenalee and Allen go? Did you see?" Kanda shook his head dumbly.

"I don't know."

Luca answered him, "Up there." the boys followed her pointing finger. Near the top were Allen and Lenalee. Allen still safely in Lenalee's arms. Luca could only watch as the pair engaged the akuma in battle. She was too injured to move and the left side of her vision was still black. Green eyes followed as Lenalee shot down from the ceiling smashing Allen's sword deeper into the akuma's stomach. She climbed higher into the sky for more speed and power. The akuma tried to get up again but was shot. A familiar voice rang out.

"Cancel the evacuation Komui." Luca's eyes followed his voice to where her master stood with Maria behind him. His coat was a bit tattered and he was pissed. "A lab specimen, that's what I'm gonna turn that potbellied freak into." he snarled. Luca sighed in relief upon seeing him. It was good to know that her Master was okay. Despite the fact that she'd never admit it she was happy to see that he was okay and mostly unharmed. Komui called out to them.

"Kanda! Lavi! Are you guys okay?" Cross' red eyes darted over to where the three sat. He didn't like how much blood was pouring down Luca's face. That was a nasty wound.

"I can't move." Lavi groaned.

"I'm sorry you had to fight weaponless." Kanda snorted.

"Don't apologize! It's my job to fight akuma." Luca rolled her eyes tiredly.

"It's not mine, but still..." Lavi groaned from Luca's left.

"Luca!" She glanced up at him, looking in his general direction.

"Thank you from coming to Lenalee's aid. I'm so sorry it was just you and Allen. Luca nodded.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Just go help your people." she waved him off lackadaisically refusing to show how exhausted and weak she was really feeling. Komui nodded and ran off to go help the others. The akuma quickly captured her attention again.

"Hate! Hate it! I hate innocence! I hate it! I hate innocence!" Allen jumped as it continued to shriek.

"You can still move?!" Luca tried to push herself back to her feet as it flung Allen into the wall, but couldn't force her body more than a few feet up before she collapsed again.

"Looks like I'm stronger that you originally thought." the akuma growled at them. "You'll have to do a lot more than that to break me." Luca gritted her teeth.

"Harlequin," she murmured. "activate!" She glared down as nothing happened. She was too tired to even activate her innocence.

"But you will be broken." Cross landed on Allen's sword which was embedded into the wall. Luca signed and resigned to letting the general destroy the akuma. She grinned as her master shot the akuma. Luca snorted as the akuma started laughing.

"That bullet was hardly worth the effort. What a joke."

Cross smirked and snorted condescendingly, "You only stopped one?" Blood ran down the level 4's face from the bullet hole in the middle of his forehead, along with the holes in it's shoulder, ribs, and legs. "I fired a shot for all of my comrades that you killed." He looked over at his apprentices. "See? I'm not heartless. The others were for my clothes that you ruined." He burst out laughing while the others rolled their eyes. The akuma began to explode and made a break for the opening in the roof. Luca could hear Lvellie yelling to close the shutters and Hevlaska answer him but she didn't catch the woman's response. The head of the akuma fell at Cross' feet after the body had exploded. It started laughing.

"Don't get too excited, just for defeating me. The Earl, he can destroy you any time of his choosing. It doesn't matter what you do, we will still be victorious!" The entire room frowned at the akuma.

"AHCHOOO!" Cross faked a sneeze and shot the laughing level 4 in the face destroying it. "Oops." Luca rolled her eyes at him and got up. She could see Allen slumped over just a ways away. She staggered to her feet only to fall again. Glaring she pushed herself back up and stumbled over to him. She fell several feet away. She got up again and swayed dangerously. Why couldn't she walk properly? It was like she was drunk or something. Only a few feet away, she gave up and crawled over to her brother she sat next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. Luca didn't bother to look up when Link appeared. Allen started to babble.

"Don't worry about me Lenalee, There are other people who need help, go to them." Link looked over at Luca.

"Can you move Walker?" She groaned at the question.

"I'm fine. Take Allen. He's far worse off than I am. I'll follow in a few minutes." The blond man nodded and hoisted her brother onto his back.

"Don't take too long." She waved him off and continued to think.

"Yeah, sure." she mumbled halfheartedly.

She wasn't as strong as her Master but her attacks should've had some effect on the akuma! Any of her attacks should've had at least a little bit of an effect, so what the hell?! _Are level 4's really so strong? If that's true does that mean that the Noah are even stronger? Tyki may not be using or have access to his full strength yet?_ The thought terrified her but it also hurt. _How long have I been thinking that I was keeping up with him and he's just been playing around with me and laughing about it?_ with that thought Luca pulled her flask from it's pouch on her belt. She downed the rest of the liquid in one go. She got to her feet, unsteadily. She needed more whiskey. Now.

* * *

Tyki sneezed from where he sat at the table, head resting in his hand. His body ached everywhere. He still wasn't fully recovered from Allen Walker's attempt to exorcise his Noah from him. His memories were hazy of the joy ride his inner Noah took his body on. He remembered the excruciating pain of the failed exorcism and eyes. Green eyes. Luca's green eyes. He still couldn't quite place what emotions he had seen in them. It felt weird to say her name. To call her Luca after referring to her as Butterfly for so long. A growl spilled forth from his lips. Joyd had been restless. Far more so since the incident but it wasn't even just the failed attempt on the Noah's life. No, it was like something was missing. Something had been taken from him, well besides most of his humanity, no this was something that Joyd was mourning the loss of too. He couldn't for the life of him think of what it was. He had always kept Joyd under lock and key, well until Allen had decided to smash the entire cage with that damn sword of his. Just thinking about it had his scars aching again. Instinctively he brought his other hand up from the table to rub at them as if that would soothe the pain. He could hear Joyd muttering from his place in the darkest corner of his mind where the Portuguese man had shoved him when he had regained control. Unfortunately nobody could tell him what happened. Road had vanished by the time he had awakened and the Earl just barely got there in time to save him from that General. _Huh, the guy must be Butterfly's master_ , he hummed as a tall blurry man with red hair came to his mind. Tyki almost wanted to ask the Earl about the state of the exorcists when he had gotten there but wasn't sure about it. Would the Earl be angry with him for his interest in the exorcists particularly the Walker siblings? If he was being honest with himself Allen interested him and Luca, well he still didn't know the exact word for it but it was far greater than interest. Hell, he had even given her a teez. It wasn't something that he normally did or even thought about and yet it seemed like a good idea at the time. Still did. The carnivorous golem would protect what was theirs from unwanted attention...wait theirs? He was just about to prod Joyd for an explanation when Sheril flounced into the room. Sheril flopped into the chair with a sigh and Tyki resisted the urge to ignore him or get up and leave. Sheril sighed again pointedly.

"What's wrong Sheril?" Sheril took a deep breath and sat up straight.

"It's just Lulu Bell, she's completely inconsolable. Keeps going on about how she failed the Earl and such things. None of us can convince her that she tried her best. She keeps cursing the Walker siblings, says it's all their fault. Honestly I feel like I'm going to lose my mind if I hear that name one more time. I love Road, I truly do but why of all the things does she have to love," he grimaced here as if just saying the name made him sick, "Allen Walker? All she does is talk about his wonderfulness. I mean really he almost killed you and he's still wonderful? How can he possibly still be wonderful? Why am I not wonderful anymore? I-" Sheril's tirade was cut off by Road and the Millennium Earl entering the room. Tyki was so happy to see them he could almost cry. Honestly he wasn't sure he had the patience to deal with one of Sheril's dad crises as he called them.

The Earl smiled at them jovially, "Oh good you're both here. I've been looking for you Tyki-pon." The younger Portuguese Noah sighed.

"Master, I've asked you not to call me that please." The Earl just ignored him as he always did.

"Now this was brought to my attention earlier but you weren't feeling well so I've left it alone. But since you are well enough to be on your feet we need to go over a few things." Tyki raised an eyebrow as the other pair of Noah sat at the table with him. He wasn't sure he liked where this was going. Road was grinning far too wide for this to be anything good at all. The Earl folded his hands together and rested them on the table in front of him. "Tyki-pon the exorcists have brought to my attention that you lack the manners to properly introduce yourself. Do you know how this reflects upon our family?" Tyki immediately let out a groan and dropped his head to the table with a loud thump. Sheril raised an eyebrow while Road burst out into a fit of giggles. He lifted his head up to glare at her.

"You. You did this." he hissed through his teeth. "This is your fault. All your fault." He knew he was being petulant and childish but at the moment he really couldn't care less. Had it been anyone else in the family he would've just left but he wasn't allowed to walk away from the Millennium Earl.

"Actually Tyki-pon," Tyki groaned again at the nickname. "Lulu Bell said that Miss Walker mentioned it to her, that at the time of their fight Miss Walker still did not know your name. We simply cannot have that. We are a family of fine repute and we must conduct ourselves accordingly. Your Noah genes make you superior but you must behave better than these pesky humans as well."

Tyki let out another groan, "I should've known that this was all her fault. She's not even here and she's still managing to give me a hard time." Road continued to giggle madly while Sheril raised an eyebrow a bit confused. Before this she had been the only one privy to the fact that the same exorcist had managed to get under Tyki's skin and in his way several times. Never mind the fact that she had escaped with her life and own innocence but several unclaimed pieces as well. Neither had seen the full extent of the damage she had done in China either. By the time he had been forced to come socialize with the family again it had been healed enough to be hidden by his clothing, it had been painful but any of the others especially the twins finding out about it would've been even worse. His pride might not have ever recovered from that. He had no doubt that Butterfly would've kicked their asses. That might've been funny to watch. It was at this moment that he realized the Earl was still talking to him and he should probably be listening.

"So I've spoken to Sheril and he agrees that it's best that you go over your etiquette again in battle and out of battle." Tyki felt like phasing through the floor and never coming back out ever again. He hated going over it the first time and now he had to do it again? Now he really wanted to cry. Like he might actually cry. Or maybe just kill Butterfly. The thought caused another growl to tear from his throat. The others looked at him a bit startled. He blinked a bit confused himself. Where had that come from? _MINE! Mine! Mine! Mine! Protect! Mine!_ Tyki winced as Joyd freaked out in his head, snarling and growling at the mere thought of harm coming to the girl.

Road's voice broke him out of his bewildered stupor, "Tyki? Are you okay?" He glanced up to meet her gold eyes.

"Honestly? I have no idea. Joyd's being...odd. I don't know what's up with him." The Earl sighed.

"Tyki-pon part of this is because you've been suppressing Joyd. If you would fully merge with him there wouldn't be so much miscommunication between you two." Tyki sighed and returned his head back to it's place in his hand.

"Yeah I know. You've told me that before. I don't think there's much of a choice now." Sheril decided to join the conversation. He had been so quiet that Tyki had almost forgotten that his older brother was there which was normally very hard to do, Sheril very rarely allowed himself to be forgotten especially by his loving family.

"What is Joyd doing?" Tyki sighed and shifted a bit in his seat. He had no idea how to even begin to explain what was going on. Never mind that he'd have to start with Butterfly and how that started. He wasn't sure if he was ready to share her with his family who had a tendency to break toys rather quickly and that was if Sheril didn't flip his shit about her in general. Never mind these stupid feelings that kept popping up that he didn't understand. He shifted again, trying to find a more comfortable position. Plus, not that he would ever admit it but, he was scared for Luca's life. If the Earl decided he didn't like the attention he was giving the girl the patriarch may order him or another Noah to kill her. That thought haunted him deeply, shook him to his very core. He didn't want to say goodbye. The thought dawned on him like a ton of bricks. He didn't actually want her to die. He hadn't wanted her to die for a long time. Tyki blinked, once. Twice. Thrice. The dining room of the ark was gone, no instead he was in a bamboo forest. The smell of death hung in the air. Allen Walker lay a few feet away, breathing as shallowly as possible to preserve his own life. Tyki is more concerned with the girl standing in front of him on shaky feet. He knew what would happen next as soon as he saw her body trembling. The 'virus' would take over and she's crash down the the ground. As if on cue her knees gave out from under her and she crumpled. Tyki rushed over to catch her but she fell right through him. As if he had used his powers which he hadn't. He panicked, glancing down at his hands for a moment as if they would magically supply him with the answer of what had happened before whirling around to bend down a the Hungarian's level. The stars were appearing. He couldn't do this. He couldn't watch it happen again, even if it hadn't actually happened. It was too much. There was nothing he could do as the stars started to appear. Unlike what had happened in real life the stars wouldn't vanish, they stood proud against her pale skin as if mocking him.

"Tyki?" Road's voice pulled him from the memory, while Sheril shook his shoulder a bit trying to rouse him from it. It took him a moment to remember where he was and what was going on. He glanced around at them for a minute with wide gold eyes.

"It's nothing. I can deal with it." Tyki covered, shaking away the now disturbing memory, no longer willing to share that piece of information. He forced his hands to stop shaking. The other three stared at him though it looked like Road might have an idea on what was going on. She was giving him a funny look but she quickly shook it away. He knew she'd ask him about it later when they were alone.

"Well since you don't feel like sharing then we can begin." Tyki looked back over to Sheril, rather confused.

"Start what?" Sheril sighed at him.

"Honestly Tyki, we just talked about this. You and I need to go over your etiquette again." Tyki groaned again.

"Suddenly I don't feel so good again. I think I'll go lay down." Tyki got to his feet, ready to leave the room and return to the comfort and safety of his own quarters.

Sheril grabbed him before he got very far, pulling him back down into his seat and sighed, "You can't run away from this. It doesn't require any physical activity so you'll be fine." Tyki groaned again before jumping to his feet making a break for the door. Sheril sighed. Why was his little brother so against this? The Earl merely chuckled.

"Well I'll leave this to you Sheril. Good luck. I'm going to go talk to Lulu again. Hopefully get her to feel better." Sheril nodded and sighed again. Reaching out with his powers he froze his brother mid-step.

"Tyki please don't be so childish. This will be over quicker if we just start it instead of running all around the ark. Don't waste my time, dear brother." Tyki groaned as he struggled against the power. He couldn't phase through it because it wasn't a physical thing.

"Let me go Sheril. I don't want to do it. I didn't introduce myself to her because she punched me into a damn wall! That was how we first met. One minute I'm about to kill an exorcist and the next moment something hits my face and I'm crashing into the wall. I was so surprised that I didn't phase through the wall. I simply destroyed it." he growled out at the older Noah. Sheril shook his head and forced his brother to walk back to the table and sit back down in his chair.

"Regardless. You should have done it the next time you saw each other. That reminds me. How on Earth did she get away from you nine times? You're the Noah family assassin?" Tyki mumbled something that the elder didn't catch. "That's the first rule Tyki. No mumbling. For Heaven's sake speak up and speak clearly." Tyki glared at him.

"I said that she was slippery. She's always got an ace up her sleeve. Every time I thought I had her and there was no way out she pulled something completely random and so out of the blue that I had no idea what the hell to do." Tyki placed his head into his hand, knowing that he wasn't going to get away. He had missed his chance.

The Noah of Pleasure moved through the ball easily. He hated these kind of things but Sheril was forcing him. Apparently the ladies had been asking about him while he had been recovering so naturally Sheril decided that he had to make an appearance. Whether he wanted to or not. He still wasn't quite used to his long hair, which was tied at the base of his neck. He mingled and tried to entertain himself as best as he could. He wasn't very successful. He kept his fake smile plastered onto his face. This ball somehow managed to be even more boring then they usually are. He wasn't sure how it was possible but apparently it was. He smiled as Madam approached him. She made small talk with him about trivial things that didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things before she practically thrust her daughter upon him. Of course he smiled at the young girl and agreed to dance with her. He did his best not to roll his eyes at the wording of it. 'Do her the honor' what kind of way is that to phrase it? These families threw their daughters at him as if they were just a token to get close to Sheril. They didn't actually care about their daughter or if he would make a good husband (which he wouldn't) all they wanted was to climb the social ladder. Children were just stepping stones. The girl smiled shyly at him, a light blush dusting her cheeks before her eyes darted away. He suppressed a chuckle. Noble woman were all so shy, well young unmarried woman were. Butterfly would be so bored, no actually she wouldn't because she would probably start a food fight or a fire or perhaps just a good old fashion fist fight. That sounded more like her than anything else. He swore he heard Joyd chuckling in the back of his head. The Noah memory was highly entertained by the Hungarian and the stunts she pulled. The song came to and end and he stepped back and kissed the top of the young woman's hand, shot her a charming smile and then vanished into the crowd. It was too hot and he needed air.

The ache in his chest had returned, it wasn't the ache of his wounds but of something missing. He thought about grabbing a glass of champagne on his way out but quickly decided that the champagne wasn't strong enough for him. Reaching into his suit jacket he pulled his flask out as he ducked out of the large ballroom and into the safety of the garden. It was far more calm and had substantially less people, in fact he was the only one out there. He sipped at the liquor as he slunk through the garden. It wasn't nearly enough to get him even slightly tipsy with the combination of his own tolerance as well as his Noah genes which caused his liver to work far too well. Tyki slipped his gloved fingers into his breast pocket, he retrieved a small silver earring that matched the ring in his left ear. It was the other half of the set. The Portuguese man wasn't sure when he had gotten it. Or how. He himself had never gotten close enough to steal it, so had Joyd taken it? How had the inner Noah even know that he had decided to collect an earring from her every time he saw her? The first time he had taken something from her he thought she was dying and that he'd never see her again. He had decided to take another one when the girl had strutted into the room in the tower as if she owned it. Not even a bit repentant about faking her death. He snorted at the thought. No instead the little imp had grinned at him and even laughed. He found a stone bench and sat down on it, taking the time to remove his other stud and slid the silver ring in. He now wore the complete set. He heard Joyd hum in approval though it quickly turned into a whine.

" _Butt...er...fly._ " the voice moaned in the back of his head. Tyki shook his.

"No. She's not here right now. No." Joyd pouted and tried again.

" _Butter...fly._ " the Noah memory spoke more clearly and Tyki swore to whatever god was listening that he could smell her. Vanilla and lightning. Joyd had been far more active since Lulu Bell had returned from trying to retrieve the egg. His mind drifted back to when the French Noah had come home.

The ark door closed loudly and there was a crash of something hitting the ground hard. A smell wafted through into the living room. Tyki was on his feet in an instant. _MINE!_ Joyd roared in his head.

"Tyki?" The Portuguese man ignored Road and followed the intoxicating smell. _Butterfly! Find Butterfly! Mine! Butterfly! Mine!_ Tyki tried to shake away the deranged muttering in his mind but it wasn't working. Instead he chose to hunt down the smell, in hopes that it would help calm the memory. He could hear the others following after him. His gold eyes widening in surprise when he found Lulu Bell huddled on the floor covered in burns, bad burns from the look of them. Familiar burns. He dropped to his knees to help her.

"Lulu! Are you okay?" He turned to shout over his shoulder. "Go get the Millennium Earl! She's hurt." Lulu Bell shook her head, tears falling from her eyes.

"No. No, please. I've failed him." she clung to him and he winced when she brushed one of his still healing scar. "I've failed Master!" She began to sob into his chest. He patted her back awkwardly. He wasn't very good at comforting people. _Butterfly?_ It didn't help that Joyd was still looking around for Butterfly. He leaned a bit closer and sniffed Lulu's hair. Lightning. _She must've fought Luca again. It's why she smells like her. That's what I'm smelling_ , he noted silently. He had no idea why his inner Noah was looking for the girl. He had been told when he finally wrestled control from the drooling idiot that ever since the Earl had brought him back Joyd had been asking for butterflies but none of the ones brought to him could make him happy. He had chosen to keep his mouth shut and not admit that the 'butterfly' they were looking for was actually an exorcist and not the insect for which she had been named. _Butterfly?_ The Noah memory whined sadly upon not finding the girl, only Lustol. The Earl had appeared at that moment and taken her from him, relieving him of his awkward hug with his Noah sister who was still grieving her failure and was now apologizing to the patriarch himself. Tyki had wandered away after that.

He sighed. He still didn't understand what was up with the deranged memory inside of him. He was suppose to hate innocence and she carried it so why was he longing for her? He had never acted like this before so what was going on? He took another sip of his flask and sighed. He needed more whiskey.

* * *

Luca grumbled as she stumbled around. Her vision was gone. Despite there being no damage to the outside of her left eye she couldn't see out of it. At all. Luca took another sip of her flask only to find it empty.

"Kurva életbe (god damn it)!" she cursed. Ever since her sudden loss of half her entire field of vision, she had been falling over and running into things. She had to be far more careful because the others were starting to notice. Taking a deep breath she slowly made her way down to the cafeteria. Taking small steady steps she slid along the wall avoiding the attention of as many people as she could. Sneaking into the kitchen behind Jeryy she made her way to where the alcohol was kept. There was only one bottle of whiskey left. It was her Master's. Debating silently for a moment she decided to risk it. Taking the bottle she moved over to one of the tables but not before she banged her left hip and shoulder on the door frame. It took her several tries to get the whiskey into the flask, missing more than three times. She growled in frustration, _How the hell did Marie get anything done like this?!_

"Luca!" she jumped and whirled around only to fall off the bench. She found her Master standing over to her. "Is that mine?" he asked looking at the bottle. He knew it was. He was just going to make her fess up. She pushed herself to her feet, doing her best to stay on them. He picked up the flask and sniffed. "I'm almost certain this is mine. So what are you doing with it?" she glared at him and snatched it out of his hands.

"Nothing that concerns you Master." she snapped. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"You and I both know that's not true. Now you can either give it back to me right now without a fuss or I can chase you down and make you pay the repair damages." Luca's eyes flicked over to Scor who hovered behind him. She nodded slightly and the golem who flew away. "So what's it going to be?" he bent down to get into her face. She smiled sweetly up at him.

"I just have one thing to say Master." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

She smirked at him and ordered, "Sick 'im Gambit." On command that teez attached it's teeth to the general's nose harshly while it's mistress grabbed the flask and spun around, taking off for the safety of her room.

"Lucaria Eve Walker! You get back here right now!" She heard Cross cursing as Scor had unstrapped his boots giving the Hungarian teen enough time to escape despite her new lack of depth perception. She cursed some more as she slid down her locked door. She had more bruises from her own clumsiness than the battle. She rested her head against the hard cold wood of her door.

"Francba (Fuck)!" she cursed again.

* * *

 **Well shit. Luca's in trouble, if I do say so myself. As always I can't wait to hear from you all. Thought and comments are always encouraged. I love to hear from you guys. Also don't forget to check out D. Gray Land! Seriously it's a really good story and definitely worth the read. Qin is an excellent character and you'll all fall in love with her really quickly! And she throws things at Kanda which makes her fantastic in my opinion! Please read and review to feed my soul! Cheshire's out~!**


	28. Terror Time

**Hey! I know it's a really creative greeting but I'm running late (again) so let's just go with it. We all knew that the whole posting on time thing wasn't going to last. I apologize that this was so late. My sleep schedule is still wacky from my old job. Gonna take a while to switch back, doesn't help that WinterYule keeps distracting me on discord. Once you guys are done reading this chapter you should go check out her story if you haven't already. She's a good friend and her story is amazing! Like seriously I'm in love: D. Gray Land ("Qin!," Alma glomped onto me, his tears seeping into my shirt "Yu is being mean again!" Sighing, I patted him, aware that a mini-Kanda glaring holes into my back. When I died, I never expected to wind up in this crazy world, much less as a Second Exorcist. Life certainly has a way of playing cruel pranks on me. Oh well, at least there's no homework. Slightly AU. OC-insert. ). Anywho, I'm still working on the special chapters so please bear with me on those. They will be out as soon as they are done! I think that's all that needs to be discussed before we move on to reviews!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, Luca's part was a bit hard to write so I had a lot of fun writing Tyki's part. He really doesn't know what's going on and Joyd is trying to tell him but he's not listening. It's going to be a little while before they see each other again but they will meet in the Halloween special! So look forward to that!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, I hope you had a safe trip home! Yeah Luca's sight is making things a bit more complicated. And yes Joyd has made his decision on Luca and doesn't like letting go of what belongs to him. Lulu Bell is indeed very upset. She cried in the manga and I can't help but think that Luca screwing up her plans might just be rubbing salt into the wound she has from losing to our girl in the first place. She doesn't take loss very well. Poor Sheril Road just loves Allen so much. I'm amazed Sheril ears haven't fallen off. I can just imagine her going on and on about how great Allen is. No the etiquette lessons are literally lessons on etiquette. He and the Earl feel that Tyki has forgotten the proper etiquette required of somebody of he's standing and so he must relearn it! XD He does also force Tyki to go to balls to dance with unmarried young woman who just happen to be on the market. Unfortunately for Sheril he doesn't realize that if it wasn't going to happen before it's never going to happen now. Oh well Sheril can dream. The Earl hasn't realized that Allen is the 14** **th** **just yet. Not until Paris. Luca getting kidnapped by the Noah? That would certainly be interesting. I'll keep it in mind. Let me know what you think!**

 **Dear Kp, I'm happy to hear from you again! I figured you just got caught up in regular life and you'd be back sooner or later. I'm glad it's sooner. You could never fail me, just look at it this way, you got to read two chapters when you realized it. So many questions you have. They will all be answered in due time. Patience is needed. Joyd is definitely a bit possessive and it certainly makes things more interesting. I don't know if you saw or not but you won second place in the contest with your guess of November 13** **th** **. So I need to know what you would like to happen in your special chapter. I'll get on it as soon as can. Enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear WinterYule, Thanks for that. I'm glad it didn't seem as bad to you as it did to me. I was stressed about the chapter but you knew that. Yeah Luca has a bad habit of not admitting when she needs help, always stubbornly trying to plow through whatever problem she's having at the moment. You are right on both points. As with everything it will get worse before it gets better so prepare for the next chapter. Yeah Luca's drinking problem, which she would argue that it's not a problem, she is completely using it as a coping mechanism. She learned from the best. She's following in the footsteps of the only role model she's ever had, Cross Marian. Allen hasn't really had time to deal with it yet as they've all been pretty busy. Believe me they will hash it out. Tyki doesn't want to go to the party, he wants to be left alone to sleep. Poor man just wants a break but Sheril won't let him. It's always hard trying to get inside a characters head, Joyd is especially difficult, Tyki is bit easier because he tends to display his emotions and thought right across his face. Don't worry about being all over, I ramble all the time!**

 **Dear B-chan, Joyd and his actions are forcing Tyki to really think about what is going on with him and Luca and where it is going. He can't keep pretending that it's just a game as Joyd simply won't allow it. He's already restless and badgering him about it. Collecting his own thoughts as well as trying to keep a handle on Joyd is tiring so it's taking longer. And of course our favorite Portuguese Noah is oblivious to most things. XD Silly boy. Let's be honest Luca at one of those parties would be a disaster. Sheril would have a fit. Yes Luca is having a hard time at the moment. I love your description of it. It's pretty accurate. What's wrong with Luca's eye is up for debate since the stubborn little crap head hasn't gone to the medical team there is no official diagnosis for what's wrong with it. Her name is actually Lucaria Eve Walker. She dropped Blackwood back in China in favor of Walker. I'm delighted you think it suits her. I think so too and it's just very pretty. Yes I am aware of the pokemon, it's got nothing to do with that. Link is definitely suspicious of Luca, unlike Allen he can see that she's not saying everything that she knows. He's lost track of her several times and he's picked up on some of her stranger moments. Unfortunately for him Luca is one of the few topics that Allen won't talk about. He keeps telling him to ask her which doesn't go well. I'm excited that you caught the parallel of them both needing more whiskey. I thought it would be fun to try it out. Enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, Yes Luca should definitely seek medical attention for that injury, buuuut she's not going to. Far too headstrong to do it. Luca shouldn't be drinking alcohol anyway as her brain has yet to fully develop but yeah she picked it up from her Master as a coping mechanism for all the stress she's dealing with. You'll just have to wait for next chapter to see how it all goes down with her eye. Now on to the part about her innocence. You are very close, a few points are off as usual but you are close enough that I'm not going to say anymore about it but keep guessing. I'll let you know if you get too far off. I'm going to admit right off the bat that I love the way you worded it. "** **Joyd hasn't given up and is harassing him from the backseat now" This comment had me rolling on the floor in a fit of laughter. I actually had tears in my eyes I was laughing so hard. No matter how many times I read it I still laugh when I see it. Joyd does seem to be rather popular. I guess I'll have to incorporate him into the story some more. I can't picture Tyki having a lot of romances as it's stated that he likes to laze about so he's at a bit of a loss as what he's feeling or what to do about it, yet he doesn't want to ask Sheril about it because he's Sheril and that's just a disaster waiting to happen. He tries to escape the etiquette lesson with little success but that was the only one he had to sit through as long as he doesn't forget them again. Let's be honest Luca's a pretty lively person and tends to cause chaos wherever she goes. It's hard not to think of others as boring. It's not a fair comparison. Oh yeah, if you recall Luca wishes she could've been there to see it. She's a mean twit and enjoys laughing at his pain. Even more so if she's done something to cause it. Yes Gambit was on purpose and your are absolutely correct on the reason. He might be just a pit possessive and definitely doesn't like the amount of attention Lavi pays to Luca. So Gambit is his solution. He's decided to strike back before she owns all of his things. Poor man has to go out and buy a bunch of new top hats now all the while Sheril is questioning him on what happened to the ones he use to own. Scor and Gambit both want to protect their mistress and keep her happy even if it means helping her steal alcohol from her master. They are rather cute together. Don't worry about forgetting about her mother being dead. It can get really confusing with the way Luca words things sometimes. I try to update every week but I'm usually late. Most of my readers are used to it. Enjoy this chapter (which is late)!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, I'm delighted to hear that you loved the scene in the ark. Tyki's not enjoying the fruit of Luca's hard work. She managed to get him in trouble and have more lessons which you know that he hated the first time. Yeah Lulu Bell's gonna be smarting from that defeat for a while but that's what Luca does best! Though she really got Joyd's hopes up that he had finally found his wayward Butterfly but alas it was just his sister. Not nearly as good. I think it was worse for him because she smelled so close but wasn't, so he's got the smell haunting him but she's not actually there and there's nothing he can do about it. I had a lot of fun writing Tyki arguing with Joyd who's as persistent and whiny as a child who wants the candy in the store and he doesn't plan of giving up any time soon. As for Tyki opinion I can't help but think that he wouldn't be pleased about how Joyd appeared and acted. Down the road I plan for Wisely to show Tyki what happened through Luca's eyes which should be fun! I will try my hardest to answer all of your questions in your special chapter! Thank you for your support! Enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Luca glared at anybody who met her gaze, almost nobody did, as she took a sip from her flask before placing it back in her belt. She had been in a mood for a while. Ever since the Noah, _Damn Lulu Bell_ , Luca hissed in her head, had invaded proving that the Noah knew where their Headquarters was they had been packing. The Hungarian swore that she had been packing this freaking tower longer than she had been alive. The junk that the science division had collected alone was more than she had ever seen in her life. Hell a single scientist had more stuff on their desk than Luca had ever owned in her entire life. Reever's shouting drew her attention over where to where her brother was falling asleep on the job.

"Allen! You idiot! Wake up!" The girl sighed as the pile her younger brother was using as a pillow fell over along with her brother. Tim, who had been trying to push it back the other way to keep it from falling, was also caught in the puff of smoke as some potion or another exploded on the pair. Luca groaned and rolled her eyes. So many things had been broken and so many utterly ludicrous potions had exploded and caused chaos since the whole move started. Luca was completely done with it. She took another gulp of whiskey and then another. Gambit snuggled closer into her hair, after the first three potions she had told both golems to stick close. Scor sat in her usual place on Luca's left shoulder. Perched happily among the soft warm fabric of one of Allen's dress shirts. Summer was ending and fall was coming. Too lazy to dig something warmer out the girl had decided to just steal one of her brother's shirt's and thrown it on over her under shirt. Her brother's hair now reached his waist and even Tim had long hair. Luca groaned and looked around the room as Miranda tied up Allen's hair for him. So far Lavi and Kanda had been shrunk, Allen and Tim now had long hair and Bookman was now sporting a pair of tall lightly colored rabbit ears. Bookman was crying while Lavi and Kanda were both yelling at Reever.

"Did you ever wonder if maybe you guys are always working over time because you make this utterly useless and frankly ridiculous stuff that we don't need?" All eyes snapped over to the Hungarian teen.

"Luca!" Allen chastised. She turned to glare at him.

"What? It's true. None of this has any practical applications!" She picked up the one that had shrunk Lavi and Kanda. "What are we going to do with this? Even shrunk Tyki can still rip out your heart. It won't even have an effect on Road!" she snapped tossing the bottle over her shoulder in a random direction uncaring of what it hit. Her vision had yet to return and she more than a bit disgruntled about it. Not to mention she didn't know why the hell she was packing this junk up. It wasn't her junk in the first place and more than half of it wasn't anything useful. Of course Link wasn't helping at all. Another sip.

"Help out a bit Link" Allen spoke looking at the man over his shoulder. Link shook his head.

"That's not my job." he answered.

Luca snorted at the German man, "It's not my job either." she spits. The others ignored her. Her mood had been sour the last several days and the others had gotten used to it. It was just part of being friends with Luca. Her eyes darted over to the mirror that Allen was passing by, the shadow still loomed behind him. It was at this point that Miranda tripped over her dress and spilled a potion on Lenalee and Bookman. The former was trying to comfort then man who was mourning the loss of his hair which had been turned into rabbit ears. When the smoke cleared the pair meowed. The room descended into chaos. Most of the occupants were freaking out imagining what Komui would do if he found out while Miranda tried to turn herself into a cat as well to 'atone' for her mistake. Allen had to hold her back to keep her from doing it while Marie calmed her down. Johnny freaked out while Reever sighed.

"C'mon who made it?"

"Luca! Look out!" She whirled around, not seeing what she was suppose to dodge. A glass bottle hit the back of her head.

"Ow! Köcsög (motherfucker)!" she snapped and tried to wave away the smoke that now engulfed her. Her head hurt, a lot. Luckily for her Gambit had moved at the last moment and Scor had been dislodged by the impact. A dull thudding from where the bottle hit was present. Now she had pain on either side of her head, several inches above her ears. Her tailbone ached too. She hadn't injured it yet it still hurt. Allen's eyes widened as he took in his sister's new appearance. "What? What happened to me? Don't tell me I've turned green." Lenalee winced away from her friend's new appearance. Luca sighed. "Somebody just tell me." Lavi, being the definition of tact broke the news.

"You've turned into a demon. You've got a tail and a pair of horns." Reever sighed while Timcampy tugged her over to the mirror to show her what she now looked like. Lavi was right. A pair of dark horns curled up out of the sides of her head. A black tail twitched around her legs, it's spaded tip cracking against the floor leaving black marks on it. Her tail snapped around as her agitation grew. Luca twitches several times before she dropped the box she was holding on a random table.

"That's it. I'm done with the szar (shit). You guys are on your own." Allen apparently shared his sister's sentiment.

"I'm tired of packing." he groaned, running his hand down his face. Luca slumped against the wall before changing positions. As she was naturally left handed she tended to watch from her left side. She tried to tune out the useless conversation of Allen and Reever talking about the other crap the scientists had made. Though it was mostly Allen demanding if the cat potion was the worst thing that was made. Luca groaned as the lights went out. A light giggle bounced off the walls of the room, causing Luca to snarl.

"I am so sick of this. I swear if this is another level 4 I'm jumping off the francba (damn) tower." Allen sighed, he could understand her feelings. She had yet to share with him but something had been up. Her balance had been horrible, she had crashed into pretty much anything within a meter of her body. He wanted to tell her to stop drinking but felt as if he didn't have the right. Her lithe fingers pulled the flask from her belt and unscrewed it in the dark. It was almost empty. She needed more and soon. She listened to the science division blame Komui and yell at him.

"Get back to work Curly!" Luca unconsciously reached up and attempted to smooth the curly locks that fell over her left shoulder from her loose ponytail. The unruly tresses sprung right back into place the minute she let go. She sighed and tried again to no avail. Marie moved his head around.

"I can't tell where it's coming from. That's weird." Luca's eyes flicked over to the Austrian man. That information didn't bring her any comfort. He spoke again. "I hear footsteps coming closer." The door lurched open with a loud creek and Head Nurse emerged in the dark from the hall.

"Are you alright Head Nurse?" Allen called out to her but she didn't answer. Luca's eyes narrowed as they adjusted to the dark. She raised an eyebrow. It looked like from her place against the wall, that the older woman was drooling, almost foaming at the mouth. She filtered out Johnny's comment on Allen's exceptional eyesight. Hers wouldn't be screwed up if they hadn't been messing with things they didn't understand, probably couldn't understand. There were days that she agreed with her Master that the Black Order was too ambitious. That had been one of those days. Her eyes snapped back into focus at Head Nurse bit Allen. The room stood still for a moment as everyone processed what had just happened. Luca's jaw dropped. Everybody quickly erupted into chaos after that moment. Several people holding Head Nurse down and a few others pulled Allen away.

Lavi, as unhelpful as ever said, "She's looking rather cross which is normal," Luca wasn't sure how that helped at all but then again it was Lavi so she shouldn't be too shocked. Surprisingly Kanda asked an important question.

"Did you sneak out of the infirmary again?" Luca smirked having a bit of a hard time seeing him so small. He still looked angry but it was just so cute. She could just imagine what Tyki would look like at that size. Had Head Nurse not been acting like a rabid animal she would've squealed at the idea. Maybe she should grab some. She slid over and grabbed the bottle. There wasn't a lot left but enough for one dose. Perfect. She placed into the safety of one of her belt pouches.

"Luca did you slip out of the infirmary?" Reever called over his shoulder to the girl who shook her head. She stopped as her vision flickered and suddenly she felt dizzy.

"No, I was discharged properly just like Allen." The truth was she had sleep more than any of the others hoping for her vision to come back. Her eyes widened as Head Nurse lunged forward and bit Miranda right on the neck. "Okay I like biting just as much as the next person but this is a bit much. Not to mention weird." Everybody ignored her brilliant commentary. Miranda keeled over into Marie's arms. Luca moved over to her friend's side but not before running into the corner of the table again. She seemed to have a permanent bruise on her left hip. There was also one on her shoulder but it wasn't as bad. Her green eyes narrowed, as Miranda's aura changed. Something wasn't right but she couldn't put her finger on it. Her tail twitched violently, revealing her distress. Marie noticed too.

"Are you alright Miranda? You're heart sounds a little," She leaned up closer to him and promptly bit down on the exposed flesh of her throat, "strange...?" His face exploded into a bright blush and his headphones short circuited. Marie's aura changed.

"Kanda," Luca called over to her friend who was standing near the Austrian man, "get away from him." His eyes darted over to her for a moment before Marie picked him up off his feet by his wrist.

"What?" he turned his gaze back to the tall man. "What's going on?" He paused upon seeing the look on his teammate's face. "Marie?" Head Nurse spread her vicious bite around to many others as the doors burst open allowing more like the nurse into the room. Luca slid back into a defensive position with the others.

"I've got a bad feeling." Johnny muttered as the group backed away. Reever quickly agreed.

" 're making me uneasy." Reever spoke slowly as they advanced upon the uninfected group. Link brought their attention to the hoards pouring in.

"Walker, the door." Luca shook her head.

"We can't get out that way. There's too many of them." Allen nodded agreeing with his sister.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb as say that we're in trouble." Kanda snorted as he kicked Marie in the chin to free his arm.

"Brilliant deduction Beansprout!"

"My name is Allen!" he snapped back always irritated by Kanda and the horrid nickname.

"Boys! Play nicely." The zombies, as Luca couldn't come up with anything better at the time to call them and it was basically what they were, lunged, Luca yelped. "Now is really not the time." She had no idea if Harlequin would awaken. She had yet to use it again since it failed to activate the last time. She backed away only to get her tail tangled in her legs and fall backwards. Luckily for the others Allen activated Crown Clown and flung the zombies off. Luca ignored them in favor of untangling herself from her new appendage.

"I tried to be gentle. I'm sorry if it wasn't." Luca rolled her eyes at the apology.

"Allen get a move on it!" Lavi demanded grabbing the boy's arm and dragging him away. Luca let out another yelp as Allen grabbed her and hauled her to her feet and down the hall as they ran for their lives.

"Run for it!" She ordered. Reever had Johnny on his back as the young man still couldn't move on his own very well. A random scientist who's name Luca didn't know spoke.

"They're coming!" Reever rolled his eyes and lead the charge to safety.

"Thanks so much for the update." They take cover in a storage room filled with old boxes. Luca immediately sensed Komui in the room with them. Allen, Lavi, and Kanda watch the door and the zombies outside of it whom are still looking for them. She watched from her corner as the robot he had with him tied the others up, leaving only her and Lenalee free. She wasn't sure if she was left free on purpose or if she had simply vanished into the dark again. It was a bad habit, or so Allen said. Cross had taught her how, an enemy can't attack you if he can't find you. Maybe Allen only meant that it was a bad habit when she did it to her comrades? Lenalee meowed at the Komlin, probably begging for the freedom of the others.

"What did you guys do to Lenalee?!" he roared causing Luca to stalk over and hit him over the head.

The Hungarian growled, "You did this! If we weren't packing your junk we wouldn't be like this!" Komui poked her left horn experimentally, the teen shifted away from him. She could feel the heat of his flesh through the coldness of bone like material of her horns.

"Oh my. This is rather unusual. Which bottle did this?" she shrugged, her green eyes darting away though her tail betrayed her discomfort. She yelped when he grabbed it. Poking and prodding before tugging on it. It snapped out of his hands, the spaded end cutting his skin.

"Don't touch that!" He went back to prodding her horns, this time where they grew from her head, shifting through her hair. She whimpered at the bolts of strange pleasure running down her spine from the feeling. It was unwanted and uncomfortable.

"How strange. Not only can you feel that but it actually feels good in a way that you don't fully understand." Reever twitched at the fact that his superior was more interesting in poking the (literal) demon instead of what was quickly over taking the Order and it's members.

"Stop bothering Luca! Now how on Earth did this virus of yours get out?" he demanded. Komui made a face.

"That's what I'm asking. You lot confiscated it. I haven't see it since you locked it away!" The group of scientists deadpanned at the man causing him to pout.

"There's been so many times we've had to do that. You're going to have to be more specific." He sighed.

"Remember that week where we worked nonstop?"

"Komuvitan D!" Reever shouted upon realization. Luca raised an eyebrow.

"Komuvi-what? The hell is that and who's naming this junk anyway? Are you people just making things up now?" The other scientists explained.

"It removes fatigue instantly so you can keep working." The scientist who explained had dark hair. Luca thought his name might be Rob. Johnny picked up where he left off.

"The only problem with it, is that it also removes your sense of reason."

"Which does not help you get things done and is therefore a terrible solution to the problem." Reever huffed irritably. Luca groaned flashes of Romania coming to her mind. The witch and Tyki. Dragging him through the halls, the fact that he resisted destroying Harlequin, fighting the zombies though now that she thought about it more they were more like revenants with him, the bickering between them, the fact that instead of fighting when he knew she was tired he walked her back to the hotel that she was staying and didn't attack when she was asleep, and even kissing him to steal his hat. She had just had an overwhelming need to have the hat after seeing the ribbon sparkling in the candlelight. She wondered if he noticed when she took it or didn't realize it until he went to take it off when he got home. _I wonder if he's okay. He didn't look so good when the Earl stole him away. I hope he is_ , she sighed silently. She still couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting to him when she had a moment of peace.

Outside the rain poured down on the tower in buckets and lightning cracked across the sky followed by the boom of thunder. Luca continued to ignore the arguing of the others as the weather reminded her of the times she would dance in the rain with her mother or drinking hot cocoa conjured with stolen coco beans and warm milk curled up by the fire with her mother who told her stories of the gods who caused the storm raging outside and their exploits. It wasn't always the same god. Sometimes it was Thor from Scandinavian lore and other times the better known Zeus of Greek mythology. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood and let her mind slide to something else. _I wonder what it would be like if we didn't have to fight. If we could just curl up together during the storm on the couch by the fire and read. They could each read their own books and just bask in each other's presence. They wouldn't need to talk but they could if they wanted. She could tell him the stories her mother told her and play with his curls. It could be just like the fantasy world_ _Emilija had created for us_ , she shook away the dream like thoughts. She refocused when she felt Allen's aura shift. She glanced over to where Kanda was threatening Komui and Reever was trying to hold the tiny terror back. Were the circumstances different she would've laughed at the fact that she had just called Kanda a tiny terror but it wasn't the time.

"I'm gonna kill you." The Japanese boy snarled. Reever answered him before Komui could set him off even worse.

"It's a lovely thought, Kanda, but now is not the time." She rolled her eyes and turned back to her brother who's aura was still fluctuating.

"Al?" she prodded him gently with her hand. She pressed her fingers to the inside of his wrist. His heart was beating in an odd pattern. Marie had mentioned something like that just before Miranda had bit him. She was doing her best to ignore Kanda who was still throwing his hissy fit but he was making it hard. Johnny must've noticed Allen's unfocused eyes and prodded him too.

"Allen, are you alright?" Allen reached towards his heart trying to steady the beating of the organ.

"I just..." he trailed off unsure of how to word the strange sensations he was feeling.

"Oh!" Johnny exclaimed when he realized what was wrong. "I almost forgot, you got bitten, didn't you Allen?" Allen freaked out at that thought.

"I refuse to turn into a drooling zombie. I won't allow it. I have too much pride for that!" Johnny did his best to cheer the British boy up.

"Don't you worry. You and everybody else will be fine once we make the vaccine." Another voice spoke, a young girl.

"I doubt it." Luca's head snapped over to look around Allen and Johnny. It didn't feel like one person, no it was like a hoard of them, all mashed together. Almost half blended and then left to fester and rot. It was putrid and made her sick. The girl was gone as if she had never been there in the first place. Where had she gone? People don't just vanish as if they had never existed. Suddenly she felt Socalo's presence coming from behind her. Was he coming through the wall? Her eyes widened as she realized she was leaning against a window.

"Move!" As she tried to run, her legs got tangled in her tail again and she crashed to the ground just managing to shove Allen halfheartedly towards Johnny and away from the window. The man crashed through the window with a battle cry and Madness spinning wildly.

"Whooo needs a spanking?!" Allen managed to summon his sword to block the larger spiked sword and shove the general back. Luca managed to untangle her feet and though she swayed as she got up, her balance threatening to give out on her again.

"General Socalo! You're naked!" Luca winced at the length of the towel if it could be called that. It was more like a washcloth. It wasn't nearly long enough for her tastes. She didn't know who had spoken but they were as disturbed as she was. Lavi spoke but Luca didn't hear what he said to busy focusing on the other two presences that showed up with the general.

"Hey! Watch out!" her warning was too late and Link and Bookman were bitten by the other two generals both of which were also only covered by towels. Link struggled to stay awake.

"It is my duty to report this havoc that you have caused." He groaned at Komui. The tall Chinese man moved over to him a hammer in his hand.

"A good hit to the head should erase this." Reever grabbed him before he could. Luca slid over and took the hammer from him. Reever sighed.

"Thank you Luca." She smiled at him and then brought the hammer down on Link's head anyways. Reever made a face at her but she simply smiled, feeling rather pleased with herself. It had felt good to do that. Plus he wouldn't remember nor could the German man prove it with all the chaos that was happening at the moment, which was when Socalo decided to attack again.

"I have to kill you all or I'll burn up." he grinned. Luca couldn't help but feel like he didn't mind it in the first place anyway. Kanda once again began to yell at Komui who had left Mugan in the lab because it was full of zombies which left him defenseless as the other two generals geared up to attack as well.

"Join us in death." They ordered and then they attacked. Komui of course freaked out.

"Komlin EX do something!" He wailed as he cowered behind said robot. The robot complied.

"Yes sir!" The robot then split it's chest opened and released a barrage of missiles which did not do well in the small storage room. Several missiles flew at Luca and Allen, causing green and silver eyes to grow large at the impending pain.

"Activate! Eternal Hunter!" The rockets exploded, shaking the entire tower and sending the survivors scattering. The black liquid wrapped around it's mistress to protect her while the blast sent Allen crashing into the wall and knocked him out. "Allen!" Luca shot out of the molten metal with it trailing behind her towards him only to trip. She pushed herself to her feet and rushed over to Allen to shake him. He didn't wake up. Lavi and Kanda darted over to her.

"Luca we have to go!" Lavi urged her. She nodded and hoisted Allen up. Her innocence shifted it's form and took Allen's other arm and flung it over her shoulder. Kanda and Lavi led the way for the pair carrying the youngest. Luca vaguely noted Komlin EX following them, Johnny tossed over his shoulder. _Perfect_ , she grumbled. Lavi quickly found another storage room to hide in and they ducked into it's safety. Luca slid down the door with Allen. He was still unconscious. She got up and Lavi took her place next to Allen with Kanda on his other side while she moved to check the window. Zombies roamed the hall most likely looking for her. She jumped several feet in the air and promptly fell over due to a lack of balance when her brother woke with a yell. The others were quick to shut him up.

"What happened?" Silver eyes darted around the rather empty room.

"You were knocked unconscious by the blast. Luca had to carry you." Lavi explained, he left out the weirdness with the younger girl's innocence. He'd ask her about it later when their lives weren't in danger.

"Where are the others?" He saw Luca on the floor by the door though he winced at the glare she was sending in his direction and from the way her tail was lashing back and forth. He must've startled her. She was rubbing her tailbone to ease the pain.

Johnny sighed and explained, "It's just the six of us now because of the blast." Allen's eyes darted around counting. Lavi, Johnny, Kanda, Luca, and himself.

"six?" The group sighed and all eyes moved to where Komlin EX rocked in the corner hugging his knees while he sobbed.

"I'm worthless. I've failed my master." Luca groaned and rolled her eyes. _Why can't Komui ever invent things that actually work or have a real purpose?_ she tucked the mental question away for later. Her innocence had yet to deactivate, swirling around her feet low to the ground. Luca slid over to them. She was about to ask a question when a knock sounded at the locked door. The entire group jumped away from it and the mercury like innocence reared up ready to defend against another hoard of zombies. A voice drifted through the door.

"Allen? Lavi? It's me. Please open the door." It was Krory's voice. "Guys, please open the door." The four exorcists glanced at each other. "Please just open the door.

"Krory's awake which is good but," Allen trailed off. Luca nodded picking up where he left off.

"But the chances of him being infected are high. It's most likely the case."

"It's just as she said. The probability is high. Should we even consider opening the door?" Komlin asked. The four exorcists shared a look, each nodding at each other before the three boys shoved Komlin to the door. "What are you doing?" he sobbed as he tried to struggle.

"Go open it." Allen smiled at him while Kanda just glared.

The robot continued sobbing, "Never! I'll be slaughtered as soon as I do. That's literally the first rule of horror stories." Allen proceeded to lie to convince the robot to do as he was asked.

"We don't ask this of you with light hearts EX."

"NO! I won't do it! I simply won't do it!" He shook his head so hard Luca was just waiting for it to come unscrewed. Allen took a deep breath and then caused the strangest scene Luca had ever seen in her entire life.

"Listen EX, Johnny's the only one of us who can make a komuvitan D vaccine! Luca is still injured and her innocence can be long range which makes it our best defense. That leaves me with you and these ugly bums!" Luca snorted at the faces Kanda and Lavi made at being called ugly bums, but to their credit they didn't attack him. "Please, you're the only one I can turn to!" Allen fluttered his eyelashes at the robot. Using his beautiful appearance and charisma with a little damsel in distress attitude to convince the robot. Luca just stared at the scene in front of her trying to figure out if it was actually happening or if she was having some incredibly weird fever dream. If it was the latter she really wanted to wake up now. She's had enough of this whole debacle. She really wanted this nightmare to be over.

"Allen, my chest hurts. Is this love?" EX asked as Allen dipped him romantically causing Luca to once again consider her life choices.

"What's with that face?" Lavi asked also staring at the scene before him. Kanda shrugged.

"Seems to be the right approach." Johnny just sighed at the scene as he had witnessed every failure of the Komlin series and commented on the fact.

"What I want to know is why didn't we send Luca to seduce the robot?" Luca glared at the red haired twit for his question. "Never mind." he whimpered upon seeing the look. EX ran to the door and opened it with gusto.

"I'm opening it! Come and get me if you dare!" He roared flinging it open in a wide ark. Immediately the robot's head was kicked off. Luca took a moment to appreciate it. She had always wanted to try it. Maybe on the next akuma she fought. Komlin hit the ground with a crash. "I knew this would happen. Krory entered the room, growling like an animal.

"You've made me angry by forcing me to wait." Krory attacked with the chains he had for a reason that Luca didn't know. Krory quickly threw them around tossing Luca into the wall. Her head rang again. By the stop she could see straight again Krory had retreated and Johnny was shouting something that she couldn't make out. The three boys along with the robot that was apparently still alive went charging after him causing Luca to sigh and shove herself to her feet to chase after them. Only to run into a horde of zombies that immediately started chasing them.

"Allen!" She called as they ran. He turned back to glance over his shoulder at her.

"Yeah what is it?" She glared.

"I hate you." They didn't manage to dodge the general for very long. Luca tripped over her tail again. She rolled out of the way and back onto her feet as Gambit bit the crazy Mexican general with no effect. She swayed a bit. Allen grabbed her hand and dragged her again. Socalo dove for them again ignoring the chunk of skin in Gambit's teeth.

The floor beneath their feet cracked and then fell away giving under the weight and the force of Socalo's attack. The group of survivors fell through. Once again Luca's innocence wrapped around her body to protect from further injury. She sat up and rubbed a few sore spots. She raised an eyebrow upon Seeing Komui and Lenalee along with that other scientist tied up.

"Um, what are you doing?" She didn't get her answer as she was shoved. She yelped and rolled, whirling around just in time to see Allen being bitten by Socalo while General Tiedoll finally caught Kanda in his teeth. She would've laughed at the fact that Bookman was biting Lavi on the head or the fact that he still had those ridiculous rabbit ears if the situation hadn't been life threatening. She noticed Komlin EX playing dead on the floor a few feet away. She glared at the robot as her innocence batted away any zombies that got too close to her. Luca's eyes snapped over to Lenalee who's aura was not her own. "You! How did you get into Lenalee?" Her eyes widened. "You're dead. You're a ghost." Komui and Reever looked at her in surprise.

"Luca, how did you know?" Luca paled as she realized that she had said it out loud. She wasn't sure how to explain it away. Luckily for her the ghost started talking.

"It doesn't matter because you're all going to contract Komuvatin D and live with me forever here in this castle." The ghost freed herself from the ropes and began to laugh causing Komui to freak out.

"Don't make my dear sweet Lenalee laugh like that! It's creepy!" Luca winced at the volume of his wailing which was grating on her ears.

"Knock that off Komui!" The Hungarian teen snapped. The ghost ignored them, instead smiling happily.

"Finally, now we can all be together forever." Luca couldn't help the twinge of sadness she felt for the ghost who was clearly lonely. There were so many lost and confused auras mixed together into a mangled and deformed creature full of pain. Souls who had felt nothing but agony at the hands of the Order who were only trying to make more exorcists. The zombies attacked Reever and that other scientist who's name still escaped Luca's mind. Reever apologized as he succumbed to the virus. Krory lunged at the Chinese man.

"Komui! Move!" she ordered. "Harlequin!" Almost instantly her innocence deactivate and slid back up her arms. She groaned and glared down at it. "Now is not the time for a tantrum!" she protested but the innocence didn't budge.

"I will protect my Master!" Was the battle cry Komlin EX made as he headbutted Krory away from his creator. Luca skittered back away from the zombies into the safety of the shadows.

"Komlin EX!" Komui shouted watching his beloved robot wrestle with the vampire like exorcist.

"He's the source Master! This one is the source!" He shouted the important information at the top of his lungs. Luca took a moment to wonder if the robot had lungs and if not then how did this all work. Maybe she needed a different phrase. It didn't work if EX didn't have any lungs. At the top of his voice box? Did that work? Apparently Luca did not know enough about robot anatomy. She tuned back in just in time to see Krory punch EX knocking his head off and sending his body crashing into the ceiling. She winced as the body stayed lodged in the stone of the ceiling.

"Komlin!" Komui shouted in distress. Luca glared down at her innocence.

"Harlequin activate!" she whispered harshly. Stubbornly the liquid didn't move. "Kurva életbe (god damn it)! This is not the time for this." She tugged at it but still in remained inactive. She couldn't save the others if she couldn't help Komui and she couldn't help him if she couldn't even defend herself from the zombies.

"Kate Brolly!" Luca's head snapped up away from her innocence at Komui's shout. The ghost looked surprised too. "Fanny Leroux, Olivier Virenque, Ottmar Dach, Celestine Duclay, Ernest Conan, Delphine Baum , Sim Poll, Lize Rolens, Amadeo Kier, Adolf Ende, Estelle Imelda, Zoe Cynthia, Zephyr Pucci, Siméon du Vilepin, Marie Louis, Jayia Nicola, Ava Braun, Froly Ringer, Federico Fuller, Gustav Sinclair, Barnaby Marton, Arcia Tsvet, Gianni Proscienzzo, Thomas, Brody, Brahim Auteuil, Sammy Greenburg, Alva Cederlund, Konrad Toushec, Evarist Ducas, Ferdinand Berlioz, Richard Veil, Roger Ardan, Ségolène Galois, Augusto Dorno, Orner Bohlin, Tila Orman, Indra Dahlstrøm, Leona Eilman, Julian Ringer, Laurence Dion, Emile Dumont, Jacob Cress, Jerry d'Estaing, Susan Unver, Lily Chen, Theo Morris, Calista Veil, Jerry d'Estaing, Jules Thomas, Bruno Meitner, Karl Schmidt, Hector Greff, Alice Eilman, Benedita Runarata, Odile Carnap, Mathilda Kerholm, Josephine Sickler, Gazella Tolvaj, Apolline Rousseau, Louise Nicolas-Ledoux, Virginie Fraga!" Luca's green eyes widened and for a moment she forgot that she was hiding.

"What?!" Allen jumped her and she struggled to keep him from biting her.

"Stop! Don't bite him!" She glanced over to see the ghost protecting Komui. Gambit bit Allen in an attempt to protect his mistress but the British teen didn't even notice. Luca yelped as her moment of distraction allowed Allen to sink his teeth into her left hand which she had been using to push his face away. She fell backwards, her brain tried to fight the virus but couldn't hold it off for very long. A single thought pasted through her brain as she succumb to it, _Mother, Mother was here? Did she help them or was she here against her will?_ She got sleepy and reason left her.

Luca's eyes snapped open as she awoke with a start. She was in the infirmary...again. She groaned and sat up. Head Nurse was by her side in an instant.

"Slow down. You ran around the tower during the whole debacle. We just gave you the vaccine a little while ago. You've been asleep for some time. You're brother's been mad with worry. I had to kick him out. He was wearing a rut into the floor with his pacing." Luca smiled fondly as she unglued her tongue from the roof of her mouth.

"Can I have some water please?" she rasped. The older woman nodded and immediately brought her a large glass of water. Luca drank the entire glass rapidly. She gasped when she was finished too thirsty to stop to breathe until she was done. She glanced down at the her hand which was bandaged again from where her brother had bitten her. _Why the hell does everybody keep biting me?_ she groaned. The wound ached dully. A knock sounded at the door. Head Nurse moved from her side to open it. A finder stood in the door way a vase in his hands.

"I have a delivery for Miss Walker." He seemed nervous but then again Head Nurse could be terrifying. The woman nodded and stepped aside allowing him to walk over and hand Luca the vase. He nodded at Head Nurse in respect and then practically ran down the hall and out of sight.

"It looks like somebody has an admirer." Head Nurse teased a bit. "I'll be right back. I want to check on a few of the others. Some of them still aren't up yet." She nodded and the woman left the room. Luca inspected the flowers. They were white roses with red stripes. She ran her fingers along the petals, they were incredibly soft. There were six in total. Allen came thundering into the room.

"Luca!" She jumped and looked up at him.

Startled she asked, "What? What is it?" He looked around his eye activated. A look of confusion washed over his features and his brows knitted together.

"I sensed an akuma. I tracked it up here." Her eyes widened and she looked back down at the flowers. He raised an eyebrow upon seeing them and his eye deactivated. The akuma was gone. Around the top of the vase was a black ribbon with several silver butterfly charms sewn to it. A single round silver charm hung from the end inscribed with one letter. T. She knew who they were from. They both did.

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 **So that happened! The zombie arc was always one of my favorites but Luca's having a bad time. If not for her lack of sight and all the problems that come with that she probably would've laughed through the whole debacle but she's rather stressed and in a mood. Tyki's not around to put her in a better mood. Also another hint about her innocence is in this chapter. Two MAJOR hints about her mother in this chapter! I can't wait to see if anyone catches them. As I said earlier I am working as fast as I can on the bonus chapters and will get them out as soon as I can! Enjoy your week and tune in next time to find out what happens next! Cheshire is out~!**


	29. Halloween Special: Heart of Thorns

**HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I know I'm cutting it really close! I'm sorry! I've still got a few minutes. Okay so let's get down to business. So normally I would get into the reviews but as this is just a Halloween special and doesn't actually have anything to do with the story I'm gonna leave that for next week when we resume the regular story. So hang in there my friends. I can't wait to address all of your thoughts and theories! Also announcement. Kimikitteh's chapter will be out not next week but the week after that! Then we will have a regular chapter and then Kp's special chapter then the next regular chapter and finally 15th chapter before we fully continue our regularly scheduled program. Shout out to WinterYule for listening to me whine and helping me out with this chapter! Love you!  
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 **Thank you for your birthday wish for Luca, 15th! I was touched by it!**

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 **Enjoy the Halloween Special!**

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"What?" Luca protested, lips forming into a pout. Komui sighed.

"I know you were supposed to have the day off and had plans but something's come up, something that can't wait. I'll give you another day off once this is sorted out." Luca kept pouting. She didn't bother telling him that the plans they had were to go to the Samhain festival over in Ireland. As they had been before Allen could just open up a gate and they could hop over. There was no point getting a different day off. It wouldn't matter. Allen rested his hand on his sister's shoulder while Link watched from the back with a disapproving gaze.

"Isn't there somebody else who could take the mission?" Allen knew how much his sister wanted to go to this festival. She had even done all the paperwork properly that would allow them to have the day off, go, and use the ark so they would be on time. They would be gone the whole night and day and be back the on the second of November.

"I'm sorry," Komui shook his head. "Kanda and Daisya are out with Tiedoll and Chaoji. Marie, Krory and Miranda are in Russia. Bookman has records to deal with. General Socalo is still in India, and General Klaud Nine is in Portugal. You four are the only ones left. We're stretched very thin." Luca slumped down more. They weren't going to make it to the festival. They'd be lucky if they made it home by the second.

"Where is it?" Lenalee asked, ever the optimist. Komui sighed.

"It's in Germany. We think there's innocence at Frankenstein Castle."

"Luca snorted, "You're kidding me right? Why on Earth would you think there's innocence there of all places? It's a hoax. Designed to draw people in. That's all." _If it's not a hoax then it's certainly magic and not innocence_ , she kept that thought to herself. The Order didn't need to know that she knew anything about magic.

"No Luca. We've sent finders there but every time they return they can't tell us anything about what happened there or how long they were there. The entire time is just gone." _Magic it is. Hypnotist. Obviously_ , she groaned though she kept from rolling her eyes. She knew it wasn't really Komui's fault that they had to go but she could still be sour about it if she wanted to. It did sound a little weird but magic was weird.

"When do we leave?" she grumbled. Link was still giving her a disapproving look. So like an adult she made a rude gesture at him behind her back. She felt a little better after that.

"As soon as you're packed. We need to get this figured out before the Noah show up. You may go."

The trip had been boring so far. They took the ark to Miranda's old town but had to take the train from there. They had been in the same car for over an hour and Luca was losing her mind. They had started to play cards but Link quickly accused the Walker siblings of cheating, which they were, and ending the game. Luca turned her gaze out the window once more. Allen was napping, Link was watching Allen nap, which was quite frankly creepy in Luca's opinion, Lavi was drawing on Allen's face, and Lenalee was reading a book. Standing up Luca maneuvered around the others and left the train car. She walked up and down the train looking for something that would interest her. Anything at all to distract her from how mind numbingly bored she was. Her cloak swished around her legs as she moved, no sound to indicate where she was or where she was going. She still had her hood pulled up too. She moved from the first class to the second class, or regular passengers. She was almost out to the cargo car when a woman grabbed her by the arm. She slid into a fighting stance, _Why didn't the akuma transform before it got her attention? It was so stupid not to_ , she wondered. The woman was old with long silver hair and shabbily dressed. Almost like somebody from her hometown. The shawl she wore wrapped around her shoulders held old runes. There were knitted into the fabric of the very shawl itself.

"Can I help you?" she asked slowly. The woman turn her hand over and peeled the glove back to look at her palm. The woman traced her fingers lightly over the lines in her palms muttering to herself.

"Naturally, naturally," she mumbled to herself still tracing along the skin of Luca's hand.

"What are you doing?" She looked up at the teen and a look of fear spread across her face.

"My child, your future is so very dark, you must not play this game. It will only bring you pain and suffering. No matter what you choose, you cannot have both. You will have to give up one thing to gain the other." Luca pulled away from the woman backing away slightly as reasoning came back to her. "Oh I'm sorry my dear. Sometimes I drift away. I hope I didn't say anything to upset you. I wanted to tell you that I liked your nails," Luca glanced down at them. She had just redone them while pouting in the train car, "but suddenly," she paused again. Taking a good long look at Luca before continuing, "I, you have a sad feeling about you. I can't really explain it. You must think me insane, but Dear do be careful. Please. For your own sake." Luca nodded and left the car quickly.

Luca stretched popping her back, shoulders, elbows and fingers once she hopped down from the cart that had picked them up at the train station and taken them out to the castle. The iron gates closed behind them. She blinked up at the large hedge maze that loomed over the four exorcists. Two wooden torches stood at the entrance along with pumpkins were spread around. The carved faces glowed with candlelight. Jack-o-lanterns is what they were called if she remember correctly.

"I may be wrong but last time I checked Frankenstein Castle was known for it's vineyards not creepy hedge mazes. Is there a way around it?" Lavi and Allen moved to look around at Luca's question but came back rather quickly. Lavi shook his head.

"It goes all the way to the wall." Luca sighed.

"There never is." She groaned.

"Looks like we're gonna have to go through it." Lenalee chirped.

Luca was less than thrilled causing her to mutter, "Whahoo." She glared at the greenery. It was mocking her. She could tell. "I swear I hate mazes. I didn't like them before but after that francba (damn) scarecrow she hated them.

"Well we won't get to the castle just standing around. Might as well go in." Lenalee took charge when Luca made it apparent that she was going to continue to sulk. Honestly the girl could be rather childish but then again General Cross had picked her up at age 7 so maybe she had a right to be like that once in a while.

"Yeah, it can't be that bad." Allen spoke causing all three heads to turn to him. Luca sighed.

"Somebody needs to stick to Allen like glue. Just in case we get separated. The rest of us should be fine but-" Allen cut her off.

"My sense of direction isn't that bad." The other two gave him a look while Luca rolled her eyes.

"Al, I love you dearly. You are my little brother and nothing will ever change that but you don't know East from North." He pouted but didn't argue because it was true he didn't. "So Lenalee why don't you and Allen stick together?" Lavi opened his mouth to protest but Luca stomped on his foot, hard. Digging the heel of her boot into his toes. He hissed and whimpered before clamping his mouth shut. She removed her foot. The pair nodded though she could see the light blush on the pair of pale cheeks. Lavi pouted at her but she ignored him. He could be so childish, which is why she liked older men. Was it due to her being raised by Cross or just her own personality? She didn't know and frankly didn't care. It wasn't a big deal. There weren't a lot of candidates and even fewer appealed to her. Yet one man did-NO! She was not going down that lane. No. Just no. Unaware that during her thoughts her right hand moved up to rub at the scar on her neck.

"Luca, does it still hurt?" Her eyes darted up from the ground to meet big dark ones.

"Oh no. I didn't realize..." she trailed off. It didn't take a genius to realize what she had been thinking about. It was hard not to. Lenalee frowned in concern. Luca shook her head. "Well let's get moving. Not going to get anywhere just standing here." The other nodded and together they stepped in. Suddenly something occurred to her. "Guys what happened to Lin-" The word died on her lips as she looked around and found herself alone. The others were gone. She whirled around, bushes where on either side and behind her. Face the way she had come she activated her innocence. The liquid solidified into a sword. Bringing the sword down she sliced away trying to get back through. No matter what she did, the branches just grew back as soon as she moved the sword. "Well that's just great." There was no where to go but following the path. She started walking. "Allen?" she called out and then waited a few minutes. She tried again but was still met with silence. She glared at the branches on either side of her. Luca reached over and tapped on Scor's tiny head, right between her horns. "Waky waky Scor. Connect to the others please." A bit disgruntled Scor took off from Luca's left shoulder to flutter in the air near Gambit who was in his place by her head. "Guys? Can you hear me?" she was met with only static. She groaned, "Oh that's right, magic tends to interfere with tech." She was getting sick of magical mazes. Granted she hadn't liked the first magical maze but this one was just ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. She eyed the jack-o-lantern that sat at the corner of the maze up ahead. Sighing she began walking, there was no point running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. Despite her crazy stamina it wouldn't do any good to waste energy. The others should be fine. Allen might get a little lost but they could find him just as easily. She glanced up at the golem sitting on her head. Gambit had even snuggled between her new uniform and cloak, hiding in the space between her shoulder and neck. Right by the bite mark which had scarred. A cold breeze blew through, chilling her down to the bone. Reaching back she tugged the hood of her cloak on allowing it to cast a shadow over her face and pulled her cloak around her tighter. She sulked in her hood as she moved down the pathway calling for her brother and friends every one in a while though she wasn't expecting a response.

She had lost track of the time she had spent just wandering the maze and the number of jack-o-lanterns she had seen. They were everywhere. She could swear that their eyes followed her everywhere she went. Every corner she turned there was at least another one. She didn't have anything to leave a trail with. Her pouches were full of weapons and snacks for Allen and Gambit as both tend to get grumpy and bitey when hungry. She was just starting to wonder if she should just find her way out and wait for her friends to do the same or continue looking for them when she saw a tall man with dark hair in a top hat. Her eyes grew wide. _No, that can't be him...could it? What's he doing here? Is he lost too? Can it really..._ , the thought trailed off as he disappeared around the corner. She picked up her pace so she wouldn't lose him. Every time she turned the corner he would turn another one. _There's no innocence here! The Earl should know that so why is he here?_ she started running as her mind raced. Her boots pounded on the dirt as she thundered down the path. She was finally catching up to him. She opened her mouth to call out to him when she felt it. A thick sickening air around him. Dark magic surrounded him like a dark dank fog. She backed away, any words she was going to say died on her lips. This was not Tyki no matter how much he looked like him. She took several steps back hoping he didn't see her. Whatever this was she didn't want to get involved. Not with magic as old as that. She realized her own stupidity. In her haste to chase down the man she missed so much she had neglected to notice that the maze was constantly shifting around her. Brambles and vines slithered around, changing the pathways around. How could she be so daft as to chase after something she didn't know. If she had even bothered to stop and actually feel his presence she would've known. She continued backing away until he spoke.

"Leaving so soon? I thought you wanted to see me with the way you were chasing after me?" He gripped the edge of his top hat to adjust it.

"I apologize sir, I thought you were somebody that I knew. I'll take my leave now." Her boots slid through the dirt soundlessly.

"Come now. You know it's me." He spoke teasingly as he turned around revealing playful gold eyes. She took several steps back.

"No, as a matter of fact I know that you are not who you want me to think it is." He chuckled.

"Of course I am." He tried again but she shook her head, no longer backing away. Something moved to her left. She turned to look at it. Words formed on the hedge wall.

"What does your heart desire?"

Keeping the fake in her peripheral vision she spoke to the bush, "What I desire you cannot give me. Who are you?" She could see the fake moving closer to her. The words shifted into old runes that Luca easily translated. After so many years it was almost completely automatic now. The fake twisted into brambles and thorns no long shaped like the Noah instead is grew several feet and lost the fake coloring. It towered over her though it's back was slightly hunched with long arms and wicked claws made of thorns. It's deep hollow eyes stared down at her. She had seen worse. Far worse.

"Desires never die." she snorted at the runes. She went to walk away only to find that brambles and vines had twisted around her feet and legs. Her leather boots were the only thing protecting her from the thorns.

"Release me." the order was calm and she stared into the hollow eyes with ease. "I never said it died. I said that you cannot give it to me. There is a difference. Who are you?" her voice never changed as she asked again for their name. They were powerful, she would give them that. What she couldn't understand was why here? Why would they choose to set up shop here? Perhaps they thought the rumors and legends would hide whatever it was that they were doing? There was no innocence as she had predicted. No it was magic. Old magic. Older than the Order itself. Extraordinarily old magic. In truth the magic in question was ancient and not to be tampered with. Yet here they were. She groaned in her head.

"What you desire is here." Luca snorted again.

"That's impossible" Her gaze never left it's eyes. "Now identify yourself. Who are you?"

"You desire your friends and the one your heart yearns for." Slowly the bramble monster stepped aside removing the restraints from her legs and held out one arm point down the trail with a single clawed finger. Two pathways open up to a V. "Choose one now." She kept her face blank though she did glance down each path to inspect them. They were identical in appearance giving no indication on which one lead to which. She turned back to face the monster and hedge with the runes that burned like fire yet did no damage to the bush itself.

"I know not of what you speak of. My heart does not yearn." She answered simply. She did her best to be calm and adapt the carefree uninterested attitude her Master used.

"Never show them any fear, no matter if you are terrified or not. Always keep your head on your shoulders and your wits about you." Her master's words rang in her head.

"You are very brave little one. I admire your resolve. However please do not lie to me." She raised an eyebrow at the runes.

"What do you mean by that?" Instead of answering her the brambles by the monster's feet reached into the shrubbery slowly and pulled a top hat from within. This time she couldn't suppress her surprise. It looked like one of his. The brambles laid the top hat at her feet. She couldn't help her own curiosity and bent down to pick up the hat. She inspected it closer all while the bramble monster didn't move. Instead it seemed content to just watch her. The hat was certainly from the same place as the rest of his. The ribbon was a deep royal purple.

"Are you sure? You seem to be paying a good deal of attention to a hat that you would never wear. It does not belong to your friends. So why do you care about it so much?" She glared up at the monster and then let it slide from her features.

"Maybe I like to collect top hats. I have several even though I don't wear them." A breeze blew though carrying a laugh on the air. She couldn't place the gender just based on the chuckle or the wording.

"Only when they are from him. You can lie to yourself and your friends. You can laugh it off and claim that it's just for fun. But you never can run from nor hide what you feel from my eyes. I can see into your very soul." Luca raised an eyebrow. _See my soul? Whoever this is sorcerer or sorceress is they are tampering with things they don't understand. Souls are not meant to be seen or messed with. It was why the Earl's crimes are considered so heinous_ , she kept that thought to herself.

"How do I know which way is which? Do I just choose randomly and hope it's the one I want?" She questioned diverting the conversation away from her soul and the stains it bore. They were nothing that she wanted to share with anyone else never mind some shady sorcerer, though sorceress was more likely, who wouldn't even show themselves or give their name. A single firefly floated from the empty place in the bramble monster's chest. It landed on the hat for a moment and then floated down the right path. She looked at the firefly which floated back to her and then down the path again.

"Choose your path now." She walked to the fork in the road slowly. She glanced back just in time to see the monster nod at her once before it melded back into the brambles of the hedge becoming one again. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to decide which path to take. No matter what she said to the maze itself she did want to see him. She cared for him far more than she should and wanted to be with him. She glanced at the firefly one more time and then down to the hat. The fabric of it was soft to the touch. Her heart sank and she walked to the entrance of the right path. Taking a deep breath she placed the hat back on the ground gently and went down the left path, knowing that she could not abandon Allen and her friends so selfishly for something that would never come to be. He could never be hers. She could never be allowed to want him even if she already did. This was a really shitty way to spend her birthday. She had forgotten that it was her birthday when she had first awoken. Apparently so had Allen. It didn't matter much. It was really just another day.

She had been wandering down the left path for a while, it lit by fireflies and tall wooden standing torches. She had yet to see either her brother or her friends despite what the shrubbery had said. Had it lied to her? She couldn't believe that she was contemplating in a bush had lied to her or not. Her boots moved her silently across the ground carrying her through the ridiculous magical maze. She look left and she look right, peeking over her shoulders every now and then. Despite her best efforts she still found herself half expecting another scarecrow to leapt out of the bushes and reign its terror on her again. She shivered, that was not something she had enjoyed. She hadn't gotten over the last encounter...although she had to admit she got some enjoyment out of it and a pretty hat too. But now was not the time for that nor should she continue thinking of him. There was no point in it nor did it accomplish anything. She glared as she walked around the corner only to come to face to face with another jack-o-lantern. It acted as the head for a scarecrow. She jumped back and then glared at it. She was so tempted to smash it. She raised her her hand clenching it into a fist to do just that when she saw that it was wearing the top hat. Frowning she snatched the hat from jack-o-lantern. She was about to smash it again now angrier than before when she heard a rustling around the corner. Slinking around the jack-o-lantern she moved to the corner silently.

"Harlequin, activate." her hushed whisper caused the liquid to slide from it's place down to her arms into her gauntlets. She placed her back against the wall and peeked around the corner. Something dark was moving. She inched around the corner until she was faced with a bramble monster. For a moment both stood still, neither willing to make the first move. Something moved behind it and she leaned to look around it. Letting out an ear piercing shriek it swung it's arm at her intending to tear her face off with it's wicked claws. Luca ducked out of the way and then staggered, having thrown herself off balance in the process. Ducking under another swipe she shot forward off the hedge she had fallen into to swing around and attack it's open side. The bramble ribs splintered and then cracked under the strength of the her punch. The creature howled in pain and whirled to face her only for her right hook to connect with it's face. Grabbing it's arm she twisted it around before yanking it clean off. Grinning she used it like a club to beat the monster repeatedly. It screeched and howled in pain and rage. Jumping up she shoved the arm through it's face, blinding it. The bramble creature flailed around, swinging it's good arm wildly in an attempt to get her. Taking notice of a strange lump in it's chest she shot forward, shoving her arm through it's rib cage, her arm protected from the thorns by her gauntlets, and ripped the beating heart from it's chest. It fell to the ground, dead. She took several deep breathes as she stared at the strange heart made of bramble and thorns. She dropped it no longer interested in it. She looked up to see what was still moving. A second creature, the same as the first, was hunched over something. Her eyes widened when she saw what it was.

Lenalee lay on the ground with blood spilling from the gaping wound on her neck she whimpered, "Help me, Luca." The beast feasting on her flesh and blood.

"No!" She shot over and smashed her fist into the monster's face with such force that it decapitated the creature and sent the head flying off it's shoulder and down the long corridor, it's body slumped over her friend's. She shoved the thorny body off of her friend. "Lenalee!" kneeling by her friend she immediately placed her hand over the wound in an attempt to stop the blood flow. It didn't help much, instead the blood just flowed over and between her fingers. She applied more pressure to the wound. "Just hold on, you're gonna be okay." She couldn't tell if she reassuring her friend or herself. Lenalee reached up towards her face before her eyes went dull and the hand fell back. Luca did her best to blink away her tears.

"Lenalee? Lenalee? Lenalee answer me!" Luca struggled to keep her wits about her but her chest ached as she tried to rouse her friend. Giving up the Hungarian sat back on her heels and tried not to sob. Her friend was dead and she had failed to save her. She wiped away her tears furiously with her hands, her gloves absorbing the liquid. Suddenly the body of her friend shot up, hands Wrapping around her throat and cutting off her air supply. She struggled to remove the cold fingers constricting her windpipes.

"Why didn't you save me Luca? I trusted you! You could've saved me." She continued to claw at the hands. She needed air. She couldn't even argue with the...she wasn't even sure what to call it or if it was even her friend.

Loosening the grip a little she managed to choke out, "Invoke, Level 2: Harbinger. Strike, Nightmare's Mark." the lighting shot forward frying her assailant. She gasped as she managed to pull away. Eyes wide, her chest heaved her lungs desperate to regain the lost oxygen. Lenalee fell apart turning into burnt shrubbery. Not waiting to see if the fake was actually dead or not Luca shot up to her feet, turned on her heel and ran. Her two golems flew after her doing their best to keep up with their fleeing mistress. Her boot thundered down the path, she had no idea where she was or where she was going only that she had to get away. The fear and adrenaline pumped through her veins as her mind whirled, desperate to figure out what had just happened and if it had all been real or not. Flying around the another blind corner she collided with a warm body. A quick glance at the aura said it was human that was all that mattered. Throwing her arms around them she began to sob into their chest.

Tyki wandered through the maze completely and utterly lost. Why the hell did he keep getting sent on these missions? He couldn't answer. Perhaps the Earl just secretly hated him and this was his way of punishing him for existing? That was probably not true, but the thought did occur to him. He didn't understand the maze at all, not to mention that the jack-o-lanterns were really starting to creep him out. They reminded him a bit too much of that damn scarecrow from the last maze he was lost in. He really was starting to get sick of mazes. Oh wait he was already sick of them. He hadn't liked it the first time he had been lost in one. He didn't understand them at all. Who saw joy in getting lost on purpose? He certainly didn't. _Now all I need is for Butterfly to come thundering around the corner and running me over and the experience will be complete_ , he snorted. As if summoned by his thoughts, a body came flying around the corner and crashed into him. Arms wrapped around his torso and the person started crying. Shocked he looked down only to find a mess of black curls.

"Butterfly?" he almost stuttered the question, he was completely shocked. What was wrong with her. She was sobbing. "Hey," she didn't answer him. "hey," he tried again. Sighing he wrapped an arm around her while the other began to pet her hair slowly trying to calm her as best as he could. He wracked his brain for what could have possibly set her off in such a way. She hadn't reacted this way when he had almost killed her brother. No that was cold hard fury. Fury he had yet to see again. What had caused her to cry? He had never seen her cry, not once. "Sshhh, shhh, shhhh" he looked up as the sound of something shuffling down the path she had just come from. His eyes widened as a monster made of brambles shambled around the corner. Half of it was burnt and falling apart. The part that wasn't destroyed looked like her friend. Her Chinese friend, who had been unable to fight, the girl that the Earl had thought was the heart. The monster moved closer and opened it's mouth.

"Luca," the monster called drawing out the girl's name. "I thought you were my friend. How could you attack me like that? I trusted you." Luca clung to him tighter and she sobbed harder. Glaring coldly at the monster he lifted his hand from her head and fired a blast of dark matter destroying the head causing the body to crumple to the ground. He went back to petting her hair until she calmed down. Eventually she stopped crying though she didn't let go. He continued to pet her hair while rubbing circles on her back.

"It's gone now. It's okay. It wasn't really her." It was all he could think of to say to her. It had to be what had upset her in the first place. "Come now, Butterfly. It's okay now." He felt her shoulders shake. _Was she crying again? Did he screw it up somehow?_ he panicked internally. He had been trying to comfort her.

"We've got to stop meeting like this. It's starting to get ridiculous." she giggled softly. He sighed now that he knew she wasn't crying again.

"You know if you wanted to see me so much you could've just found an akuma or written me a letter instead of growing a giant maze and ticking off the Earl again." She left go and punched him in the stomach and began to wipe her tears away with the back of her hand.

"Jerk. Just shut up." He groans but she's smiling again so perhaps it's worth the pain she's inflicting.

"What? I'm just saying. You're the only one I've seen since I got here. And I can't find my way out. I even tried your little trick and I'm still here." She snorted as she finished wiping the tears away.

"It's a magical maze, My Love. The walls move." He blinked at her a couple of times.

"You've got to be kidding!" he groaned causing her to laugh some more. "That's cheating." She giggled even more when she saw that he was pouting though she knew from her experience with men and their silly pride he would never admit to pouting or call it frowning or scowling like her Master. She once again began to question if her Master and the fact that he raised her had anything to do with her interest in the Noah before her. She shook the thought away in favor of another comment.

"But you wouldn't have the luxury of my company." She grinned at him while he rubbed his sore stomach. It ached, but the punch certainly hadn't been at full strength, or even half strength. It had been halfhearted at best. He snorted at her.

"And here I was foolishly believing that a luxury was something you enjoyed." He smirked as she made an offended noise and then pouted at him. She opened her mouth to respond when the ground began to shake. Luca grabbed on to him to keep from falling. He steadied her. "Why do I have a feeling that I don't want to know what that was?" He asked glancing at her warily. She gave a sigh though she did smirk.

"Because you probably don't. It never seems to be a good thing. Especially because the entire ground shook." she explained as she stood up on her own again. She took a deep breath.

"Are we alone?"

She smirked up at him and moved a step closer with each word she spoke, "Why? Would you like us to be?" He made a face at her which only made her giggle all the more.

"Are you going to keep doing that to me or what?" She laughed lightly at his question.

"If it really bothers you then I'll stop and try to behave myself." she began walking in the opposite direction that she and the faux Lenalee had come from.

"I'm not sure you know how to or even the meaning of the word behave." he snorted as he trailed after her. He had no idea where they were going or what was even going on. Just decided to follow Butterfly who was walking away without him. Again. He did his best to hide the fact that he had picked up his pace so they could walk together again. They wandered down the pathways again in silence. He wondered if she had been offended by something he had said again. He ran through their conversation again in his head. _Maybe she was just embarrassed because she cried in front of him? Did that bother women? Wait, since when was Butterfly like most other women? Would the same rules even apply to her?_ His thoughts continued to swirl around the girl who continued to confuse him and his feelings. He continued to question what was going on all the while glancing over at her. She froze suddenly. "What? What is it?" He looked around but didn't see anything.

"Can you hear it?" Her voice was soft but he understood the importance of it. Freezing he listened closely for a moment.

"Is that," he paused listening to it again. "Is that hoof beats?" she nodded.

"Yeah that's what it sounds like to me too. What I can't figure out is how the hell do you get a horse into a maze and then get it to run. Anyway I think we better keep moving. Out running a horse in such tight quarters would not be fun." he nodded at her words. The sounds were coming from behind them. They picked up their pace but the hoof beats continued to get louder and closer.

"Can we just go through the maze?" He asked. She eyed the walls warily.

"You might be able to. I can't. It regrows as soon as it's cut. I can't do anything against the walls. I already tried to cut my way through but it didn't have an effect as I said earlier. I'm not sure I would try it if I were you. This is magic not innocence so you probably could go through it but it might not let you go if it does get it's roots on you. This is dangerous magic." He was surprised by the seriousness of her tone. She wasn't joking around this time.

"Well then I guess I'll stick with you until then. Is that what's got you on edge?" She took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh.

"I didn't realize that it was that obvious. This magic, yes it's putting me on edge. The hair on my arms and neck are standing on end. It hasn't stopped since I stepped into the maze. Not to mention that my friends are in here somewhere and I can't feel their auras. Which is highly concerning." He rested his hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. I don't think anything could kill your brother and he wouldn't let anything happen to your friends. If anything they are all probably worried about you and your lack of self care. Seriously you don't take your own health into consideration at all." he huffed though it was in a rather affectionate way. He reached over and ruffled her messy hair which she smacked away.

"Knock that off. My hair is messy enough as it is. I don't need any extra help." He snorted.

"It's very hard to take you seriously when you pout Butterfly. It's just so cute." She glared at him and lunged causing him to take his cue to run for his life.

"Te fasz (You dick)! Baszódj meg (Get fucked)!" He started laughing as he ran with her thundering after him. He glanced over his shoulder at her every so often.

"I have no idea what you are saying but I get the feeling I should be offended." She smiled evilly though he felt more like she was showing him her teeth rather than being friendly.

"I'll translate for you. Come here and I'll whisper it in your ear." He laughed some more.

"The last thing I'm going to do is let you anywhere near my flesh. With that look you remind me of the teez. I'd lose my ear if I tried to do that." Her smile didn't change and her speed picked up. Eyes widening he sped around the corner only to skid to a stop. A huge horse stood in front of him. It huffed in his face. Luca came around the corner and ran straight into his back. He did his best not to allow her momentum shove him forward. "Back away slowly." She drew the word yes into his back and stepped back as silently as she could. He followed her but the for every step they took backwards, the horse took one forward.

"Does it have a head?" Tyki glanced back at her over his shoulder.

"Of course it has a head. How do you think it's glaring at me?" he hissed out of the corner of his mouth. She rolled her eyes.

"I meant the rider." He paused taking a quick look at her again. She was looking up at him through her eyelashes clinging to the back of his jacket.

"I didn't mention a rider. How did you know it had one?" Luca stood on her tiptoes to look over Tyki's shoulder. Her eyes drifted from the black coat of the horse to black armor and long red cape before finally drifting up to where the pumpkin sat in place of a head.

"I've read a book like this once." This time he actually stopped and turned around to look at her.

"What?"

"I read a book like this once. It's called the Legend of Sleepy Hollow." she shrugged at him helplessly. The horseman raised his arm, the sword gleaming in the light from it's jack-o-lantern head.

Eyes wide she grabbed him by his hand and yanked him down the corridor, "Run!" she could hear the horse thundering after her.

"What happened in the story?" She didn't let go of his hand, taking as many quick and suddenly sharp turns as she could knowing that the horse would have to slow down to take them. They were skidding and sliding around too.

"The love story part isn't important. When the headless horseman or the lovely gentleman we have behind us shows up he's chasing a man called Ichabod Crane through a forest. He wants Ichabod's head because he can't find his own or it's destroyed. He was a hessian soldier who died when a cannon ball took his head off. He doesn't care who's it is. As long as he gets a head he will be happy." she explained darting down another pathway. The horse missed the smaller opening. She could hear it neigh angrily as it went around.

"What happened?" She met his gaze for only a moment before taking a sharp left turn.

"In the morning all they found was Ichabod's horse and hat along with a smashed pumpkin. Nobody ever saw Ichabod again. Most assumed he lost his head." She skid to a stop. The horse and it's rider were right in front of her. Tyki wrapped his arms around her and yanked her through the hedge into the other pathway and out of the sword's reach. Some of her hair was left in her wake. Sliced from her head. "That felt weird." He shrugged.

"You get used to it." He hadn't even thought about it when he phased through the bush just taking her with him. She was still held close, pressed against his chest. He looked down at her. "How was Ichabod suppose to get away from the horseman?" She leaned back to look up at him and meet his gold eyes.

"There was a bridge that marked the end of the hollow I think and the horseman couldn't get past that. I don't know it the same applies here or not. Maybe if we got out of the maze but I don't know how since the maze keeps changing. Maybe there's a special bridge we need to find?" she shrugged. He raised an eyebrow.

"Your suggestion for this is to wander around looking for a magical bridge in a magical maze?" She rolled her eyes at him.

"I know it sounds silly but so does bringing a horse into a maze or using a pumpkin in place of your missing head but that's happening here too. Normal rules don't apply here, My Love." He sighed, _Why does everything have to be so confusing and complicated? None of this makes any sense but she's right I guess._ Luca slid from his arms and he immediately missed her, she tugged him down the path as he thought.

"I give up. Ever since I met you weirder and weirder things happen when I am around you. I didn't have these kinds of things happening to me before you. It was nice and peaceful. Sure there were exorcists but I knew how to deal with them. This not so much. I don't understand bushes that attack people or zombies or-" she cuts in.

"Those were more like revenants than zombies My Love. I was just so tired that I couldn't think of the correct word at the moment. But for now we need to get to the castle. Preferably with our heads intact." At those words the brambles all around them began to take shape, forming into huge monsters for a moment then shrunk into the bodies of Allen, Lenalee, Lavi, and Link. Luca took a step back from one in fear. Pained panic began to spread through her body as her heart clenched tightly. One of them that looked like Allen jumped her. A blast of dark matter shot it away.

"It's not really them. They're just doing it to get inside your head. Don't let them. It's going to be okay." Tyki whispered softly into her ear. Taking a deep breath she looked at them again.

"You're right. Thanks." She reached up on her tip toes again and kissed his cheek before attacking. "Activate! Harlequin!" Tyki stood frozen for a moment and just watched her start tearing them limb form limb. The fact that they had taken the forms of her friends seem to piss her off now that she wasn't seeing the real them again. He smirked as she ripped the head clean off of one. It was a rather attractive sight. He just barely ducked out of the way of razor sharp claws.

"Perhaps I should pay attention to you huh?" The fake Allen didn't say anything just swung at him again. "You know the real version is far more interesting. At least he answers me. Even if it is just righteous stuff. He's always fun to be around." He snorted blasting it away. The red haired one was even more fun. Not as much fun as Butterfly was but fun. He was pretty emotional for a bookman. He swayed out of the way of all the spiked hammer's swings. Ducking underneath another one he ripped the heart out and watched it fall to pieces before turning to another one. He vaguely heard Luca unleash her second release.

Luca smashed another head in before using it as a springboard to kick another head off. She was no longer looking at the faces or coloring of them. If she didn't see who it was it didn't bother her. Tyki was right and it wasn't the real ones. They weren't her real friends and brother and now she was angry. She hated that feeling. That cold clawing at her heart. Hyde banging on the door. Begging to be let out to protect her from having to harm her friends. Hyde continued to whisper sweet words of black bliss of her embrace. She shook it away. The numbers continued to grow. Anything she destroyed just grew into a different face and attacked again. She glanced over her shoulder to check up on Tyki. He seemed to be enjoying ripping the hearts out. She shook her head. Her love had a few issue but he was so cute when he was this gleeful and it wasn't hurting her like this. She dodged another swipe and glared at it. Ripping the arm from the body she shoved the claws through it's own chest, shredding the heart apart. She had to silently agree with the Noah this was a bit fun. She chuckled. Allen and Lenalee would be horrified at the mere thought of doing it never mind enjoying it. She glanced down at her gauntlets.

"Get off the ground!" Tyki glanced back at her due to the strangeness of the order but upon seeing her green gauntlets he launched himself into the sky out of harms way. "Strike, Nightmare's Mark!" She slammed her fist into the ground releasing the energy. The green fire raged across the path consuming everything within it's reach. He watched as the bramble creatures tried to outrun the fire with little success. He knew from experience that the fire was almost impossible to run away from as it was but in such a small space there wasn't anywhere for them to run. They tripped over themselves and each other and acted like people in general. He raised an eyebrow at that. It was odd. He landed on the ground when the fire disappeared. Luca glanced around. "Well I guess that in the end fire is always the answer." she chuckled a bit.

"Why IS that your answer to everything?" She laughed as he walked over to her.

"Dunno. I just really like fire. It's fun to watch and it just mesmerizes me so. I remember watching the fire when I was little while my mom told me stories and just watching the flames lick at each other and the wood was fascinating in general. It always has been." she shrugged then looked around. "Hey I bet we could set fire to these bushes. I think hedges burn rather easily." She grinned looking at them. Tyki sighed at the gleam that appeared in her eyes. She was still taking their deceit pretty personal. He dug into his pocket.

"I got matches." He pulled the box out and offered it to her. Her grin grew and he wished he had a camera as she reached out for the box. Vines wrapped around their ankles and flung them from the maze. They landed in a tangled heap around the corner from the entrance of the maze. Tyki's mind flashed back to the corn maze and was suddenly glad for his dark skin and the low light of the jack-o-lanterns. Finally they managed to separate.

"I don't think they want us around anymore." He chuckled at her joke a bit. Her friends voices could be heard outside the maze.

"I told you they would be fine. They're looking for you. I guess I can't keep you all to myself then? Maybe I should just steal you away and keep you all to myself. I think I'd like that." She smiled at him, her innocence deactivating and winding back up under her sleeves. Any other time he would've laughed at an exorcist foolish enough to put their weapon away in his presence but it was different with her.

"Allen wouldn't stop until he knew I was safe." Tyki looked offended.

"You'd be safe with me." Luca's pale cheeks went red.

"I suppose though I'll just have to settle for this for now." Without anymore warning he pulled her to him and captured her lips with his. Her eyes slid shut and she kissed him back, winding her arms around his neck while his wrapped around her waist. For a moment everything was perfect. He was gone as soon as she pulled away, having vanished though the ground to avoid a fight with the other exorcists.

Luca reached up and touched her lips gently as she spoke, "Jerk." Sighing she turned around and stepped out of the maze. She was immediately hugged by both Allen and Lenalee. Lavi patted her on the back reassuringly. She smiled at him over her brother's shoulder. "I'm okay guys. It just took me a while to find my way out. I guess I went in really deep looking for you." The others pulled away.

"I'm glad you're alright Lu." Allen spoke. Lenalee nodded.

"We were really worried. The maze tossed all three of us out and we couldn't get back in. We've been waiting for you ever since." Luca nodded though she did glance back at the maze. She could use magic. That's why she had been able to get in. If that was the case, why had Tyki been there? She glanced around.

"Hey guys, where's Link?" The entire group fell quiet.

* * *

 **And that is the end of part 1! Part two will be out sometime before the end of November. I won't tell you when because that wouldn't be any fun. Gotta keep you all on your toes! See you next week and Happy Halloween! Chesh is out~!**


	30. The Choices You Make

**Well I'm late again but I don't think anybody is surprised by this but I do have a good excuse, well for part of it. Sorta. So part of it was that this chapter was very taxing on me to write emotionally (Which you can blame Yule for because it's all her fault) and the second reason was my mother fell and injured herself which made everything much more exciting than before. Anyway, last week we had a special chapter for Halloween/Luca's birthday! So any reviews pertaining to that chapter will be answered in the part 2 of that arc, so hang in there. Following such rules I will be answering the reviews from chapter 28! Also if you go to my profile I have created a poll for you to all vote on what should happen when I run out of canon plot to work with! I look forward to the results so please don't forget to vote! Also I have a discord server that I share with WinterYule. I can't post the link because it doesn't work but this is me:** **Cheshire#7475** **come find me and I'll happily add you to the server! One last thing that I keep meaning to mention but I keep forgetting. You may have noticed several weeks ago that suddenly a bunch of the Hungarian changed! I reached out to somebody in the fandom who speaks Hungarian for proper translations so all of this is correct Hungarian, not something I pulled from Google Translate. I've missed several so if they suddenly change don't be startled! Also don't forget to check out D. Gray-Land by WinterYule (** **"Qin!," Alma glomped onto me, his tears seeping into my shirt "Yu is being mean again!" Sighing, I patted him, aware that a mini-Kanda glaring holes into my back. When I died, I never expected to wind up in this crazy world, much less as a Second Exorcist. Life certainly has a way of playing cruel pranks on me. Oh well, at least there's no homework. Slightly AU. OC-insert. ) she's a good friend and an excellent writer! She inspires me to be better! Now onto the reviews!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, I'm glad you thought it was awesome. It's one of my favorite arcs. Filled with fun and adventure and zombies always make things more interesting. Leave it to Komui to create a zombie apocalypse while trying to save the world. If it makes you feel any better it's been raining up here for the last several days too. So I feel your pain. Luca's mother has her roll to play, trust me. Also no way! They are my favorite flower too. I always want something a bit more interesting and exciting. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Kp, That's alright! I can do something like the Halloween special, so let me know if that's a good starting place and we can go from there! Hope you like the chapter!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, Thank you so much for your understanding and patience. All my readers have been so nice about my terrible time management skills. While it might be a few chapters before they meet in canon story again you are going to ave several bonus chapters that they will see each other so it won't be that bad will it? I hope you enjoyed the Halloween special and will enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear EverlastingXTC, Yeah it has. I'm thrilled to know that even though I haven't been hearing from you regularly you still love the chapters. And yes Luca really does need some stress relief or something like a vacation buuuuuuuuut that's not gonna happen. Sorry~! Sorta. Thanks for the encouragement! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Mara-chan, Your high praise had me blushing like mad. I felt like the Queen of hearts! I do hope that I continue to keep you on the edge of your seat but Dear please don't ignore your mother, well if you do don't let her know you're doing it because of me, moms can be scary. Hahaha! All of the answers to your questions shall be revealed in due time. Yes I love Gambit too. He's a twit but if I could have one of my own I totally would. Yes I try to update every Tuesday though it, like today, usually ends up being on early Wednesday morning. Anyway it happens once a week in the beginning of the middle of the week. Poor Tyki he did NOT see that coming. She has a habit of teasing him. And yeah Cross adores Luca and Allen and can be a bit of a dork about them in the safety of his own mind. Luca's name was one of the first thing I knew about her. The moment I heard it I fell in love and I knew it was her name. And seriously stop it. I'm already blushing. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear WinterYule, Yule Dear you may want to hide. I did tell that that this chapter is your fault and it is true. Anyhoo~ Don't worry about not catching the hints. One of the hints with her mother is just an odd word out of place that will make sense later on. My beta didn't catch it until I told them the secret of it. No the little ghost girl doesn't have anything to do with Luca's mother. Yes her mother's name is in that list of Komui's. Yes normally she would laugh but she's is indeed in a mood. Gonna be that way for a while. Unfortunately for Allen, Luca has Scor with her which meant his short lived romance with the robot was recorded and will be used against him at a later date. Poor boy can't catch a break. Yes you should fear her drinking. She learned from the best (read: worst) and is now following in his footsteps. Good going Cross! Excellent teaching. The road ahead of our star-crossed lovers is not going to be an easy one you are right about that! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear B-chan, First off is it okay if I keep calling you this? I think it's cute! I was completely ecstatic to see that somebody understood the meaning behind the flowers Tyki sent Luca! Yule helped a great deal figure out number and type of flower he should send her. It also turned out to be my favorite flower which was even better! Did you know that stuff or did you research it? Yes Tyki should probably be wary because Luca does indeed have a shrinking potion and she just knows that he'd look absolutely adorable like that. I have actually promised Yule a bonus chapter where we explore Luca's demonic potion and the effects it has on her so look forward to that! The what if scene was sad. I felt a bit mean doing that to her but I also thought it was sweet. Hmmm, worried about Luca and Harlequin's**

 **synchronization** **rate are we? Interesting, very interesting indeed. I would like to apologize Luca's mother's name is not Indra Dhalstr0m. It wasn't meant to be in italics. I screwed up somehow but you are right her mother's name is in that list somewhere! As for your second theory well, sorta right and sorta wrong. Keep guessing! As for what is up with Harlequin we are getting closer to the big reveal. You are close to the right track but not quite there yet! As for your questions, I don't think so. Tyki has never used the teez to spy on people before. I don't think they have the ability otherwise he would've know that Allen's arm reformed back in China so I'm going to go with no. As for your second question, read on my friend and find out!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, Yeah Luca's been getting the short end of the stick lately. Keeps getting manhandled wherever she goes, much to her chagrin. Tyki's reaction to re announcement is my secret for now. You never know what might come up in conversation later on down the road ;D DING DING DING! You win! You have correctly identified Luca's mother! That is her name and the meaning is also correct. However there's more to her than meets the eye and Cross knows more than he's saying. Luca will tell about her father later. You must have patience my dear but I am so very glad that you are asking so many questions. I'm having such a hard time containing my thoughts. I just want to tell you everything. Luca has indeed swiped some potion. Let's just say that her maiden name fit her rather well. Recreational purposes, I love the way you worded that. It sounds so much nicer than what she would call it. She'll have to use that later. And I do agree Poor Tyki, he won't know what hit him and won't be able to escape if she manages to hug him. I highly doubt that Tyki will get to voice his opinion on his miniature form because Luca won't care. She thinks it's cute and that's what matters. And yes Tyki really missed his chance with her horns but don't worry everyone deserves a second chance. ;) I would suggest you be on the look out for the chapter titled Run Devil Run. Luca is going to regret a lot of things. Trust me. Yes Luca is starting to miss him and yes the flowers were a rather bold move? He's actually putting in some effort. You'll find out later why he sent her the flowers as for your question on Gambit, I don't think so. Tyki has never used the teez to spy on people before. I don't think they have the ability otherwise he would've know that Allen's arm reformed back in China so I'm going to go with no. Also your comment on Allen made me laugh. Allen is always worrying about Luca. Now he's just more worried. XD His sister has so self control and what's more is she doesn't see the problem. Allen yelling at Tyki had me laughing so hard I fell out of my chair. If it's okay with you I may just use that some day! The Noah family will be making an appearance next canon chapter so be on the look out! Enjoy!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, My beloved 15** **th** **you are the only reason I look forward to Mondays. I can't wit to hear from you. As my first reviewer you will always hold a special place in my heart! Yes I loved that arc and the robots normally entertain Luca but she's been having a bad week? Probably longer. Honestly she's lost count. She's not very good at paying attention to things when she's in a mood. I do promise that the demon potion and demon Luca will return! I can't answer any of your questions as all will be revealed in time. Know this, Luca's mother's name is not Eve. Her middle name being Eve comes from something else, or should I say somebody else. Enjoy that chapter My Dear!**

* * *

It had taken Luca several minutes to calm Allen down. She reached over and placed the vase of flowers on the nightstand. He glared at them unhappily but his gaze turned mournful when he saw the bandages around her hand and wrist.

"Stop making that face. Right now." Allen pouted.

"Wasn't making a face." Luca snorted in response to her brother.

"Yes you are. You're doing it right now. It's just a bite. I'm fine. You know Head Nurse can get overzealous with the bandages. You weren't yourself and if you really want to blame somebody blame Komui. He's the idiot that made the francba (damn) virus in the first place." Allen sighed and sat down.

"How can you be okay with those?" he nodded his head at the vase sitting innocently. She smiled at them.

"What? I think they're really pretty. They're my favorite kind of flowers. Normal roses are boring but these ones have stripes." Allen groaned.

"That's not what I meant. He sent you flowers. He knows where you are. Isn't that creepy?" Luca snorted in response.

"Allen Lulu Bell attacked us maybe a week ago. Of course they know where we are. That's why we're moving. So no it's really not creepy." Allen sighed again. He seemed to be doing that a lot he realized. He watched as she turned to look at them. She had almost dropped the vase before it reached the nightstand. It was almost like she misjudged the distance and they way she had craned her neck all the way around was weird. Something was up with her but whatever it was she wasn't inclined to share it. Allen let out another sigh and let the flowers go. She wouldn't come to see it his way. _I'll just have to keep an eye on her. I won't let him hurt her. Even if I have to break every single bone he has in his body limb by limb if I have to_ , Allen really wished that the last thought that had crossed his mind wouldn't come to pass.

"A mission?" Lavi asked curiously, tilting his head to the side.

"But we still haven't completed the move, is this really the time, Brother?" Lenalee questioned just as surprised as the other three in the room with her.

"I know that we're trying to lay low but this piece of innocence desperately needs to be picked up. The attack on headquarters was bold, we can't afford to lose anymore pieces. It should be a quiet mission." She nodded at her brother's words even if she was still worried about Allen and something was up with Luca. She just wasn't sharing it. Despite the Hungarian's best efforts she wasn't hiding it as well as she thought she was. The Chinese girl couldn't figure out why her friend kept falling over or running into things but it was still bad. It had been happening since the level 4 had attacked. Scor and Gambit, she was pretty sure that was the name of the strange butterfly like thing that kept following Luca around that she was pretty sure the Noah Tyki Mikk had given her which disturbed her, had been helping the girl as much as they could but they couldn't cover everything and could only try to reestablish balance of the girl but some times she was too far gone and still fell over. Said girl was standing by the left wall of Komui's office, leaning against it with her arms crossed. She seemed so far away. What was the girl hiding and why wouldn't she let her friends help. Lenalee could tell that the Hungarian wasn't listening to Komui at all. Not hearing a single word that left the Chinese man's lips. Her green eyes were glazed over, like they were when she was deep in thought. Her mind had been preoccupied since they returned home from locating General Cross and what had happened in the ark. Just how attached was she to that Noah? Her hands clenched into fists shook and she chewed on her lip at the mere thought of the ark and the events that had transpired in it. She still did not understand her friend's reasoning, no matter how she looked at it. She had done nothing against Tyki but was willing to fight Lavi. Why had Lavi been an easier fight? Was Tyki really worth more to her than Lavi? Lavi was their friend. Her head spun as she tried to unravel her friend. It was only when Luca pushed off the wall did she realized that they were heading out.

"Luca, a word please?" The Hungarian turned around slightly to stare at her supervisor who had spoken to her.

"Debauchery." The entire group blinked at her in confusion.

"Excuse me?" Komui questioned stuttering slightly.

Luca smirked but explained anyway, "Debauchery, excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures. So basically the opposite of Link." Her smirk grew as the blond man muttered under his breath. She reveled in getting under his skin.

"Yes but what does that have to do with anything?" Komui was still confused.

"You asked for a word. There's your word." The Chinese man's head hit the desk upon the explanation. Link snorted.

"Really Walker must you turn everything into a circus? Grow up. You're an exorcist. It's time to be an adult now." She turned to him, smirk dropping in favor of a frown. She had been the only one to see Allen wince when he said circus. It had been years yet it still bore a stain on Allen's mind and heart. He would never forget that he had been sold to a circus. That somebody thought he belonged there. She wanted to throw something at the Central dog's head but with her vision the way it was, she'd miss or hit one of the others. They would know something was up in an instant. Allen and Lenalee already suspected something. She knew from the moment it happened that Lavi and Bookman were onto her. Lavi probably hadn't pinned down what was wrong but he knew she was injured at the very least. She could throttle him though. She didn't need depth perception for that.

"Link you're in public, get that stick out of your ass. This is no time to be kinky." she matched her tone to the stern one he had used. Lenalee gasped slapping her hands over her mouth. Allen groaned and slapped a hand over his face. Lavi and Komui's mouths dropped as they just stared at her. Link went red in the face before turning a lovely shade of purple. It was a very nice shade and suited the inspector quite well in Luca's opinion. She could almost see the steam coming out of his ears. Now all that needed to happen was his head exploding.

"Walker! That is highly inappropriate! This is going in my report!" Link continued to sputter angrily while the rest of the room tried to get their brains to work again. Clearly they were hearing things and the girl hadn't really sad that, had she?"

"Sure, if it makes you feel better. That rohadék (bastard) Lvellie already knows that I've got a great sense of humor, but whatever it's your report." She shrugged, clearly very pleased with herself.

"Luca please stop upsetting Link." Komui sighed before looking at the others. "You may go pack for the mission. I'd like a w-" The Chinese man caught himself before the girl pulled out another word like the earlier one. "I'd like to speak with Luca for a moment." They nodded though Allen stayed. "Alone." Allen's head dropped but he left the room after a nudge from Link. Luca sighed but kept her gaze even. She had long since mastered the way of masking her face. It was remarkable how much she looked like her Master. While she held no physical resemblance to the man, the faces they made were almost uncanny. She acted a bit like him too.

"So what's up? Am I going on a special mission again?" she questioned. She wasn't sure if that would be a good thing or not. Komui snorted.

"No, I dare say not. Actually the Vatican has decided that you are not allowed to go on solo missions anymore. I nearly cried when I saw all the bills for the damage you had caused on your way to meet with the rest of your team." The girl protested immediately.

"What? That was the Noah's fault! Yes I broke some of it but not all of it!" Komui held up his hand and she stopped but he could see that she was still fuming.

"Luca that is part of your responsibility. You hunt akuma, gather innocence, and save the world. Destroying public property helps none of this. You caused damage in more towns that you stopped in than not." She rolled her eyes and huffed at him.

"I didn't go out of my way to break things, it just happened. I'm not Kanda. I can't just throw myself in between an akuma and something else. If I get hit by the virus I'll die." It was a bit of a low blow but he wasn't exactly being fair here. He shook his head.

"That's not what I'm saying you need to do." He needed to get control of the conversation before she lost her temper. The entire Order, well anyone who knew the girl, had been tiptoeing around her. It was no secret that she had been in a mood ever since the exorcists had returned from Japan. Some of the scientists had asked if Luca had died in the attack and if this was the Noah of Lust's (very very VERY) bad portrayal of the normally upbeat and witty exorcist. "It was just a bit, well much. You destroyed a lot of property Luca. Some public and some private. Inspector Lvellie had a fit when he saw the damage bills." Luca snorted, crossed her arms and cocked a hip out.

"Oh it's all about him is it? Easy for him to say. Up in his comfy office, with his obedient dog to come at his beck and call and fetch him his newspaper. Yes Link is so very well trained. I always wanted a dog too but I was told pets weren't allowed but Lvellie is special so oh well." she sighed while shrugging and glaring at him.

"That's not what I meant. You're taking this the wrong way." Luca rolled her eyes as he stood up.

"No of course not. Tell ya what. Why don't you and Lvellie go out and be exorcists while Allen and I stay safe and cozy in our offices and give you orders for a while and then you can tell me how to do my job." Luca snapped furiously before whirling around and stalking out of the room, slamming the door as she went. Komui sank back down into his chair and sighed into his hand.

"That was a disaster."

Luca ignored the people who jumped out of her way and she marched back up to her room to pack for the mission. She had never been so glad to get out of the castle then she was today. They were still in the middle of the move. The new Headquarters was almost finished being built. _Probably by the end of the mission_ , she concluded as she stepped into her room and began to pack for the new mission. She continued to glare as she shoved things into her bag and dug around her room for other things she needed. There was a hesitant knock at her door and then a voice.

"Lu?" Allen paused for a moment before starting again, "Luca are you alright?" There was another pause and some whispering. Link was being a **fasz** (dick) again but that wasn't anything new. She could hear them arguing through the door. She walked over and yanked the door open, taking a deep breath to calm herself before she said something she would regret.

"I really would appreciate it if you two didn't argue outside my door. To answer your question Al, I'm fine. I'm just tired is all." Allen eyed the way Gambit sat on his mistress' head. It was odd to see the teez not flying. Silver eyes flicked over to Scor who seemed to be nuzzling the teen. "It's been a long few days and I'm ready for this move to be over." Link gave her a once over.

"Perhaps you should stay back for this mission and go back to the medical ward." Luca shook her head no longer in the mood to fight with or piss off the blond man.

"Nope, I'm good. I think I just need to get out of the castle for a while. I'm almost done packing. Give me a few minutes." The pair nodded and left. Luca slid into her new uniform, it was nice. She was glad that Johnny has heeded her warning about putting ruffles on it. While Lenalee could rocked the ruffles look with her cutesy features Luca could not. _She just didn't have the looks for it. She was more, battle worn was probably the word she was looking for_ , she snorted at those thoughts. Sighing Luca took a sip from her flask which was sitting on her nightstand. She was gonna need to refill it while she was on her mission. Replacing the cap and setting it back down in it's place she sat on her bed to pull on her new boots. She ran her hands over the smooth brown leather admiring it for a moment. With a smile she pulled the red ribbons tight and laced them up to her thighs. Standing up she pulled her jacket on and threw her new belts on. She slid her flask into it's place and grabbed her bag. "Time to go. I guess this will be the last time in this room. Huh, it feels weird knowing I'll never come back here." She moved to turn around only to smack her hip on the corner of her bed. A knock sounded at the door before Allen entered whiled she cursed up a storm, switching between both Hungarian and Romanian. Allen waited patiently for his sister to finish.

"Walker that isn't appropriate language." Allen looked up at Link in surprise.

"You speak Hungarian." The blond man shook his head.

"No I do not, however I've known your sister long enough to know that she's swearing." He still wore his disapproving look though he was watching her more carefully.

Glaring right at Link Luca spoke clearly, "Szüljél sünt (Give birth to hedgehogs)!" Link sighed but let it go. He had yet to find a translator who could tell him what the girl was saying and even if he did he would have to get a recording of it and neither golem liked him very much. The silver one kept biting him along with the weird insect that hung around the girl. "Let's just go already. I'm good to head out. I could use the fresh air." Luca grumbled as she moved past them and closed the door. Taking a deep breath Luca focused on walking. She was getting used to it but still had some balance issues. She managed to make it all the way to the train station before she ran into something. She hissed but managed to avoid the others seeing it. Luca slumped in the corner of of their train car. Her hip was still sore and she tried to massage it as discretely as possible. She had no idea how successful that was. Slowly her eyes slid closed. She was tired in more ways than one. Maybe she'd just rest her eyes for a moment.

Luca hated this mission. That was a forgone conclusion. She hit the rock wall hard. Her head spun. _That's probably not good for whatever is messing with my vision_ , she groaned to herself.

"Luca! Watch out!" The dark haired girl just barely managed to roll out of the way of the barrage of bullets that crashed into the spot she had just been standing in. She ducked behind the rocks. She could see the stars spread over the area. That could've been her flesh.

"Luca! What are you doing?" Lenalee's voice drifted through with the other battle noises. She couldn't answer her friend because she didn't know. A stray bullet destroyed the rocks above her. Luca couldn't stop the shriek that escaped her lips. She weaved in and out of the rocks before slumping against what was left. She glared down at her arms, her sleeves rolled up and buttoned in place.

"Harlequin active!" The innocence slid off her skin far slower than it normally would. She glared at it some more. "Now is not the time to be moody and temperamental." Taking a deep breath she moved around the rocks. Following her directions the liquid shot through the row of level 1's. It wasn't moving nearly as fast as it should be. Luca took off running as another akuma fired at her weaving through them. Hearing a whirring like noise the teen whirled around just in time for the lizard like akuma's tail to connect with her stomach launching her back into the rocks. Her ears rung and her stomach and back ached. She could already feel the bruises forming. She pushed herself to her feet allowing the rocks to slid down her body. She glared at the akuma and summoned her innocence back to her. She glanced down at her innocence as it condensed into a halberd, she staggered a bit almost falling over, it was heavier than usual, no longer trusting it to move fast enough to save her. She returned her gaze to the akuma and struck. The lizard's head came off rather quickly but it didn't feel right. This wasn't her weapon. It was a regular halberd. She sliced through another akuma, this one had feathers, but it didn't change the feeling or lack there of. Something was wrong. Something was deeply wrong. Spinning around she took another row of heads off.

"Try me on for size." Luca just barely jumped out of the way of the level 3. She slid her left foot back as the akuma charged. The level 3 charged. The Hungarian just barely managed to bring the handle of her halberd up in time to defend against the punch. Still it sent her skidding back several feet and throwing off her already shaky balance. It's foot connected with her left side, she felt at least three ribs crack as she was rocketed into another pile of rubble. She struggled to catch her breath. She stood back up on trembling feet. The deep indigo armored akuma snorted, "That's all you've got? Hmph. I see the Walker siblings are all talk." Luca glared up at the akuma.

"Shut up. You'll be dead by the time I'm done with you." She tried to keep her breathing even, it wasn't working very well. Why couldn't she breathe properly? The akuma looked down it's nose at her in disgust.

"You're not worth Master Noah's time." With a shriek of rage Luca attacked, forgetting for a moment her own dilemma. The blade of her halberd sunk shallowly in the shiny armor. Green eyes widened. That should've taken demon's entire limb off. Another kick to the stomach, right over the previous one. She was definitely gonna be covered in bruises by the end of this mission.

"Shut the hell up." she snapped again. Not her best comeback she knew, but it would have to do in this case. Luca dove out of the way of another attack. The earth where she had been standing just a moment ago splitting like wet paper. She rolled away clumsily and staggered to her feet. She swayed as she struggled to stay on her feet. Crack! She hit the ground again hard. The akuma's foot had connected with the back left side of her head. Luca pushed herself back up to her feet, her chest heaving and her heart thundering. She was losing. Badly too. To a level 3 too.

"I can't understand how you have survived this long. No matter. I will put you to sleep. Goodnight little exorcist." Luca looked up at the navy colored devil in confusion as it waves it's fingers in her general direction. Then the world went black. She blinked several times though she wouldn't have know if she hadn't felt the movement. Soon color returned to the right side of her vision. The battlefield was empty. Raising an eyebrow Luca walked around looking for any sign of what she knew had just happened there. She saw the first body and ran over ignoring her stumbling. Kneeling down she shoved the rubble off. She just stared for a moment. Link stared back up at her with wide glassy eyes. Hesitantly she reached out and placed two fingers on the side of his neck. No pulse. Biting her lip she reached out and slid his eyes closed. Pushing herself back up to her feet she began to jog, her heart beating more frantically. Where was Lenalee and Lavi? Oh god! Where was Allen? She stood still and reached out looking for any aura at all. None. She was alone. Were the others dead? Allen? Was Allen dead? She started looking around desperately as her breathing grew rapid. No, she needed to remain calm. The win blew through the low valley pulling at her hair and coat. Shivering she pulled the cloak around her figure tighter. Taking a deep breath she began to jog, she needed to find the others.

"Luca." Her name was carried by the wind. Said girl whipped around looking for whoever was calling her name. There wasn't anybody around her at all. Frowning she continued to move through the valley. She needed to find Allen. Her heart, despite her best attempts at remaining clam continued to hammer in her chest. She spotted other body lying motionless. She ran over.

"Please be alive. Please be alive. Please be alive. Please be alive." it was all she could think of to chant as she dashed over. Short dark silky hair. "Lena! Please wake up." she fell to her knees and began to shake her friend. "Wake up Lenalee! Come on time to get up. You've had a nice nap now. It's not the time for games." The Hungarian shook her friend harder but the older girl didn't move. She bit her lip again, harder this time. Shaking her head she stood again. She needed to find Lavi and Allen. Lenalee was already...Luca couldn't help her but the other two might still be alive. She scrubbed at her eyes furiously with the heel of her palms. She couldn't think about it. Not now. The trail of...the trail seemed to be heading north so she continued running in that direction. Her mind raced as she ran down the path. The path that happen to look a lot like dried blood, No! Don't even go there! Her cloak whipped in the air behind her. She had to find the others. They had to be alive. She couldn't lose anybody else. Not today. No more. Please whatever god is listen, please no more. The tears slipped away in the wind slapping at her face. She tripped over something and went rolling. She groaned and shot to her feet again. A shock of something bright red caught her eye. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. Please god no. She couldn't take another one. "Lavi! Lavi! Wake up! Lavi! Kurva életbe (god damn it)! Please wake up! Lavi if this is payback for not telling you guys about my injury then I'm sorry but please wake up! This isn't funny." The tears were pouring down her cheeks.

"Luca." There it was again. That voice. She sprung to her feet and spun around wildly. She couldn't make out who the voice was but Allen was the only one left right? She didn't want to think about it. No, she couldn't think about it.

"Allen! Allen! Allen where are you? Allen answer me! Allen! ALLEN!" She was panicking now. Full on panicking. Her boots thundered as she ran down the path shouting her brother's name hysterically. She received no answer. She came skidding to a stop upon finding a fourth body. "No." She backed away slowly from the body. She knew who it was. There was only one other person out here that had been with them. Her hands covered her mouth. "No. God please don't. Please don't be Allen. Anybody but Allen. I can't lose Allen. Please." she begged. Despite her tears she forced herself to move forward and pull the cloak away from the body which had been laid over it backwards to conceal the identity of corpse. Swallowing the lump in her throat she gripped the edge of the hood between her pale trembling fingers and pulled it off. Staring up blankly at her was her little brother. His large innocent eyes wide and glassy. There was no spark of life in them at all. He was gone. She buried her face in her hands as she began to sob kneeling by her brother's unmoving body. His fingers twitched.

"Luca." she tried to ignore hearing her name on the wind. She looked up. Standing on the other side of Allen's body stood the woman. "Wake up." The Hungarian's entire body shook with rage and she bit her lip causing the skin to split and blood to well up over the wound and drip down her chin. "Wake up." The woman ordered once again.

"NO!" Her eyes matched the woman's and the entire world exploded into a brilliant white green light. Luca gasped, lungs taking in as much oxygen as she could as her eyes snapped over. The midnight colored akuma staggered to it's feet. Half of it's body melted away and the rest of it's armor scorched.

"What was that? You broke out!" Luca's hand shook and she clenched Harlequin's handle tightly to avoid the shaking to be seen.

"It was only a vision. That's your power you create nightmare like visions." Her chest heaved as she thought. Had he been in there with her? Her rage grew and she attacked. "How dare you do that to me te köcsög (you bastard)!" Her shriek echoed in the akuma's ears. The blade of the halberd embedded into the armor. Snarling she yanked it out and brought it back down on the same place. Luca repeated the process, hacking away at the neck until the head fell from the shoulders despite the thick armor that had been protecting it. Luca huffed, chest heaving. Sweat rolled down her forehead causing her to reach up and wipe it away with the back of her hand, allowing the glove to absorb as much of it as possible. Four more level 3 akuma appeared. Luca tried to steady her breathing but it still hurt and was shallow at best. As a result her vision was gaining black spots rather quickly.

"Ready to die Bitch?" She snarled at the akuma that spoke a bright violet color for it's armor.

"Come and get it." All of the akuma attacked together. Luca jumped above them, bringing the blade down, impaling one of the demons in the head. It wasn't deep enough to do anything. The grinning gray devil threw her off. She hit the wall hard. She shoved herself to her feet and lunged only to miss completely. Another kick sent her flying away again. She staggered to her feet.

"You need me. You can't beat them as you are. You're going to die if you don't change." Luca glared at the woman behind the akuma.

"Harlequin, release level 2: Harbinger!" Nothing happened. Luca glared down at the innocence. "Release level 2: Harbinger!" she ordered again. The akuma moved in closer. "Harlequin now is not the time for this! Stop throwing a temper tantrum!" She snapped backing away from the akuma. Her back hit the wall. "Now is not the time for this." Taking a deep breath she ordered again. "Harlequin, release level 2: Harbinger!" The blade glowed green brilliantly for a moment causing the girl to grin. "That's much better. Now let's get down to business." The blade cleaved through each akuma before deactivated. Luca groaned at the weight. It was heavier than before. She sighed, "Better go find the others." She turned around to head back towards where she had last seen the others only to come face to face with Allen. She jumped back, the girl hadn't even seen him. He had been on her left side. Francba (damn it). She was screwed.

"What was that?" She gulped at his question and refused to meet his intense gaze. Yep, she was screwed.

* * *

Luca squirmed under the others gazes trying her best to ignore them and her new injuries. Allen was straight up glaring at her. The train lurched to a stop and Luca lept to her feet intent on making a run for it but Allen was faster. His hand locked around her wrist and yanked her out of the car and station before moving down the road. She could hear the others running to catch up with them. She wriggled in his grasp as the past through the ark gate and into the white ark. The brightness of it blinded her for a moment as it was nighttime in the town they had just been in. She failed to pull her arm from his grasp. Honestly most of the time she forgot how strong her brother really was. Komui was waiting for them when they exited.

"Hey Allen? Ready to go?" he looked around seeing only the Walker siblings. "Where are the others?" His question was punctuated with a head tilt. Allen completely ignored him. "Where are you going?" Luca continued to struggle in her brother's bruising gripped.

"Let go!" He glanced back at her coldly.

"No."

"Allen! Wait up!" Lenalee's voice called out from behind them. Luca's eyes widened as she recognized the hallway she was being dragged down.

She began to flail with conviction and protested, "I swear I'm fine! I don't need any help! This is unnecessary." Allen whirled around to glare at her.

"No. Shut up. You are not fine." Luca shrunk into herself no longer able to meet his eyes. With a frown Allen went back to marching down with the others still running to catch up. Luca couldn't stop the pit of despair building in her stomach. It churned angrily with fear. This was not going to be pretty. She knew that right now. Head Nurse looked up in surprise as the pair entered the medical ward.

"Can I help you?"

The entire room was silent while they waited for the older woman to come back. Luca sat on the bed, knees curled up to her chest. She'd probably get yelled at for putting her dirty boots on the clean sheets but she didn't care. It didn't matter. She was already gonna be in a whole lot of trouble when the woman came back with the information that she already knew. She could feel all sets of eyes on her. Lenalee and Lavi looked worried. Link's face was blank but there was an uneasy look in his eyes. _Wow does he actually care? Shocking, I think my heart's gonna give out on me,_ she drawled sarcastically in her head. Komui was pacing across the room fretting on what could have caused the younger Walker to react in such a way and how he hadn't noticed., Allen was sitting next to Luca brooding. Head Nurse entered the room.

"Well?" Komui asked as they all turned to her. The older woman nodded.

"Miss Walker is indeed blind in her left eye." Lenalee gasped in shock, covering her mouth with her hands. Lavi bit back a curse. Komui sunk back against the wall covering his eyes with one hand. How on Earth had he not noticed that she was blind on her left side?! All the signs were right in front of him. How could he be so oblivious? Allen turned back to glare at his sister.

"What the hell Luca? Why didn't you tell anybody? You could've died on this last mission? You almost did!" he jumped to his feet. "Why is it that you rush to my aid so quickly but you never let anyone help you? Do you really not trust me that much?" She opened her mouth to argue with him.

"It's not that! Allen I-" he cut her off.

"No, I'm not done yet. You're going to listen to me." Luca nodded shrinking away while she chewed on her lip. She never meant to upset her brother. Not like this anyway. "I don't care if you don't tell Lenalee or the others but why didn't you at least tell me? I've been worried sick about you for the last several days and you keep brushing me off. We're family! Family helps each other. So why won't you let me help you?" He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. She opened her mouth and he started again. "I'm your brother and you go to hell and back to help me so let me help you. It's not weakness to admit that you need help. Let me help you." His chest heaved as he finally finished.

"I just didn't want to bother you." It was a weak argument but it was the truth. Allen has so many more problems that were so much bigger. He didn't need to be worrying about her. Her stomach clenched, she hadn't meant to upset her brother. She swallowed thickly, her throat suddenly very dry.

"Bother me?" Allen asked horrified. "Where did you ever even get the idea that you were ever bothering me? Luca you saved me when we were kids. It wasn't Master who pulled me out of that funk after Mana died. You did." Allen grabbed his sister's face and forced her to look him straight in the eye. "You saved my life. You were there first. I remember." He sat down next to her and pulled the Hungarian into a hug.

"I just-with-the," she sighed as she tried to collect her thoughts and speak properly. "With all this fourteenth szaros (shit) going on, I, I didn't think that-" This time Komui cut her off.

"Didn't think? Obviously you didn't think. Luca he's right! You could've died. I would never have sent you on that mission had I known. When did this even happen? How long have you been hiding this from us? Are there other injuries that we don't know about? How could you possibly think that this was a good idea? Regardless of what else is happening! How could anything else come before your own health?" Komui began to pace around as he tried to comprehend what had crossed the girl's mind. Luca cast her eyes away from the man who was muttering to himself in Chinese at this point. Lenalee marched forward her heels clicking on the floor, bangs shadowing her eyes.

"Lena?" Luca asked looking up in worry. Smack! Luca yelped as she almost fell off the bed, Allen only catching her in time before she pitched off the bed.

"How dare you do that! Why does our feelings or concerns for your safety not matter? I've been just as worried as the others yet I'm always trying to give you your space but you never come to us when you need our help! Why can't I trust you anymore?" Luca rubbed her sore and swelling cheek. Lenalee continued to cry, "What is it with you two?" Allen looked shocked and pointed at himself.

"Me too?" Lenalee ignored him and continued.

"Why do you always try to bear the burden alone? And if by some chance you do tell somebody you only tell each other! We are here for you too. We may not have adopted you in the same way that you did to each other but we still love you just as much!" The Chinese girl threw herself forward wrapped her arms around the shorter girl's shoulders to hug her and sob into her jacket. Allen just barely moved out of the way. He pouted a bit getting shoved away. She was his sister. Luca petted the girl trying to calm her down. She hadn't meant to upset the others this way but apparently she had.

Head Nurse cleared her throat, "Yes well. Miss Walker may have bigger problems. The blindness is due to a head injury, probably obtained during the assault on Headquarters by the Noah or perhaps the level 4's attacks or both. There's nothing I can do about it. What's more, it may be permanent." The room fell deafeningly silent as each occupant tried to understand what they had just been told and the consequences that came with that fact. "I have no idea concerning that. Because it's a head injury we have no way of testing what's wrong."

"I," Luca paused and gulped down a breath of air. She felt like she was suffocating despite the oxygen in the air. "I could be like this forever? It's most likely that I will never see out of my left eye again?" She questioned. The entire room was silent as the waited for the answer.

"Yes," Head Nurse nodded solemnly. She had no idea how to help the girl. She gripped her clipboard harshly. Feeling it crack under the pressure. Why? Why did this 16 year old girl have to fight in this so called holy war? What was so holy about the fact that more of the soldiers on their side were under twenty? All of the teenagers in the room were considered a weapon. This 16 year old girl who would be 17 in a few weeks might not make it to her birthday. Despite the order of no missions something may come up and she could go out to fight and come back in a coffin. How many coffins would she as the head of the medical staff have to see? How many teenagers would she have to patch up just to send them back into battle? What was so holy about that? "Excuse me please." They nodded and she left. Head Nurse made her way to her office rather quickly. It was almost completely empty as they were days away from the move. Shutting the door and clicking the lock in place, she walked over to her chair. She placed the clipboard down, which still held the results of Luca's tests. She sunk into her chair and did something she hadn't done in a long time. She cried.

It was late and most of the Order was quiet, yet one person was still awake. Marie could hear them working out and cursing. He moved down the hallway silently the tall man pushed the door to the training grounds open slowly. Sure enough he could hear Luca beating her limbs black and blue.

"There are better ways to tire yourself out if you can't sleep." He could hear her turn around.

"I didn't mean to wake you, Marie." he chuckled and walked over to her.

"You didn't wake me up. I was still awake. I could hear you beating yourself up. Sit, talk to me. Perhaps I can help." He sat down gently and could hear her flop down rather ungracefully. "What is keeping you up?" She sighed at the question.

"Well if you haven't heard yet I was injured during the level 4 attack. I took too many hits to the head and something is wrong. I have no vision out of my left eye. It's just black. Something I'm sure you can relate to. I didn't tell anyone and tried to keep going. Only problem is I don't move the way I used to. I keep running into things and falling over. I can't stay on my francba (damn) feet. I got my segg (ass) handed to me today. It's how the others found out. Allen finally put two and two together. Nothing felt right. I screwed up on every movement. I almost died or lost my head so many times that I can't even count anymore. All of my training! Almost ten years of training just went right out the window!" Marie reached out and began to rub comforting circles into the girl's back. He could hear her voice shaking and her heart beating wildly as she recalled the day's mission. He placed a hand on her shaking shoulders.

"Just breathe Luca. I know exactly how you're feeling." The girl groaned in response.

"I know. I shouldn't even be whining. I still have half my vision which is better right? You lost all of your vision and you still carry on and here I am whining about it. I can't seem to fix it. I keep training yet I keep falling. I can't even stand on my own! I feel like a child. I just-I just-with-t, UGH!" Marie listened to the girl patiently, nodding every once in a while. He sighed as she released another aggravated groan and threw up her hands. Marie took a deep breath.

"Luca, calm down. We have gone though similar things but they are not the same. I know that you feel like you should be able to able to see perfectly still because one of your eyes still works but that's not true. Our situations are not the same. My fighting style is also a lot less aggressive than yours and more suited for somebody of my condition. I'm not up in my enemies faces the way you are. It's perfectly understandable to be upset and off kilter. The best thing to do is taking it slowing and let the others help you. Either it will get better or you will adapt to it. Either way you can do this Luca. You just need to take a deep breath and let others help you." Luca sighed.

"I can't even begin to tell you," she sighed and he raised a questioning eyebrow so she explained. "I've heard that so many times. Pretty much everybody who knows about my problem has told me to let the others help. I," she paused to think. Trying her best to keep her raging emotions under control she spoke calmly and slowly. "I'm not sure I know how to ask for help. We were on our own for so long that I just..." she trailed off. How would she even begin to explain how she had grown up? Marie chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"You will get the hang of it. Just start with something small. For now get some sleep Luca." Marie got up. "You need it." He turned and left, leaving the girl alone with her thoughts again.

* * *

 **Well Luca was no longer able to hide her vision problems from her friends and family. Poor girl, I'm surprised her ear didn't fall off. Let me know what you think. Also please remember that all sad parts are completely and utterly WinterYule's fault as they stem form advice given to me by her so if you're sad chase her with your pitchforks if you please! Actually I'd really prefer if you didn't. Somebody has to listen to me on discord as I write my chapters. Don't forget to vote! As always reviews feed my soul and allow me to keep writing! Cheshire's out~!**


	31. Bonus Chapter: Recipe for Disaster

**Welcome back to another chapter of Veil of Ink and Gold! So this week's chapter is actually KimiKitteh's prize for guessing the correct date of October 31** **st** **as Luca's birthday! I hope you enjoy the chapter my dear! Also people as I said last chapter there is a poll on my profile about what will happen to the story once I run out of canon material. I didn't expect it to happen so soon but now that I think about it this story came out in April. Huh. Doesn't seem like it. Anyway you guys really need to vote. I'd like to take your feelings into consideration when I make this decision. Now on to the reviews!**

 **Dear Cam, Don't worry about your English. You already speak more than one language which is miles ahead of me as I tend to butcher my first language. Seriously you have no idea how many times I edit a chapter before posting it. Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad that you like my story so much. I hope you like this chapter as much as the others! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Leofrick, Your review had me laughing, I could feel how annoyed you were as if it was radiating off the words on my computer screen. I apologize (sorta) for annoying you. I hope this chapter can get you to smile! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, Yeah Luca just can't fool them anymore. She wasn't really fooling them in the first place they just couldn't figure out what it was that was wrong with her. I'm going to apologize right now Tricia appearance will be pushed back a bit. I forgot to factor in all the bonus chapters in so it's still a little ways off. I will definitely let you know when I have definite chapter numbers down again. I apologize again. I know you can't wait to see her. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, I'm writing as fast as I can! Please have patience. Even I need a break once in a while. Some of these chapters are really hard to write or they don't sound right or I have to rewrite an entire chapter over and it's a lot of work. I'm glad that you couldn't put it down. I love stories like that. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Adripadher, Hey! Nice to meet you! I'm amazed that you actually came over to my story after reading hers but I'm glad you did. Thanks for your support on both our stories! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, It's nice to know I'm not alone in that department. My mother is always on time, unless she's with me and then I make her late and it drives her up the wall, but I can't even say what it is that is causing the issue. Your making me extraordinarily happy with your words. I'm excited to hear that you can reread my story while you wait for an update! Enjoy this one!**

 **Dear B-chan, Yeah I hear you. I had to do a bit of research of the language of flowers myself. Luckily for me Yule was kind enough to lend me a cheat sheet and it went much faster than expected. I still had to double check but they all checked out so I can use them in the future! Yes I'm rather looking forward to that chapter as well. It will be coming after all the prize bonus chapters are out! Hold out for me! Your theory on Luca and Harlequin's troubles was interesting but incorrect! Try again! Unfortunately Tricia appearance will be pushed back a bit. I forgot to factor in all the bonus chapters in so it's still a little ways off. Oh yes Allen is walking the razor thin line. Yule keeps joking that he's gonna turn into Komui. So you think that Neah is influencing Allen's feelings for Luca do you? I'd love to hear why you think this. Neah is always an interesting topic. Yes the Vatican is wondering if they should really be letting anything raised by Cross loose on the world but they don't really have a choice. That part of Luca was actually modeled off of Fairy Tail, Natsu in particular in case you were interested, and I have a lot of fun with it. The Vatican will definitely be keeping a closer eye on her and a certain Noah, never know when you could gain an advantage, for the upcoming period of time. Yes you are correct in both parts, Luca's mother's name is Gazella and she is falling. Allen tends to let Luca do what she wants but the minute she started stupidly endangering herself is when he puts his foot down and they may start to argue. Yeah I didn't originally plan to make Head Nurse cry but it just sorta happened. Marie will be a new teacher for Luca in the next chapter! Komui is keeping a worried eye on Luca as is Nasty Stache (dying from laughter here) but for entirely different reasons. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Kp, I try my best to sprinkle foreshadowing in whenever I can. There is actually a bit in this chapter that will show up later even though this is a bonus chapter. I'm interested to see if you can find it. I do the same thing when a story I'm reading updates. Usually because I'm reading so many that I can get them mixed up. I'm glad you were able to finally see all of it. Don't worry about details. I don't pick them up until at least the second read because I just want to know what happens so badly. I do agree Luca's life is starting to come apart at the seams and it's only beginning. Cool you're about my age! I will do my best to make you happy with the special chapter! Enjoy this one!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, Allen spends a lot of his life worrying about Luca because she doesn't, ironically she busy worrying about Allen because he doesn't worry about himself and can you see where this is going? Allen doesn't know what to make of the flowers, only that he doesn't like them and wishes she would throw them away. Honestly at this point I'm not sure there's much that would deter Tyki. Certainly nothing that Allen could do to him so you should feel sorry for our Destroyer of Time! We're not sure what's under Cross' mask it's one of the mysteries of Cross it's a rather long list unfortunately but would he be Cross if it wasn't? Luca will make it and learn to adapt. Her brother still needs her after all. The Vatican is definitely keeping a close eye on Luca for a multitude of reasons that aren't all under her control. She's a wild card that they can't predict or even hope to control. Yes Chaoji will be causing problems for Luca and Tyki in the future and is more than willing to tell them all he knows and about what happened in the ark. Lenalee does tend to see things rather black and white while Luca does see the shades of gray. Luca was designed to be a morally gray character. It's what causes the fights they have. Lenalee is entirely unaware of Luca's darker side for the that very reason as she wouldn't understand it and it would scare her deeply. Luca hides these things to protect her friends even if it means denying a part of her. You are right that she does believe that it's Tyki's fault somehow. The devil chapter will be a lot of fun and I honestly can't wait to write it. I'm glad I captured Chaoji's jerkiness well. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear WinterYule, My dear Yule it is entirely your fault. Suffer and deal with the consequences. Yeah Luca's not the most graceful in general and then you take away her balance and half her vision and it's like rolling a rock down a hill. There's no stopping it. She was hosed from the moment it happened. Please Allen don't turn into Komui! One is bad enough! Please no! You are right Link would not appreciate what she was saying if she was saying it in English which is why she doesn't. Can't get in trouble if they can't prove it! Yes no ruffles for Luca, they just aren't for her and her uniform needs to be skin tight remember? Otherwise there are things for her to trip on, get caught on or give the enemy something to grab. She really doesn't need that. Not to mention that she'd never look Tyki in the eye again if she had to wear ruffles. I really want her boots. They are so cute! I wish you good luck if you wish to attempt to pry Luca's whiskey from her cold dead hands because that's how it's gonna go. The illusion was a test run, I wasn't entirely too sure about it but I gave it a shot. I agree that perhaps they were too close together so it was still fresh in your mind. I'll keep that in my mind next time. Dropping the synch rate was really hard. I was so worried that it would work or would sound funny. I'm relieved that you like it. Yes an angry Luca is a violent Luca which is a dangerous Luca as she is far stronger than she looks. Yes the mystery of the woman is coming to an end. Sadly nobody has fully figured out what is going on, but that's okay. Yeah Allen wasn't buying anymore of her lies. Straight to the infirmary no matter what she tried. She curls up to feel more secure. I figured that Lenalee would see Luca not telling them as recklessly endangering herself and as we have seen from the time when Allen tried to save that akuma that Lenalee doesn't take that so well. She's already worried about Luca and her attraction to Tyki and blatant disregard for her own safety in more ways than one. Part of the reason Luca fell over was her blindness, losing your vision in one eye effects balance and Lenalee was on Luca's left in case I forgot to add that in so she was already off balance and now her balance is terrible so she didn't have a chance. Komui was hard to write because a) she and Lenalee are the same age but more importantly b) it was his rescue that she and Allen were coming too when it happened. It was during the time that the level 4 was chasing Komui and she forced herself to her feet so she could help Allen save Komui and he knows it. That's gonna weigh on him. Marie is gonna help Luca back onto her warrior path because she needs the guidance right now. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, I love that you and so many other readers keep telling me that they are late all the time to make me feel better. It really does help, I try my very best to be on time but other things happen. You have no idea how special I feel when you tell me that my story is the only one that you review constantly. I was so excited when I first heard from you and that only grew with each new review that you have left. I get up and I can't wait to see it and hear what you think of the chapter. Demon Luca seems to be a popular chapter of all the upcoming ones I've mentioned. I can't wait to write it. Oh? Tease? Whatever do you mean my friend? Luca and Link will never get along, it's just not going to happen. Allen is slowly drifting into that lane because he feels that Luca isn't thinking straight but she's not straight so I guess that makes sense. Unfortunately Cross has already left and does not know about the flowers. Luckily for Luca. Lenalee is a very complicated character. What the Order did to her has caused damage. Some serious damage that I don't think will ever heal. We see this in the fact that after all this time she is still terrified of Lvellie. She doesn't know how to function like a normal person (not saying Luca does either, she's messed up too just in different ways) and is just trying to survive anyway she knows how. She's mad at Luca for recklessly endangering herself by not telling anybody or seeking counseling about her eye or even receiving medical attention for it. That's why she hit her. Lenalee can be a hard character to understand and I will admit that there are some parts where she does annoy me and I don't agree with her on things but that's not really important. You P.S left me blushing like mad. Seriously I could feel my cheeks burning. I have taken your vote into account. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Now stop making me blush!  
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* * *

Lunch was always boring. The food from the cafeteria was inedible and it was far too loud to do anything else. Honestly who thought it was a good idea to stick more than 300 hundred teenagers in the same room together for 30 minutes to eat food that wasn't actually food? She heard that the vice principal, Komui Lee, who just happen to be the older brother to one of her close friends, was interviewing a new chef but nothing had been set in stone yet. Allen sat next to her inhaling all the food that they had managed to bring from home. Not nearly enough of it, she noted with a sigh.

"Hey Lu?" Luca looked over at her brother and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah what's up?" He looked over at her with hope filled silver eyes and she was already dreading it. He only looked like that when he wanted more food which tended to get them in a lot of trouble. Komui still gave her a funny look because of the pie incident. She hadn't meant to be caught in such a compromising position with Lenalee covered in chocolate pie, it just sorta happened.

"I'm still hungry and I've finished off all our food. Can you get me some more?" She groaned and looked around the room. The rest of her friends sat at the long table with her and her brother. Other groups were scattered around the room, eating their own lunch, playing with the so called food, or goofing off.

"Um," she trailed off her eyes looking harder for anybody to steal food from.

"Please." he was begging now. Her eyes fell on a table on the opposite side of the room. The Noah Clan as they were called. All adopted by a man who claimed that he was a direct descendant of Noah. Luca felt like maybe somebody should tell him that they all were but he was rich so they didn't do that. The name wasn't even Noah. She glazed over each of them. All different yet two stood out to her. Jasdero and his twin brother Devit. This twins were a bane to everybody's existence. Luckily for her and unluckily for them they owed money because of Cross Marian. So did the Walker siblings, but that was besides the point. She could work with that. Taking Lenalee's notebook she scribbled something down in her horrid smudged handwriting.

'Hey! You don't still owe money to that casino in town do you?' She winced at the ink on the side of her hand but tore the page out and balled it up. There wasn't enough weight to it. It wouldn't make the journey. Glancing around she nabbed a piece of bread from Lavi.

"Hey! Luca! That was mine!" She rolled her eyes at his whine and unballed the paper.

"Don't whine. It's unbecoming." Luca tutted in annoyance as she wrapped the paper around the bread. He raised an eyebrow at what she was doing but didn't understand what was going on until she pulled her arm back and launched the ball over to the Noah table. She winced as the ball bounced off the heads' of two of the other ones. The long haired one immediately began to freak out while the curly haired one just looked confused, but from what she had noticed that was his state of being in general. Devit caught it and unraveled the paper. He looked at the ball of bread for a moment with a dumb expression before he saw the note. He glared down it, telling her all she needed to know. He scribbled something down on the paper far harder than necessary and chucked it back at her.

'So what if we do? What's it to you?' She rolled her eyes. Allen's handwriting was bad but this was simply atrocious.

'Well I heard their bouncer talking about these two yahoos that owed money. If they didn't pay at least some by today that they were gonna get their asses kicked. Sure hope it's not you guys, but then again. What other pair of guys owe the casino money?' She left it there allowing what little imagination the kid had to run wild. She looked around again.

"Oh my! Eli! You're shirt has a rip in the shoulder!" Eliade's head snapped over to look at the fabric that rested on the opposite shoulder.

"Where? I don't see one." Luca reached past Krory and yanked a few strands on blonde hair from the pigtail closest to her. "Ouch! That hurt." she looked around trying to find who pulled on her hair. The brunette hid her hands behind her back. "Who did that?" The green eyed teen shrugged innocently. Eventually Eliade settled on blaming Lavi which was close enough. Grinning the girl placed the blonde strands into the note before placing the bread back in and throwing it again.

"AHHHH! NOT DERO'S GOLDEN LOCKS!" The scream pierced through everybody's ears and Luca's grin grew. Ahh, they got the message. The ball came back.

'So what's yer point?' She smirked.

'I'm passing by the casino in the afternoon. Want me to drop by and say hello for you?' Allen raised an eyebrow as the paper and bread being passed back and forth across the room.

"Luca," he paused uncertain, "what are you doing?" She smirked at him.

"Hush, sister's workin'" He raised an eyebrow but she ignored him and Lavi who was now watching them intently. He probably had a good idea what she was up too.

'Fine. I guess even the right clock is wrong three times a day or somethin' Luca cringed at the entire note but pocketed the cash.

"Hey Al, how does pizza sound? It should be enough to tide you over until we get home." He nodded all suspicious thoughts gone at the mere mention of food. Pulling out her phone she sent the order in. "Now all you have to do is wait a few minutes." She grinned at him as he drooled at the mere thought. It was at this moment that an apple connected with her forehead. Taking a deep breath she unwrapped it.

'You bitch! You're not bringing that money to the casino for us are you?! Give it back!' she smirked and wrote back.

'Money? What money? I don't have any money.' The apple actually hurt her hand by the time it came flying back.

'I'm not playing you little bitch! Tyki told us that you're conning us!' Luca's eyes narrowed at the name. She really needed to pay better attention to which was which. Honestly they all kinda ran together in her mind. Her eyes narrowed at the last part. 'If you don't give it back we're gonna hand the notes in.' Luca glared at it. She had the bread one. They had no proof and the pizza was already on the way.

'One question.' the answer was quick.

'What?' She smirked. Boys were so easy.

'Which one is Tyki?' Luca couldn't help but wonder if Devit is actually stupid enough to tell her which one of of his adopted brother's foiled her plot. Sure enough the paper and apple came back.

'The idiot that thinks he's so hot.' The curly haired teen rolled her eyes and shook her head.

'Um, all of you think that. Gonna have to be more specific.' She looked up and saw him point at one of the two guys she had hit earlier with her initial attempt at making contact.

'That one. The one I pointed to.' she groaned at the writing. This was why she tried not to associate with the twins too much. They were far too stupid and often it led to headaches.

'The one with the short curly hair?' She eyed the one she was talking about. She had seen him around. The pair had a few classes together but they never spoke. She was pretty sure he cheated at cards, he just didn't do it as well as she and her brother did.

'Yeah that's Tyki.' she smirked. Honestly boys could be so stupid. She pocketed the note before deciding against it and slid the pair of notes into Allen's backpack. If things went wrong it was best for her to not be carrying evidence. She handed the apple to Allen who quickly devoured it and checked her phone for the time. The pizza still had several more minutes. Luca quickly scanned the table for the right piece of food. Drat, nobody had anything she could use. Glancing at the table behind her she saw a kid with dark hair had a chicken pot pie. It's perfect, she thought. She stole it before he even noticed. Luca knew that what she was about to do was incredibly childish and very immature, but she couldn't care less. _Besides_ , she reasoned, _it's been rather dull these last few days. Time to spice things up a bit_ , she hummed. She smirked down at the pie in her hands.

"Lu," Allen, with good reason, almost looked scared to ask, "what are you doing?" She grinned at him.

"Oh, you know I'm just spicing things up a bit." Without a second thought she launched the pie across the room. Allen's mouth dropped as he watched the pie connect with the dark curly hair. Luca immediately sat down and acted as if she hadn't thrown it. The entire cafeteria was silent for a moment as every tired to process what had just happened. Luca struggled to keep her giggling under wraps as the gravy seeped from the crust, through his hair and down his face. Then everything descended into chaos. A hail of food came flying from the Noah table in retaliation. They didn't know who had thrown it but their table was in the right direction. Everyone dove from the table using anything they could as a shield. Notebooks, lunch trays, schoolbags, even other students. Luca herself had used Lavi as a shield. Together the group shoved the table over on it's side creating a large shield.

"Luca!" Allen shouted over the chaos as misfires caused other groups to get involved rather than just watching. "How does this help at all?" Luca laughed.

"Well we're not bored anymore!" He glared at her.

"Being bored was never the problem! Being hungry was the problem and I'm still hungry." Luca grabbed a tray of mashed potatoes and stood up. She threw rapid fire handfuls at the long haired Noah who was mostly shrieking at everything that was happening. Four of them landed in his hair, one in his eye, three on his clothing and one went directly in his mouth. Another plate of macaroni was supplied to her by Lavi.

"Thanks." she turned to Allen, "Relax your food is on it's way. I'm just having a bit of fun here. Now enjoy yourself and throw some food. It's hilarious." She grinned some more as the macaroni squished under her grip. It was gooey. This time she aimed at Lulu Bell. The girl was far too stuck up and was trying to be perfect. The cheesy sauce clung wonderfully to the long straight blonde hair that was brushed out and tied back with a nice striped ribbon into a bow. A few handfuls were tossed at the newly named guy called Tyki. She could see Kanda and Alma ganging up on an over grown sweet loving idiot named skin. Lenalee was even throwing some food. She and Lavi were pelting Road with rolls. Krory was busy defending Eliade who was shrieking threats at anyone who got close to her. All in all it was hilarious and Luca was enjoying every minute of it. Allen gave her one last look before he began to throw food at Tyki too. The Walker siblings yelped as a rain of peas and corn came at them. Luca knew she'd be washing the vegetables out of her hair for weeks. She also took a glob of mashed potatoes to the chest. Oh well her shirt was washable. Jasdero was on the other side of the room sobbing about his hair which had food all through it and ketchup dripping down it as if he was bleeding. A roll bounced from Devit's head to his. Devit began cursing and started throwing apples. Catching one, Luca redirected it at the curly haired male once more. He glared at her but she ignored him. A good throw send the next apple flying and redirecting another fruit knocking the long haired guy down with an orange to the forehead. Luca let out another yelp as Lavi used her as cover this time around and she was met with a hail of chicken nuggets. She glared at him as she wiped the crumbs from her face. Grabbing a bowl of pudding she flung it back at Tyki who had thrown the chicken at her.

"Luca!" Allen shouted over the chaos. She turned to him. "When will my food be here?" The older girl rolled her eyes.

"Seriously Allen? It will be a few more minutes. I'll get a text when the food arrives at the address!" At that moment her phone beeped. "Okay I take that back. The food is at the front gate. Here," Luca handed over the money. "this will pay for it. I'll meet you on the roof and if I don't then I got in trouble for this. Go!" Nodding Allen took off with Luca laying down cover fire with more food she found laying around. She grinned upon seeing a perfectly intact lemon meringue pie. Picking it up she whirled around and threw it. At that same moment principal Lvellie marched into the room.

"What on God's green Earth is going on in here?!" He demanded. Luca's eyes widened but it was too late. The pie connected with Lvellie's face turning it bright red at the sight of the lunchroom. It was now truly a mess hall.

"Oh shit." Luca muttered as the filling slid down his face revealing that it had gone from bright red to purple.

"Who threw that?" The entire cafeteria was as silent as a graveyard. He looked around tapping his foot against the floor impatiently. "Well? I'm waiting." Nobody spoke. Taking in a deep breath he spoke again, "Very well then who started the food fight?" Instantly he got an answer. Several. The entire cafeteria started arguing about who started it. "Enough!" Lvellie yelled. Turning towards Luca and her friends his eyes settled on somebody. "Miss Lee step forward." Shakily Lenalee did so. "Tell me Miss Lee who started the food fight?" Clenching her fist to stop the shaking she looked him in the eye.

"They did." She pointed at the Noah who immediately began to protest but stopped the principal held up his hand.

"Which one?" Lvellie spoke calmly though he observed every action, even the slightest movement the girl made.

"He did." Slowly Lenalee raised her hand and pointed at Tyki.

"I did not! One of you threw food at me!" He snapped back angrily. Lenalee flinched away.

Luca moved over to her friend before directing her fury at the other, "Hey leave her alone!" Lvellie raised an eyebrow at Luca.

"Oh Miss Walker are you corroborating her story then?" Luca weighed her options for a moment and then nodded.

"Yes, I am." She didn't want to get Lenalee in trouble. The girl hadn't seen her throw the pie and there was no reason to come forward.

"You can't really believe them! They're lying. They threw the food first." Tyki protested. Lvellie studied him for a moment.

"Can anyone else corroborate that story. And if so who?" Surprising everybody Devit stepped forward. All around the cafeteria eyes blinked.

"Luca threw the first piece of food at Tyki. I watched her do it."

"Is that so Mr. Kamelot?" Devit nodded. Luca began to protest.

"I did not! You don't have any proof."

"Did too!" Devit snapped back with the other Noah joining in. Immediately the rest of the room started bickering as well.

"Enough!" Lvellie's voice drowned out all of the teens. "All of you clean this up! When the bell rings you will go to class and when school is over you will not leave until this room is spotless! Am I understood?"

"Yes principal Lvellie." the entire room chorused like an army of drones. Slowly they began to move about, righting tables and gathering the food spilled. Mops and brooms were passed out and everyone got to work.

"Mr. Mikk," Tyki groaned but turned around the face his principal again. "You will come with me to the office."

"But I didn't do it! Why am I in trouble! Of course one of them is gonna point fingers at us!"

"Be silent Mr. Mikk. Don't you think you're in enough trouble for today?" Lvellie easily silenced the protesting of his student. "Miss Walker you too." Luca bit her lip to keep the groan in. Instead she turned to face the man with an innocently angelic smile on her face.

"Me principal?" she questioned softly. He gave her a dry look.

"Yes Miss Walker. While the other teachers may believe your innocent act that you and that no good brother of yours pull but I will not allow the wool to be pulled over my eyes. Now march." Green eyes narrowed dangerously at the jab at Allen but she grabbed her bag and followed the man none the less. Lenalee gave her a worried look but she smiled and waved her friend. The pair of dark haired students sat in the chairs across from his desk. "Now which one of you started the food fight? Tell me know and only that student will be punished." Neither spoke, instead they glared at each other out of the corner of their eyes. Lvellie sighed, "Very well since neither of you are willing to come froward and take responsibility like a mature adult I will see you both tomorrow bright and early at 7am for detention." Both teens protested.

"What?! Principal Lvellie you can't be serious!" He glared at them.

"Oh I'm very serious."

"But tomorrow is Saturday." Tyki argued. Lvellie just smiled at them pleasantly.

"Oh yes I am aware of that."

Luca took over the conversation, "I can't. I have to plans tomorrow." Lvellie's smile didn't change.

"Well I guess you'll have to change them, then won't you?" She glared at him but kept her mouth closed. "You two may go. Don't forget to be here bright and early tomorrow." The pair glared at each other one last time as they tossed their bags over their shoulders before going their separate ways to their classes. The taller teen glanced over his shoulder at the girl who promptly stuck her tongue out at him, the silver stud shining in the florescent light from the lights above.

* * *

Tyki groaned as he flopped into one of the many armchairs in the large mansion that he occupied with the rest of his family and the Earl that had kindly adopted all of them and slouched down until he was comfortable. Sheril walked in and almost tripped over Tyki's bag.

"Really Tyki? Don't leave your stuff lying around. Somebody's going to get hurt. What if our beloved dear little sister Road had come in and tripped? Your bag is half the size of her leg. She could be seriously injured. Or what if the Earl tripped and broke his hip or something? You need to be more careful. This is why I say you shouldn't hang out with those guys from the orphanage anymore. Yes they were once your friends but we have a reputation to uphold now and they do not fit in with it. They're a bad influence on you." Tyki groaned, slouching down in his chair even more and tried to tuned out the rest of his older brother's long winded lecture about his habits and choice of friends both of which were bad in his brother's opinion which he had heard several times.

"Sheril calm down." The Earl appeared and placed a hand on his babbling son's shoulder. "I'm sure Tyki didn't mean anything. He looks tired, why don't you go help Road with her homework and I'll talk to him a bit." Sheril nodded, grabbed his bag and went up the stairs taking them two at a time with ease. Adam Campbell or the Earl, as most people including his adopted children called him, sat down in the chair next to Tyki. "Rough day?" Tyki nodded. The Earl sighed. "Tyki please sit up straight." Groaning the teen did as he was asked. "There that's much better now what happened?" Tyki groaned again, _Might as well get it over with. Hopefully he won't be too mad_ , he thought to himself.

"I got in trouble at school. I have detention tomorrow." The Earl just sighed.

"What did you do?" Tyki made a face.

"That's just it! I didn't do anything. Somebody threw food at me!" The Earl chuckled a bit.

"I was wondering why half my children came home, covered in food. So if you didn't start it why do you have detention? Surely there's many other students involved as well." Tyki nodded.

"Somebody threw food at me so we retaliated. When Principal Lvellie came in he asked one of them," the Earl sighed. Ever since he had transferred his family into Black Order high they had been having problems with some of the other kids. A particular group. He placed a hand on Tyki's shoulder in comfort. He knew the teen had been planning to go to the next town and see his friends on Saturday but it wasn't going to happen now. "and of course we took the blame as usual. What I don't get was why out of all the others, I was picked? ? Ugh I still smell like that damn chicken pot pie that they threw at me." Tyki reached up and pulled several cubed pieces of chicken from his hair with a glower. "How mad are you?" He asked with a grimace. He was sure that he would be in trouble for getting detention.

The Earl shook his head as he spoke, "I'm not mad Tyki. I'll drive you tomorrow. I can't do anything about it but you aren't in trouble. Now go shower because you are right you do smell like chicken and you want to get in there before Sheril and Jasdero or there won't be any hot water left. I still don't know how those two do it." The taller man shook his head fondly at the chaos that regularly happened in the large house with his family and shooed his son off to clean up.

* * *

Luca slunk down the sidewalk grumbling about the cold air to herself. She took the stairs up, three at a time to get to the warmth of the apartment quicker, stumbling a few times as she went. She shivered as she jogged down the hall to her front door. She fumbled with her cold fingers as she tried to get the key in the lock. She cursed as she dropped the keys on the ground next to her muddy boots. She groaned in annoyance.

"I'm home." she called out exhausted as she dropped her messenger bag by the door and tugged off her dirty boots in favor of her slippers. She got no response, but then again she wasn't really expecting one as Allen had offered to walk Lenalee home since Komui had to stay late at work. Luca flicked through the mail that she had grabbed on her way home. "Bill, bill, bill, junk, junk, bill, junk, wrong address, bill, bill." she sighed and dropped the mail on the table. She picked up one of the bills and tore it open. It was the electric bill. FINAL NOTICE was printed in bright red all over it. She groaned and tossed it back onto the table. Her stomach growled at her. She moved over to the fridge turning the radio on as she went by the quiet bothering her. She slammed the door shut with a sigh. They needed to go shopping again. She sat down and tore open the rest of the bills, all of them addressed to Cross Marian not that it made any difference. She looked up hearing the lock click again. Allen stepped in.

"Hey," He paused seeing the look on her face. "more bills?" she nodded running her fingers through her hair. "I assume Cross is still a no show?" she nodded again. Allen slid into his slippers and sat down across from her.

"Worse thing is, I have detention tomorrow. I can't make it to that poker game. I know it's my week but could you cover for me please? I'll make it up to you!" Allen nodded.

"Of course. We have to eat Lu. You don't have to do everything by yourself. I eat the food too." She nodded. The barest hint of a smile on her face. "Well, I eat most of the food." He muttered to himself quietly. He knew she would argue it with him even if it was true.

"We have to pay the electric bill as soon as we get the money. If not they'll shut us on Monday. The heating bill too. The water one can wait till next week. We also need to go grocery shopping too. The fridge is empty. I don't know what we're going to do for dinner do you have an ideas?" Allen got up and looked into the fridge and shook his head.

"Nope. We've literally got nothing. We cleaned it out this morning looking for lunch and it still wasn't enough. We spent what we got from the Noah on the pizza. I wish I had known. I would've saved you some." Allen mumbled apologetically only to have his sister shake her head as she got up and began to pull candles of all shapes and sizes out and set them around the room.

"I would've just told you to eat it anyway. As much as I hate it we both know I'm not going to be growing anymore. You're still growing." she dug her lighter out of her pocket and began lighting the candles. She handed a tall one over to Allen. "Here can you light the ones over there please? We should use as little electricity as possible. No reason to have the bill higher than necessary." He nodded and took the candle. They spread the light throughout the tiny apartment silently. A knock sounded at the door and Luca answered it. She was met with a stout woman with an unpleasant frown on her face and gray haired pulled back into a bun. Luca forced a smile onto her lips. "Good evening Mrs. Gladstone. What can I do for you?" The woman gave her a bored look.

"You're rent is late and you haven't payed last month. If I don't have the money for both month's by Monday morning you and that no good guardian of yours are out on your rears at the end of the month." Luca grit her teeth behind her closed lip smile.

"Of course. I apologize for wait. We'll get right on that." Mrs. Gladstone nodded, her expression never changing, nor the condescending look in her eyes as she eyed the teen in front of her.

"You do that." She shut the door and locked it again. Her forehead met the wood of the door as she slumped forward.

"Lu who was that?" Allen asked from behind her.

"Allen, we're screwed." was all she said with a sigh.

Luca groaned as the alarm clock went off. She did NOT want to get out of her warm bed into the cold air but she had places to be. Throwing the covers off she turned off the clock and shuffled to the bathroom. She would wake Allen right before she left. She shook Allen awake at 6:30.

"I don't wanna." he groaned. She smiled sadly.

"Yeah I know but you want to eat don't you?" He sat up immediately.

"Wait what are you going to eat? You're suppose to bring lunch. I doubt he'll let you leave." Luca smiled at him and she pulled on her gloves. The black knitted fabric had a few holes and were missing the fingers but it was better than nothing. She tugged her leather jacket on over her body and zipped it up as she left the room only pausing to grab her keys, wallet, little flip phone, lighter and knife. "Luca?" Allen called out following after her.

"I went out while you were asleep and got you breakfast so don't forget to eat okay? I gotta go. I should've left ten minutes ago! Enjoy the poker game!" Allen ran after her but she was already most of the way down the stairs.

"Luca! What about your lunch?" he got no response from his sister as she ran out into the snow.

* * *

Tyki grumbled as he drank his coffee, the heat warming his hands, in the passenger seat of the Earl's car. It was early and he was cold and not in the mood for this. Adam smiled at him affectionately.

"I know you don't want to be here but it will be over before you know it and I'll be here to pick you up. I'll drive you out to see your friends and you can get dinner together." Tyki looked up at him with a surprised expression.

"Really? I thought I'd have to cancel with them. I also thought you didn't like them." He mumbled the last part to himself. The Earl just laughed.

"Oh Tyki, don't take Sheril so seriously. He just wants what's best for you and for you to make something of yourself. He can go a bit overboard sometimes. He's an older brother, it's what they do. Well it's what brothers do. With my twins the younger was the more worried but his brother was a bit scatterbrained." Tyki sat quietly. It wasn't often the Earl spoke of his biological children who were both gone. The pair had left after having a big fight with Adam. He had been unable to find them after it. They all knew that he missed them dearly. Tyki had no idea what to say. He looked up as the pulled into the school parking lot.

"Watch out!" He shouted eyes wide as he saw the small figure dart out into the parking lot and directly into the path of their car. Adam slammed his foot on the brakes upon seeing the teen with wild black curls in front of his car. She was looking behind her over her shoulder at a group of men on the other side of the road, instead of where she was going. She had snow on her leather jacket and in her hair. The girl turned to and ran up the school steps and into the safety of the building. The Earl sighed as she vanished. He had seen that her face was red and her green eyes wide.

"Tyki tell her to be more careful please." Tyki nodded as he got out and grabbed his bag.

"Yeah, I'll do that for you. I'm also gonna see if she's got a brain in her head." he grumbled under his breath but the Earl still caught it.

"Be nice Tyki. It will be much easier if you don't fight with whoever is there with you." Tyki nodded and jogged up the steps of the school before walking to the library. Sure enough the girl in the leather jacket which he now realized was Luca was sitting on one of the desks. Luca rubbed her hands together trying to regain feeling in them, not caring about the fact that she's sitting on the desk or the other person that just walked into the room.

"So were you trying to get hit by a car or do you just think that the world revolves around you and nothing bad will ever happen to you?" her head snapped up to look at him as he sank into a chair at the table next to her's.

"So that was you huh? Nice car." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"That's all you have to say?" She thought for a moment.

"Yeah that's about it." she nodded. The door banged open as Lvellie strutted in.

"Unfortunately none of the other teachers could work on such short notice so I will be supervising this detention but I have other things to do so you two will sit in here. You are not to talk, move or sleep! Am I understood?" The pair nodded solemnly though Luca was glaring at him.

"Yeah sure." The spoke as one and Lvellie sneered at the disrespect.

"Yes Sir." He corrected. Without missing a beat the pair responded together again.

"There's no need to call me Sir, principal." He glared at both of them.

"So you're both comedians huh? Well unless you wish to spend next Saturday in detention I suggest that you quit it." Both students were silent. "Yes, that's what I though. I will be in my office. No funny business now." With that he left, he boots thudding dulling against the floor. Suddenly he came back. "Oh and Ms. Walker, get off the desk and take that hat off your head." He left after she slid from the desk and her long fingers pulled the beanie from her hair. As soon as he was gone she hopped back on the desk. Tyki watched as she gripped the red fabric of her beanie in her fists. The removal of the hat had messed up her loose curls.

There was silence for a while neither saying anything to the other. Tyki continued to sip at his coffee while Luca looked out the window at the snow that was starting to come down. Her lips curled up into a snarl at it.

"Just peachy." His head snapped over towards her.

"What?" She glanced over at him and then gestured to the window.

"It's snowing." He looked around her and out the window. It was indeed snowing as she had said.

"What the big deal? It's November after all." he shrugged the new information off. It wasn't like they were outside doing manual labor or anything. All they had to do is sit here and then go home.

Luca snorted in response and bit out rather bitterly, "Not all of us have the luxury of a ride to and from school. Some of us have to walk." He opened his mouth to snipe back only for his brain to finally process her words and understand what she meant by them.

"Oh." It was lame and he knew it but he couldn't think of anything else to say. It hadn't even occurred to him that she had walked or more likely run to school. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize..." he trailed off. He had no idea what to say to her or about that. He took his time to look her over. She wasn't dressed for the cold never mind the snow. The only jacket she had on was a leather biker one, not a winter coat at all. Her gloves were missing the fingers and her actual fingers were still red from the cold. The black color of her nails contrasting against her skin making it even more apparent. She was rubbing them trying to warm them up. Sighing he stood up and walked over to her. "Here." he took off his gloves and wrapped her small hands in his. She shuddered a bit.

"Your hands are warm." she mumbled. He bit back a snarky comment about proper clothing. Her jeans were also ripped and she had no scarf. "Thanks." he nodded as she slid her beanie back on.

"No problem." She didn't look up to meet his eyes even though he stared down at her. He let go when her hands warmed up. There was another awkward silence as he sat next to her on the desk. Finally he spoke, "You know you really should be more careful. If the road had been slippery, the car could've hit you. It might not have stopped in time. You could have been killed." She looked up at him in shock and then raised an eyebrow.

"Is that you or the Earl speaking?" He snorted at her question.

"Both technically. He told me to tell you to be more careful but I do agree with him. Why weren't you looking where you were going?" She bit her lower lip a bit.

"Because I was busy looking behind me. The road had been clear a moment ago and I was more worried about what was behind me." she rubbed her knuckles subconsciously. She hissed as she rubbed a particularly tender spot. Tyki could see the yellow of a healing bruise peaking out from one of the holes in her gloves.

"Do you fight we men two times your size often?" He prodded gently. She snorted.

"I don't when I don' have to but it's not always that easy." He nodded. Lvellie stormed into the room.

"I thought I said no talking. Both of you get off the desks!" Luca stubbornly stayed put on the desk. Discreetly Tyki tugged her down from the desk. Lvellie rolled his eyes at her stubbornness. "Honestly Walker do you really think doing this will get you anywhere? You and that brother of yours are going nowhere." she rolled her eyes at him and he stalked over to her and swiped her hat from her head.

"Hey!" she protested.

"I told you to take this off. I'm confiscating it." Luca pouted for a moment before she gave him a look as if she was studying him.

"Principal that color doesn't go with your coloring, it would look terrible. Green would look much better, though I'd personally recommend a paper bag over your face instead." she giggled a bit and Tyki choked out a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

"Walker would you like to join me next Saturday?" Luca leaned against the desk and tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"I dunno principal, aren't you a little old to take me on a date? Could be nice though. Pretty sure that counts as harassment of a minor and my guardian would file a lawsuit in a snap for he does oh so love my brother and I." Lvellie smirked slightly amused.

"Oh yes I'm sure." Tyki glanced over at her after the man left.

"Is he always that like that with you? I thought for sure he loved you guys." He jumped when she burst out laughing.

"Damn you're a riot. Lvellie hates most of us. My brother and I especially. I think the only person he even comes close to liking is Link." Tyki raised eyebrow.

"Which one is Link?" She giggled a bit as the hopped back on the desks.

"The blond guy. He's in our math class." Tyki blinked at her in surprise.

"We have math class together?"

She nodded, "Wow you are really observant aren't you?"Tyki grumbled a bit a looked away, if she looked close enough she could have sworn he looked sheepish for just a moment.

"School's not exactly my strong point." she laughed at his mumble and patted him on the back.

"Relax I don't think school is anybody's strong point, well," she paused to tap her bottom lip again with her finger. "might be Link's but we've already established that you don't know who that is." He thought for a moment.

"Isn't he that blond guy that always knows the answer and his papers are like double the length of what the teacher says?" She nodded with a grin.

"Yeah careful around that one. His lips are practically glued to Lvellie's ass. Pretty sure he worships it." Tyki chuckled a bit at her comment.

"That sounds unsanitary." The girl next to him snorted in response.

"Yeah doesn't it?" She did her best to stifle a yawn and leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder.

"Tired Butterfly?" she nodded. "Did you not sleep well?"

"Butterfly?" she questioned.

"Yeah," he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I apparently have a habit of nicknaming people. You just remind me of a butterfly, beautiful and free. You float from place to place uncaring of what others think of you." She smiled and rubbed the sleep from her eye.

"That's sweet. I've had boyfriends that have given me less pleasant nicknames." He pouted.

"Am not. I also don't know your name." She burst out laughing at that revelation.

"Well that's not very polite now is it My Love?" He groaned at the nickname.

"I don't suppose you would consider changing that would you?" She shook her head. "Yeah I wasn't all that hopeful. So why didn't you sleep well? You did at least sleep some right?" She nodded.

"I'm just stressed is all. It happens," she shrugged halfheartedly, "I'm used to it. Life is stressful in general. Everyone has problems. Even you I'm guessing." He nodded.

"Of all of my siblings my brother Sheril is my actual brother so he's harder on me than anybody else. Tyki don't do that? Tyki why is your grade in math so low? Tyki don't see that! I don't care that they're your friends. They're a bad influence. They don't fit our image. You are better than this. We are better than them. Tyki don't start a food fight with the twins. Tyki don't get into a fist fight at school. Tyki brush your hair." He could hear her giggling lightly.

"That's the long haired one right?" he nodded and she giggled a bit more. It was a light and soft sound. Something he figured she didn't make often. "Yeah he's excitable isn't he?" Tyki chocked as he started to laugh again.

"That's a rather nice way of putting it Butterfly."

Luca snorted, despite knowing that it was rather unladylike, "Well I try." The sound of heavy boots sent them scurrying off the desks and into the chairs. Lvellie stalking into the room.

"You have 30 minutes to eat lunch." Luca glanced up at him.

"What about drinks?" Lvellie looked at her coolly for a moment and Luca wondered if he would refuse them.

"I will get you milk. What kind would you like?" Both were shocked that he even asked but answered all the same.

"Chocolate please." Lvellie sighed.

"Figures. I will be right back." Luca rolled her eyes.

"Well isn't he just a ray of sunshine. It's a wonder the school has so many discipline issues. We just all wanna spend more time with him." Tyki chuckled as he began to unpack the multitude of sandwiches. Several of them were 'made with love' from Sheril which were quickly shuffled off in favor of the professionally made ones. Lvellie came back and handed them the milk and left with one more warning of being quiet. Luca opened her milk and began to drink it slowly. She glanced at the array of food on the table.

"What?" Tyki asked when she started laughing. She smiled coyly.

"Is it all boys that eat enough for an army?" He looked down at the food spread out on the desk. She sat on the one next to his, her legs crossed.

"Oh that's right you're brother." she nodded and then he asked another question, "Where's your lunch?"

"I've never seen anyone eat as much as him. Yesterday he ate 12 sandwiches, 4 apples, 3 pears, 2 full bags of chips and a large meat lovers pizza and that was just lunch. Honestly I don't know where he puts it all." She smiled as she talked about her younger brother and ignored his question. Tyki watched her as he started in on his first sandwich. She just sat there sipping at it while staring out the window. Finally it dawned on him. Picking up one of his uneaten sandwiches he placed it in her lap. She looked over at him in surprise.

"You should eat." he mumbled as he stared straight ahead. He had no idea how she would react.

"Thanks." He glanced over at her in shock but she was already devouring the sandwich like a hungry pack of wolves.

"You're welcome." They were silent as they ate. Luca's sandwich was gone far sooner than she wanted, only to have another one placed in her hands. A few years ago Luca might have blushed and been embarrassed but she was far too hungry to care about her dignity. Dignity didn't fill her stomach.

"I'm sorry." He looked up at her as he finished off the rest of the food though he had kept an eye on her to make sure that the two sandwiches had been enough. She had also eaten the pile of chips he had left her. _When was the last time she ate? She acts like it's been all day_ , he thought to himself. He watched her toss the balled up wrapper into the trash across the room with ease. "I shouldn't have thrown that pie at you."

"I knew it was you!" she smiled sheepishly.

"To be fair you did ruin my scam though." He chuckled.

"Yeah but the Earl asked me to keep an eye on them. He and Sheril both had a fit when they found out that the twins used their college fund to pay off some of their debt. Was that you too?" She shook her head.

"Nope. Somebody I know did that but not me. I just wanted to snag enough to feed Allen to tided him over till we got home." she left out the part that their hadn't been any food at home.

"Why didn't you say it was you when he asked?" he wasn't angry, merely curious. She dropped her gaze from his eyes down to her hands as she fiddled with her gloves ideally.

"He asked Lenalee. She met him when she was really young when her older brother Komui applied for the job. He scared the hell out of her and she's been terrified of him ever since. I know that after he asked her if I said anything otherwise he would have given her detention and she would have been in here with him. I couldn't do that do her so I kinda sacrificed you and threw you under the bus too. I am sorry about that, mostly." she smiled at him cheekily. "The look on your face when it first happened was pretty funny."

"Oh I'm sure it was. Of all the things I was expecting to happen during lunch on a Friday afternoon being pelted by food from behind was not on the list. It was not even near the list of things I thought was going to happen that day. It certainly made things interesting besides had you not I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't have gotten to know you." He gave her a charming smile which she returned. Her gaze slid outside and the smile dropped. "Is it still snowing?" he got up and walked over to the window.

"Yeah, it's getting worse isn't it?" He nodded. She sighed, "Perfect. It's getting dark too."

"Why not just call your guardian to come get you?" he asked looking away from the window. She dropped his gaze again and mumbled something that he didn't catch. "What was that?" She sighed.

"I haven't seen my guardian in over a week. He has a habit of disappearing for a while and just leaving Allen and I on our own. He'll come back, probably." she muttered the last part to herself but Tyki still heard her.

"That's terrible." She shrugged.

"It's okay. We're used to it. I've lived with Cross for most of my life." Tyki shook his head.

"That doesn't make it any better." The room lapsed into silence neither knowing what to say.

Luca started to laugh as something occurred to her and she decided to brighten the dreary atmosphere, "You thought your brother hated your other friends, he would loath me if he ever met me." She paused to think for a moment. "Wait does your brother own that nice red car that's always in the same spot out front of the school?" Tyki nodded suspiciously.

"Yeah why?" The girl burst out laughing.

"Oh your brother already hates me. So Al and I were on the roof of the school and we had those huge buckets you know the ones in the gym that we keep all the balls in right?" he nodded and she continued. "Well we had two of those filled with neon pink paint. Lvellie's car is parked right next to it and it's that obnoxious light gold color so we decided that we'd give it a paint job for free cuz we're nice and all but the bucket got caught on the lip of the roof and instead of Lvellie's car the paint fell on the red one next to it which also happened to have it's sunroof open. Your brother saw us up there but were were too far away for him to catch us. We booked it. He chased us all through the school but we managed to ditch him. He didn't have any proof that it was us so we got away with it." Tyki joined her in laughing.

"He had a fit when that happened. God it was the biggest temper tantrum I'd ever seen him throw. The Earl spent weeks fixing it just to calm him down. It's still got flecks of pink in it that the car people, whatever they're called, still couldn't get out." She started laughing again.

"Oh that's so beautiful. I love it. I have to tell Allen when I get home!" The could hear the thudding of boots and both slid into the chairs at the desks once more.

"It is now 3pm. You are both free to go." Lvellie spoke as he stepped into the room. Tyki grabbed his bag and Luca pulled her jacket back on. The pair exited the school together. As promised Adam Campbell and his car sat outside in what little daylight was left. Luca smiled when she saw him. The car was running and you could see that the heat was on.

"I'll see you on Monday. I owe you for the sandwiches. Thanks again by the way." she jogged down the steps and crossed the parking lot though this time she stopped and looked both way.

"Luca! Wait up!" She stopped and turned around as he ran over to her. With no warning he pulled her close and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and eagerly returned the kiss.

"I thought you didn't know my name?" she asked as they parted slightly out of breath.

"Okay so maybe I lied." he mumbled sheepishly. She pecked him on the lips lightly.

"I'm shocked. I do have to go though. See you later!" she pulled away and moved to the street to cross it again.

"Butterfly!" She turned to look at him again.

"Next Saturday I'll take you on a real date." she laughed as he smirked at her.

The grin pulled on her lips, "I look forward to it!"

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 **Well I hope you all enjoyed that! It was interesting change of pace for me. I probably enjoyed tormenting Sheril far more than I should have but oh well. He'll live. As always tell me what you though of the chapter or any new theories. Reviews feed my soul and power my heart! Tune in next week for the murder of the century! Find out in chapter 32: Even the Sky Weeps! Cheshire is out~!**


	32. Even the Sky Weeps

**Well it's Tuesday which means a new chapter! I know it's actually gonna post on Tuesday. I'm not entire sure what to do either. Oh well. This chapter was rather emotional to write and took a long time. Thanks so much to Yule for helping me with this chapter and all the other ones as well. Don't forget to check out her story either! D. Gray Land ("Qin!," Alma glomped onto me, his tears seeping into my shirt "Yu is being mean again!" Sighing, I patted him, aware that a mini-Kanda glaring holes into my back. When I died, I never expected to wind up in this crazy world, much less as a Second Exorcist. Life certainly has a way of playing cruel pranks on me. Oh well, at least there's no homework. Slightly AU. OC-insert. ). I have a discord server that I share with WinterYule. I can't post the link because it doesn't work but this is me: Cheshire#7475 come find me and I'll happily add you to the server! Also big shout out to Zon Yokai Blade of the Spirits** **for the absolutely stunning poem in the middle of this chapter! You all know what's coming so let's just get straight into the review!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, Well here you go! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Cam, I apologize about your confusion. I will attempt to make it more clear in the future with the other bonus chapters. I'm glad that you liked the chapter anyway. Yes the story is starting to get dark * glances at chapter * definitely getting darker. Hope it doesn't scare you away. Enjoy.**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, Thank you so much for your understanding the fact that I do have a life and can be rather busy. Your investment in my story is touching and I'm glad that you are always checking up on it. To answer your question, it's better explained in chapter two if you wanna go back to when she was talking to Allen, but her innocence is made of molten metal. Enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was rather cute though could get a bit dark * glares at Cross * but it was meant to be cute! I'm glad I'm not the only one who is late. Makes me feel better. Sometime in future I may do a sequel chapter so there is a bit of hope. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Kp, I'm really glad it came off cute. I wasn't sure how it would go. I had a bit of trouble with it at first but found some good inspiration and went with it. I honestly don't know how you cannot hate on Lvellie. He just isn't likable. Well not to me anyway. Just want to punch him all the time. I hope you feel better! Yule and I were talking early this morning and we both are fighting a cold too so you're not alone! Yes Luca was born on Halloween for reasons. Don't worry too much about it. Next week will be your chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Bunny-chan, Well if Luca would deal with the problem then she wouldn't be falling but she's not so good at dealing with her own problems. Allen's a bit busy and doesn't know the signs of a fallen one anyway so he's not sure what's going on. He's also used to Harlequin being a bit temperamental so he's not seeing much of a difference. The food fight was my favorite scene. The kiss was cute too. I wanted to end on a happier note. I absolutely loved your rant at Cross. Yes he is a terrible guardian and even more so in modern times without the Order to pay for their daily needs. Let's just hope the pair survives the winter. I loved your thing about the discord. I hope it attracts people! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, Thank you so much for your kinds words. I actually worried a lot about keeping them in character and initially had trouble with it. So to hear from you that it was well written and they were in character was a huge relief. Are you trying to make me blush like 15? I'm pretty sure that it doesn't matter where or when they are. Luca being bored is a bad thing and Tyki is usually the target of her shenanigans. Poor boy just can't seem to get a break. Yeah, he couldn't just sit there and watch her not eat. That part was cute but hard to write. Honestly I'm not sure anyone is impressed with Cross as a guardian in either world or time period. It's just not something he should be doing obviously. Original Tyki's reason for calling Luca butterfly is actually different. I'll tell you if you'd like to know. I won't give any numbers but it's getting pretty low. The more she fights it the lower it gets. Yes it is more of a concern but it is an unknown one. Allen has never seen what happens before they fall so he doesn't know what's going on at the moment. He thinks that Harlequin is just being temperamental which it is known to do because it is like it's mistress. If he knew what was actually happening at the moment it would end really badly. He would definitely be mad at her but she would also be confined to the Order in an attempt to 'not lose anymore exorcists' and would lose her freedom. Luca is the Queen of avoiding her problems and just hoping that they go away. It doesn't work very well for her but that doesn't stop her from trying. She knows what's wrong with Harlequin but she is hoping that it will get over it because she desperately doesn't want to have to do what it's telling her to do. Tyki will be checking up on her soon. I always love to hear what you imagine so keep it up and enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear WinterYule, Sorry you will never know about the chocolate pie. Only know that there was mistletoe in the school and it got a bit more interesting than normal ;) Yep Luca spends much of her time feeding her brother. Allen doesn't mind as long as it isn't his food being thrown. It's not like he can eat other people's food so if his sister wants to be rude and throw it that's her business. I hadn't thought of Allen trying to eat all the food and now I wish that I had put that into the story. Maybe next time. Yes Alma and Kanda are ganging up on other people together. I feel like Alma would want to do as much as he possibly can with Yu and Kanda has just given in. He can't get him to go away and doesn't really want him to either. Not that he'll ever admit it. Poor Tyki is getting thrown under the bus. But that's what Lenalee saw and Luca is a good friend...most of the time. Honestly Luca is incapable of keeping her mouth shut especially with Lvellie. She just can't do it. It's not gonna happen. Yeah you caught it. I wonder if anybody else will realize it later? Though you also knew about it so half a point for you. I really enjoyed writing the Earl being fatherly instead of a major creeper like he normally is and Tyki will always be his favorite. Sheirl and Jasdero are just those kinds of people and both were caught in the cross fire so run Tyki run! Writing Luca and Allen's home life was really hard but it just wouldn't be any other way. The Order saves them a lot of trouble in the regular story but without that they are struggling to feed themselves and keep the apartment. Don't worry somebody else yelled at Cross for you. If I do a sequel chapter you will find out more about Mana and Neah. Yeah Luca's not paying attention to the cars and their lives I really wanted to stress the difference in them. I'm glad I got that across. The Earl should adopt Luca and Allen huh? Yeah it's not something I ever thought I would hear. The hands scene was fun because it put them close together and he got a good look at her clothing and the shape it was in giving him more of an idea of how she's living along with her brother's** **appetite** **it shows her character and what she prioritizes. For his lunch I just started listing food and adding numbers. I'm glad you liked it. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, =.= I don't like to blush. It's not a good look for me. As for this monochrome world try some paint Dear. I'm glad my ideas on Lenalee made sense and honestly I don't think this story would work with Lenalee. I think she's afraid of Tyki and she certainly doesn't trust him nor care about him. He would not be getting close enough to know her. I was more than happy to count your vote. You were my first supporter so it's only natural. Everybody loves the food fight scene. I based it off the ones that happen in my house, not I'm not joking it actually happens just with less people. Allen will always be Luca's number one priority so it's no surprise that she did what she did. I'm not sure Allen would like Long Pig though. Though I have to ask what does "Beware of clowns who just recently lost their red noses" mean? I'm a bit concerned now. Should I be scared for my life? Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The rain poured down on the two figures standing out on the deck of the boat. Both were protected from the onslaught of water by long black hooded cloaks. The hoods were pulled up, obscuring both of them. A large castle placed on an island loomed in the near distance. The taller one was lost in thought while the shorter one stared out at the horizon while sipping at a flask. Two golems flew by their owner's heads. _It's so gloomy. I can't help but wonder if it's an omen_ , Luca hummed to herself as she stared up at the castle that was their new home. _But can it even be called home? I'm not sure if it's really home anymore. Not with all this suspicion flying around_ , her eyes narrowed at the thought as she glanced over at her brother.

"You two are gonna catch cold out here." The Walker siblings turned around as Lenalee and Johnny joined them out on the deck. The girl slid her flask back into it's pouch.

"Oh hey." Luca greeted weakly. The last couple of days had been tense between the two girls. The Hungarian could tell that the Chinese girl was still a little miffed though she was slowly forgiving her for it as she had spent the last several days with Marie training around her new disability. She was now steady on her feet which was a vast improvement. She still ran into things occasionally but it wasn't nearly as bad as before.

"Don't worry guys, the uniform Johnny made is warm and cozy." Luca nodded, not feeling like joining in on the conversation. Gambit was nestled under her hood on her left shoulder. Both golems were pouting, Scor had been kicked out of her rightful place and Gambit was pouting about the rain. He didn't want to get wet. She listened as Johnny pointed out that Allen was becoming less formal as he grew more comfortable around the others at the Order. _Should I tell him? Or should I let him be happy for now? After all it won't last forever_ , the dark thoughts swirled around in her head, causing her to sink into the depths of her hood. She couldn't bring herself to ruin her little brother's happiness, even if it was but a moment. She took another drink of her whiskey. And then another one.

"We like it this way! It's much better!" the pair cheered bringing Luca out of her depressive thoughts and back into the real world. Komui appeared and interrupted the conversation to remind them of what they were doing.

"Prepare to disembark. We are on a mission." Lenalee looked over at him in surprise.

"Oh? You're awake Big Brother?"

"Are you feeling any better or are you still seasick?" Johnny asked curiously with a tilt of his head.

"Please don't make me talk too much or I'll start throwing up." Komui moaned causing Luca to edge away from him ever so slightly. The boat entered under a rock archway leading into a tunnel. Luca followed behind the others watching as they went. A new building which meant she didn't know where everything was anymore. Gambit flew out of her hood, happy to be out in the open again. Free to flutter and stretch his wings again. Gambit started chirping at Luca who in response took several steps to the right just in time to avoid a jutting corner. The teez's ability to make noise was a recent discovery that had taken them all by surprise. He had starting doing it in an attempt to warn Luca before she walked into something. The first time he had done it she was so surprised that she walked into a desk anyway. She watched as Allen created a gate for more of the others to jump through. The dark haired scientist who's name was still escaping Luca poked his head through, Allen greeted him. _Oh, his name is Rob. Wonder how I forgot that? It's a pretty standard name. Maybe because it's boring?_ she mused to herself. Luca's eyes darted away from where Allen was making another gate and explaining things to Johnny. She could feel Lvellie and a group of CROWS approaching. She took a large swig of her whiskey. She was going to need far more if he was gonna be around for any real amount of time.

Luca started muttering to herself under her breath where nobody would hear her, "Oh that's just peachy. What the hell does that rohadék (bastard) want now?" She could already tell that this wasn't going to be fun. She looked over as Lavi and Bookman jumped through the newest ark gate. _That's weird. They weren't supposed to be here until tomorrow so why are they here now? I have a bad feeling about this_ , she sighed. There was nothing she could do about it. One phrase caught her attention.

"We're here for our real work." Luca's heart dropped into her stomach at the words that Bookman spoke. It was never a good thing when the elderly man mentioned that they were recording things. That combined with Lvellie's presence left a bad taste in her mouth. She took another drink.

"Your real work huh?" Lvellie asked coming up behind Allen, Luca turned to glare at the man just out of habit. Link saluted out of habit as well. "Well done Inspector Link." Luca snorted with a roll of her eyes. "You as well Allen Walker." The older teen clenched her fist. No matter what was said every time Lvellie addressed her brother the girl wanted to punch him in the face. She could feel her nails biting into her palms. Her gloves were the only thing that kept blood from being drawn. Which was probably a good thing. She was pretty sure that one of these days she was going to make Johnny cry or have a mental breakdown. She had already lost or destroyed several of her cloaks and due to her height she couldn't just borrow somebody else's, not to mention that she was just hard on gloves in general. "Come with me. I have directions for you." Cold brown eyes slid over to her. "You too Luca Walker." Taking a deep breath before releasing it to calm her nerves she moved to her brother's side and together they followed the man, with CROWS on every side. Allen grabbed her left hand and gave it a squeeze. Despite not being able to see him it brought her comfort. He would guard her blind spot no matter what.

Luca watched from the corner still hiding in the safety of her hood. Only her eyes could be seen from the dark depths. Their color bright due to the glower she wore. The spell that was wrapped around Allen's left arm left an acidic taste in her mouth. The girl tried to wash it out with whiskey. She knew she was hyper aware of magic and the different spells. She couldn't help but note darkly with a sense of irony about the fact that they feared Allen and thought of him as a danger so they tied him up yet they didn't look at her twice. _If only you knew Lvellie, what I would do to you given the chance. Allen is not the one you should be worried about. That's fine though, enjoy your little power play it won't last. In the end you will fall. The question is how many will you send to their deaths first?_ The Hungarian couldn't help but wonder what would happen if she dumped the man's tea and then shoved the cup down his throat. Probably could do it, but she'd probably have to counter their magic with her own thus revealing herself so perhaps that wasn't a good idea. Luca glanced around the room before her eyes settled on a particular CROW. _So Link is really a CROW huh? That's good information to have. I knew something was up with him. I'll have to keep a closer eye on him_ , she hummed. Now that she knew that she would have to limit what she revealed. If he figured out she could use magic she would be in deep trouble. She glared as a CROW bound Allen's hands in front of him with spell tags. They were being a bit extreme. One of the CROWS motioned for Luca to follow them as they left the room. Luca soon caught up to Allen, walking on his right side among the CROWS and the weird sticks they were burning. Her nose wrinkled at the smell. It wasn't a pleasant one. They stopped outside of a white door.

"On the other side of this door is General Cross Marian." Both sets of eyes widened. They hadn't seen their Master since the level 4 akuma attacked and even then they hadn't been allowed to talk to him since they returned from Edo. Luca's visit that night was still a secret, but they didn't need to know about that. Luca could only ponder what her Master had done to allow them to be able to speak. A single look at Allen's face told her he was miles away, years in the past. He seemed so far away. The door opened and the pair stepped in. On the other side of the room with his back to them staring out the window was their Master. Luca couldn't help but wonder what it was exactly that the man was thinking, she could never tell yet was always yearned to know. Slowly brother and sister stepped into the magic barrier. The dark haired girl suppressed the shiver that crawled up her spine as all the hair on her body stood on end. She would never get used to the feeling of their magic. A masked CROW in red robes stood at each corner of the barrier. Lavi stood in the corner leaning against the wall with his hood pulled up. Luca allowed hers to slide down. She can do nothing as she listens quietly as the red haired man tells Allen about Mana and Neah. As their master confirmed Allen's suspicions that Mana was involved with the Fourteenth.

"From the time that the Fourteenth betrayed the Noah until the Earl killed him only one person stayed by his side. That was Mana Walker. Mana and the Fourteenth were brothers." The words hit Allen like a ton of bricks. She could see it in Allen's wide eyes. Luca could ignore the feeling of irony that washed over her once more. Mana never left the fourteenth's side and she would never leave Allen's side. No matter what. No person or thing could separate them. She swore she would stay and that's what would happen

"Master did you know?" Allen asked the words falling from his lips.

"Yes, when he died, I promised that I'd watch over Mana. And he promised me that he would return to Mana's side one day." The next words Cross spoke crashed down on Luca. "You promised me that, Allen. Or should I call you the Fourteenth?" It was once thing to know that the Fourteenth was sleeping in the back of Allen's head. It was another thing entirely to know that he would take over her precious little brother. It was too soon. She wasn't ready. The spell wasn't anywhere near complete. She needed more time. Her thoughts raced in her head. So many of the swirling around like a hurricane. It was suffocating her, drowning her. "He may not be fully awake yet, but you're probably beginning to feel his presence inside of you." Even though Cross was talking to Allen he was looking at Luca. Red met green. He knew. He knew she could see the shadow that was always looming over Allen. Even Luca didn't have an answer for that. Link obviously couldn't see it. He would have already reported it so why could she see it? _Could Cross see it too? Maybe only those close to Allen can see it? No Lenalee and Lavi can't see it. Why am I the only one other than Allen to be able to see it?_ The question whirled in her head.

"What do you mean by that?" Both eyes moved back to Allen who was now yelling at the general.

"Don't play dumb with me. You knew that pianist's song. That's his memory at work. The Fourteenth's memory was implanted in you. You're his host. The Fourteenth is going to use you to return to this world. Allen gritted his teeth in anger, while Luca bit her lip so hard that the skin split. She licked up the blood before anyone realized it. She could feel one of the CROW's gaze on her back. She could feel it burning into her back. Cross continued, "You didn't know the pianist's song before you entered that room. You couldn't even play the piano. Those are his memories." His next sentence was subtly directed at both of them. "You saw something didn't you?" Allen was unmoving, he stood frozen. The shock was too much for him. The sound of Cross' heavy boots smacking against the floor barely registered in Luca's head as Luca suddenly realized that it wasn't just his shadow she had been seeing but the Fourteenth himself. He wasn't awake enough to take his true form. SMACK! Cross' hand cracked against Allen's cheek sending him to the floor with Luca who he took with him on the way down.

"Ouch!" The Walker siblings snapped together as they tried to untangle themselves. It was a great deal harder with Allen's arms tied up. Luca had to do most of the work. For a moment she was back in the cornfield with Tyki all tangled up in each other's limbs. She couldn't help but wish for those simpler times. With a bit of effort Luca got Allen sitting up. She shot a glare up at Cross. She couldn't quite get up off the floor yet.

"That was uncalled for." The two ignored her as they started yelling at each other and arguing about when the memories had been implanted into Allen. She just sighed, _Was it really important when it happened? It's not like it changes anything or helps us figure out how to get rid of him or at least free Allen from the Fourteenth._

"I didn't really believe what he said until you showed up. After the disastrous attempt on the Earl's life his life became a living hell. You and Mana were fighting the clan of Noah with very little help and living on the run. They had few allies and limited resources. Under the circumstances the Fourteenth was in no place to be picky. He chose you because you happened to be there. That's how badly he wants to kill the Earl. It was just bad luck." His next words chilled Luca to the bone and she wanted to cry, something she hadn't done in a very long time. Perhaps not since her mother died. "The implanted memory will over take you gradually and you will become the Fourteenth. There have been signs of course."

"So that's what's going on...?" Luca was the only one who heard Allen's mutter. She wanted to reach out and comfort him but knew with the CROWS watching that it was a bad idea. Still she nudged him with her foot. Tapping out a rhythm that he knew.

'I love you. It's going to be okay.' She didn't know if that was true or not at the moment but she was be damned to hell before she would abandon him. She would save him from this fate even if it cost her life in exchange. It was a price she was willing to pay. She would happily give her life to save his. Or grant him happiness. If anyone in the world deserved it, Allen was that person. Allen's question shattered her heart into a million tiny pieces.

"So did Mana ever love me or did he..." he trailed off, his lips unable to form the words. He couldn't even vocalize the thought that the one person who gave his life purpose hadn't really loved him at all. Had looked at him and seen someone else? Was he ever really truly loved? Cross knelt down and Luca could see the pain in his eyes. She could see that he wanted to fix it for them.

"Mana behaved strangely the day his brother died. I don't know if he remembered what happened or if he blocked it out. He used to visit an old friend from time to time but by the time he found you she had been murdered and he had no one to turn to. I only observed him from a distance." His voice grew even more solemn and mournful. "I never thought that he would choose a child as his host." Cross reached forward and pulled the two into a hug. Luca was stunned. Cross rarely showed affection, and it was never physical past ruffling their hair. Allen sat wide eyed unable to process what was happening while his sister leaned into the touch. She couldn't help the dreading feeling like he was saying goodbye. Like she would never see him again. Where was her father going? Why was he leaving them? Didn't he realize how much they needed him? _Please don't go! I don't think I can do this on my own; please Father, don't leave me!_ she wanted to scream and beg him to stay. She couldn't bring herself to say and do these things. She knew she couldn't show weakness in front of the CROWS or Lvellie.

"If you could believe anything I tell you two, believe that I wish he would've chosen someone else...anyone else. In the end in order to protect something, something else must be sacrificed." Luca knew the phrase well. It was one of the law of the universe. When she had been a child she had sacrificed her dignity in order to survive. Cross sighed, "Now I can't make fun of Tiedoll." She could feel him stroking her hair, trying to calm her down as subtly as he could. "What if I told you that when you become the Fourteenth you will have to kill someone you care about?" Cross pulled away jolting Allen out of his horror induced shock. Luca felt sick.

"Wait a second," Allen jumped to his feet, startling Luca. Cross turned his back and moved away. He couldn't face them anymore. As two CROWS appeared blocking Allen's path Luca leapt to her feet to defend her brother if necessary. She knew she could take all four in the room if needed. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO KILL SOMEONE I CARE ABOUT?!" Allen's thoughts immediately went to the girl standing by his side. Would the Fourteenth really kill his sister? Would she be murdered in cold blood?

"MASTER!" Luca and Allen yelled together demanding an answer. How could he not say anything else to them? They needed answers.

"Ask the Fourteenth. There's another side to this war." There was the answer she needed. Luca could and would work with that. It was a starting place. She mentally removed a part of her plan. "This time try not to get killed halfway through." Cross walked to the door. He was leaving. A CROW spoke to him but Luca still heard it.

"Times up." Cross snorted.

"Shut up. I know." the order was sharp. He was angry. She could feel it.

"Wait! Master!" Allen didn't understand that Cross had already given them the answer they needed. The two CROWS interrupted him and kept him from following Cross.

"This meeting is over." The boy ignored the masked man completely. Allen only grew angrier and Luca sighed and moved out of his flailing range.

"WHAT? WHO WILL I HAVE TO KILL?" At that moment Timcampy made the mistake of flying in front of Allen's face. Taking the opportunity Allen headbutted the poor golem across the room smacking him into the back of Cross' head hard enough that the man almost fell forward on his face. "WAIT! MASTER YOU FOOL!" Luca subtly grabbed Scor by the tall and pulled her out of her brother's range. Gambit nestled down in the curly black hair where he was safe. Cross stood still for a moment before a demon like aura began to seep from his entire being. Immediately he swung around intent on moving back towards his apprentice who was literally laying in the pair of CROWS arms from his attack but the CROW grabbed him. Luca just sighed at the scene before her. _Why are they always like this?_ she questioned to herself.

"General! You must go!" The CROW attempted to pull the taller man towards the door with little luck. Luca almost felt bad for him but then she remembered that all CROWS were dicks and the feeling went away.

"Eh? What was that? I can't hear you that well?" Cross goaded still struggling against the CROW.

"The day I joined the Order I promised Mana that no matter what I'd keep fighting till the very end. I promised him that." Cross watched silently as Allen continued his rant while Luca smiled for the first time since Lvellie and the CROWS had appeared. "But I still love him! This feeling is real! So I'm gonna honor my oath to him. I've made up my mind! I don't care about the Fourteenth! Nothing will deter me!" Allen then stuck out his tongue at the man rather childishly making Luca chuckle under her breath. With that Cross left the room and Allen was allowed to change back. Luca smiled when he came out dressed as he normally would. The uniform suited him. It was his calling and she knew it. The pair of siblings moved down the halls only the sound of their boots against the floor echoed after them. They found both Lenalee and Johnny asleep leaning against each other. Allen grabbed a blanket and moved to cover them while Luca moved to the window. _It's raining, Master's favorite_ , she noted. _I wonder if it's just raining or are the angels crying?_

"Allen?" Lenalee woke up. Luca sat on the window sill her knees pulled up to her chest with Scor settling on her right should due to the left one leaning against the window. She still had a bad feeling. It wouldn't leave her no matter what she did. Even when Allen had made her laugh. She could hear Allen and Lenalee talking to each other in hushed voices though she wasn't listening to them too lost in her own thoughts. She leaned her head against the window as her eyelids grew heavy. _Something bad is going to happen_ , was the last thought that crossed her mind before her eyes slid shut and she drifted off to the sound of rain against the castle.

* * *

Cross sat on the windowsill enjoying the rainy weather. It was his favorite after all. He couldn't help but think on the events that had just transpired. His two children had grown up while he wasn't looking. Luca was almost fully grown and Allen wasn't far behind her. He sipped at his red wine slowly. He couldn't help but wish for the days long gone. He still remembered the day that he looked down into Luca's green eyes and realized who she was and what had to have happened to force her out onto the streets. Black goo staining her skin in an odd pattern, almost like a tattoo he knew she didn't have. And then that cold, dark, winter night four years later in England that Tim came flying to him like a rocket when he was supposed to be with Luca. The horrifying image of his little girl rushing head first towards the bright white light that signified the Earl making another akuma, for a second meeting when she had barely escaped the first one by some miracle that he still didn't understand, to save whatever poor unfortunate soul had called the Earl to them. He had bolted, ignoring people yelling at him, his boots thundering against the ground, sliding in the slippery wet snow. The Earl was gone when he had arrived but kneeling in the snow by a gravestone was Luca. She was bent over something. A ways away he could see the imprint of a skeleton in the snow. The akuma was dead. She pulled back to reveal a boy he recognized. Finally his eyes slid to the gravestone. Mana Walker. He wanted curse and swear but the girl's next words distracted him.

"Master! He's still alive!" Cross bent down and spoke to the boy but he didn't answer. Luca was right though. His small chest was heaving as panted. Cross looked around for a moment. The Earl was gone and Luca didn't have a scratch on her. Once again she had by some miracle survived the Earl, or perhaps she hadn't gotten there in time. He could see the innocence embedded into the boy's hand. Silver eyes continued to be hazy but green ones looked up at him imploringly.

"We're talking him with us Luca. We need to go to mother's." she nodded. It's where he had taken her to recuperate when he had first found her. They were so different back then, he still cursed himself for the fact that the innocence of a child was long gone from his little girl. She was a woman now and a beautiful but jaded woman at that. He knew that he should never have children because he would never know what to do with them and would probably fail to raise them properly. Yet the universe or god, whichever it was, saw fit to give him two of them. How much had he failed them? Would they have done better else where? What would they be like if Tiedoll or Klaud had raised them? Maybe Luca wouldn't be so skeptical of everybody. He raised the glass to his lips before setting it down again.

"I don't think you're a bad person, I think you're a broken person who drowns his sorrows in his own self destructive tendencies." Cross snorted as auburn hair and vivid green eyes flashed in his head. It didn't do any good thinking of her and the words she spoke. She was dead and gone never to return. They all were. Everybody was dead. Mana had been the last of their little resistance and even he hadn't really been alive, not since that day.

"I doubt you would say those things if you saw me now. How could you have such trust in me when you've seen how your daughter grew up? How distrustful she is of the the world that you loved so but she's just as sharp as you. She has your wit and intelligence. Of course she has your eyes. The minute I looked into them I knew who she had to be. I was surprised when I saw her. I'm sorry I couldn't save her from this fate. The one you died for." The words spilled from his lips softly. There was no need for the guards to hear. God forbid Lvellie ever figure out the girl's bloodline. It was then he decided that he hadn't had enough wine. He was far too sentimental. Yet still he smiled. "Even so, I'm proud of her. She's not my daughter by blood but she will always be mine. She's smart and cunning, mischievous and always willing to do anything for her brother. She may just save him. And then there's Allen, he's becoming defiant. I still remember when Luca had to jump to his defense every time. She has quite a few scars from doing that. You'd be proud of the woman she is Gazella." He paused in his thoughts. "I hope someday you can forgive me for my mistakes Zella." He paused thinking back to their conversation he had with his children. "I guess coming here to the Black Order has been good for him." he mused. A knock sounded at the door causing him to glance over at it. He wasn't supposed to have any visitors and Luca never knocked. She just comes in. Or perhaps uses the window. He wasn't always sure what that one would do. She had been a wild card in his deck for so long. _Seems like she inherited her mother's bad taste in men_ , he contemplated as his thought back to the Noah in the ark. He was pulled from his thoughts by another knock and then another one. Silently be bent down and pulled Judgment from it's holster that still lay on the floor and moved towards the door. He had a feeling this wasn't just a friendly visit.

* * *

Two pairs of eyes fluttered open, green met silver. Luca felt ill and both golems were gone. Luca pushed herself to her feet. The dreadful feeling was back. Just like the time in Barcelona and in China. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Allen opened his mouth as he slid out from under Lenalee who had been sleeping on his shoulder. Allen took one look at his sister's face and followed her as she ran down the hall uncaring of how loud her boots were against the floor. He could see the silver and gold golems flying down the hall.

"Lu! Lu! Lu, what's going on? Luca! Answer me!" The boy ran after his older sister unable to forget the look on her face just a minute ago. Allen soon recognized the hall they were sprinting down. It was the hall that lead to their Master's room. _Could something have happened to Master? I had Mana but Master was the closest thing to a father that Lu had. Has she sensed him? Had he given her a message some how? She's running awful fast. I don't, I can't remember the last time she made that face-wait yes I do! That time when we were kids and the Earl attacked, she made that face right before Hyde-_ , Allen's thoughts were cut off as Luca stopped running. The door was open and the guards were gone. He came to stop by her.

Luca's mind raced as she took in the sight. Her master's room was trashed. There was blood on the window which was broken. Komui was kneeling down by the windowsill that was covered in the red substance. The missing guards stood nervously off to the side. Lvellie stood staring at the window impassively and Link was there too. Luca was too busy noticed who wasn't there. _Where was Cross? Where was her Master? Where was her father?_ She could feel Allen go still beside her. Tim and Scor immediately flew over and around Komui who turned around.

"They woke and came...here." Allen trailed as if he wasn't fully processing what he was seeing. Luca couldn't stop the feeling that was welling up inside her. She felt like the frozen lake underneath her feet cracked and split open, sending her cascading into it's freezing depths. Yet she could see everybody else breathing just fine. So why couldn't she breathe? "Is that..." Allen paused as if he almost couldn't say it, "blood? Whose?" It was then that Komui stood and revealed a familiar white mask laying partially broken in the pool of blood. Both golems were nuzzling it as if it was the red haired man himself. The Walker siblings' eyes widened as they stood frozen. No matter what her mind told her body it wouldn't move. She swore it was like she was tangled in a thousand threads and couldn't move. They tightened around her neck, strangling her. She couldn't breathe. She almost didn't want to. How could he be dead? Gone, sure. He vanished so often that she wasn't even surprised if it was just that. But the blood, the mask, Judgment, and the way two golems were acting didn't give her much hope for his safety. Neither golem had reacted like this. It was too real. She closed her eyes, praying that she was dreaming. Just like the dream she had before, where the Earl had been in it but he was in a chicken costume at Cross' funeral. The drunkard had died because his liver had given out after all of the abuse. When she woken up, the difference was easy to tell. None of the details had made sense. Hell they hadn't made sense at the time. She spent the entire funeral just staring at the Earl wondering what the hell he was doing there. But this didn't feel like a dream or even a nightmare. It was far too real for her tastes.

"Where...did..." Luca trailed off as she continued to stare at the mask. Slowly her eyes slid over to Lvellie. In a flash they hardened and she glared at him as she spoke, "What did you do?" Link immediately jumped to his leader's defense.

"Walker! How dare you insinuate that Directer Lvellie would murder one of our own!" Luca turned her icy gaze to the German man.

"You know some day Link," the girl's lips pulled into a sarcastic snarl, "you're gonna look back on your life, probably while you lie dying for that man, and you're gonna think 'God I wish I hadn't spend so much of my time with my lips glued to another man's ass because I took a lot of shit from him.' and I hope that day comes soon." Without another word to any of the people she called to the golems. "Tim, Scor. We're leaving." Grabbing Allen by the hand she dragged her shell shocked brother away from the scene and prying eyes. Once again their rooms were next to each other, something she knew Komui was responsible for though she had also threatened Link with the small detail that if she was separated from her brother than she would just come in and sleep in their room with them that fact it would bother Link was none of her concern.

"Luca, I..." Allen trailed off. He still couldn't process what had happened or what they had seen. She opened her mouth and then closed it again. What did she say to him? What could she say? "He's not really de..." he couldn't even bring himself to say the word. That would make it real. "right?" She looked up at him. When it had first happened she had been so pissed that he was taller than her. She was older so she was suppose to be taller. That was how these things worked, at least in her mind anyway, but Cross had told her that boys always grew more than girls and it didn't make her less strong. She wasn't sure she felt strong at the moment. She pulled him into a hug. All she could do was hold him.

"I don't know. I don't think so. It's complicated." She wanted to comfort her brother but she didn't want to lie to him either.

"Luca, I, I don't want to kill anybody. I don't even want to hurt anybody. I mean that's the whole point of Crown Clown. It was supposed to save him. I didn't mean to make it worse. I was just trying to help. Why does it keep getting worse, Luca? Luca please why does it keep getting worse? I don't want to kill anyone." Luca wanted to cry as her younger brother clung to her like a scared child with it's favorite toy which was basically what he was, he was right everything around them was falling apart. They were alone. The Order no longer trusted Allen, this night had shown just that. The one person she knew she could trust, she had always trusted her, from the moment he found her dying in that alleyway, was gone. Dead. No! He couldn't be dead. Cross Marian wouldn't die if death herself came for him. He'd just laugh it off and drink some more wine. Luca reached up to pet his head, stroking his hair gently. She couldn't think of anything else to do.

"I'm going to look into it further. Don't get your hopes up and whatever you do don't trust Link. He is not your friend Allen. Please trust me." Her voice barely a murmur in his ear yet she nodded all the same. "Get some sleep Al, it will be easier in the morning." Link's footsteps could be heard coming down the hall. Her voice returned to normal levels. He nodded at her, taking a deep breath to calm himself. She was right and he needed to trust her. Allen opened the door and stepped in. He didn't feel like dealing with Link at the moment. He could hear Luca shuffling around in her room. She was probably doing a spell or something. Magic was never something he understood. She could do such wonderful things with it yet he felt nothing. She could sense the winds changing. He could not, but perhaps they balanced each other out. He knew she did things, things that were wrong, behind his back. He also knew that she had saved his life more times than he could count so he let it go. He couldn't be angry if he didn't know, right? He decided not to think about it too much. He crawled into bed though he was listening for Luca's reactions.

Luca closed the door of her new room softly and shut the lock with a click. It had yet to be decorated and desperately need to be. It was cold and dull and gray. It' needed color. It needed a desk with messy papers half folded into strange shapes and odd objects all in different states of dismemberment scattered across it with other pieces that didn't fit together yet. She couldn't help but laugh dryly. She had been so busy that she almost stopped dismantling anything that interested her. She didn't have time for it anymore. As she grew up screwdrivers and other tools were replaced with weapons and spell tags. Old spell books, language books. They only hobby she hadn't let go of was one that she probably should. She looked down at red gem clutched between her fingers. It was from Cross' room. Had to be. It was the clip from his uniform. She slid it into her pocket after plucking a few red strands from it. _Master really should brush his hair more often_ , she sighed. Getting down on her knees she pried a loose floorboard up from under the bed and dug the box out. It was large and heavy. Filled with all of her necessary magical items that she needed and had collected. She had moved most of them into a secret room built just for her by Allen in the ark. _Honestly Lvellie thinks he's so smart but a pair of teenagers out wit him. This is why you'll never win the war, not until somebody more competent begins to lead_ , she hummed as she pulled out the things needed for her spell. There was no doubt in her mind that the missing general had already warded himself against the Order's brand of magic. It would be silly to escape and not do that but perhaps a special spell of her own design could at least tell her if he's alive or not. She bit down hard on her lip to keep it from trembling. She ignore the blood beading at the seam and rolling down her lip and chin. It was of no concern to her at this very moment. She shook her head in an attempt to clear away the tears that were gathering in her eyes. _This is not the time to be weak_ , she told herself sternly yet it didn't work. Soon she couldn't see anything in front of her. She scrubbed at her eyes furiously though this only succeeded in making them red and achy. Giving up for the moment she sat back on her legs and just let herself cry. Luca couldn't help but feel so lost and alone without the man that had raised her. Even when he was on the other side of the world, he was still closer to her than if he was gone for good. She had been right before, he had been saying goodbye. Now she had nobody in the world that she could turn to. She had to protect her brother from the Earl, the Order and the Fourteenth and she was all alone. _It isn't raining nor are the angels crying_ , she thought bitterly, _no instead all of the sky weeps in mourning but for who? The forsaken daughter or the father gone astray?_

* * *

Master, _My father_ , Cross

You raised, fed me, _and you even love me_

So why why did you go?

You can't be dead _tears fall_

Your Cross Marian, My unwanted, _wanted_

Uneeded, _needed_

Master _Father_

My Dear Luca,

I have never been one for words

Or feelings for that matter.

But know this Allen will be facing something dreadful.

I wish I could stay there to help,

But that is not going to happen.

So listen well. _my rebellious daughter_

I know you have feelings for that Noah

And he feels the same if that mark is anything to go by

 _Damn Noah can't leave my kids alone_

You will have to face a choice,

but I know what you will make

So always remember I am proud of you.

Help Allen,

Make your decision

And be wary of the Innocence

 _Be wary of Apocryphos._

* * *

The days passed slowly. Of course the Order had covered up Cross' murder saying that he was on a long term mission meaning that the Walker siblings weren't even allowed proper time to grieve. Komui gave them several days off under the pretense that the talk with Cross had been shocking and the pair needed time to compose themselves. None of their friends bought it for a moment. The team that had gone with them to fetch the man drew similarities to when Anita had told them that Cross was dead, but somehow it was worse. The pair skulked around refusing to leave each other's side. They were practically glued together. You could often find them training or curled up with each other. Reading or talking in hushed tones. If you walked by their rooms late at night you could even hear one of them singing. It wasn't unusual in the first place but far more frequent now. The biggest sign that something had happened was from Link. He no longer fought or argued with Luca even when she was annoying him. The Hungarian herself ignored the German man completely no longer having the energy to argue or bother him. The golems were in a similar state. If they were left alone they'd fly off causing the Walkers to have to go get them. But as with all things no matter what happens time marches forward. Forcing them to move on or get left behind. Komui had no choice but to send them on a mission.

The battlefield was chaos as usual but Luca couldn't help but feel at home in it. She had been training with Marie everyday to regain her balance and learn to compensate for her lost vision. Harlequin was still in a mood but it seemed to sense her melancholy mood and had calmed down a bit. Currently she stood surrounded by akuma. All giggling and laughing. She rolled her eyes and condensed her innocence into a pair of hook swords and lunged. It was easy to forget her problems when she was busy tearing through the akuma left and right. A sudden kick to her left side sent her crashing into a condemned house. A level 3 came flying through after her. She fell back into a battle stance.

"Wait!" The akuma held up it teal armored hands up. "Are you Luca Walker?" she nodded slowly just staring at it.

"I am. What's it to you?" Slowly it slid out of it's battle ready position. It moved as if she was a wild animal ready to attack at any moment. It wasn't too far off if she thought about it but she chose not too. "I come bearing a gift from Master Noah." Luca raised an eyebrow at it's proclamation.

"Which one?" The akuma retrieved a small box that fit in the palm of it's hands. It was wrapped in white paper with a bright purple ribbon tied into a bow.

"Master Tyki said I was to give it to you and you alone." Luca took the gift gently. It looked so delicate. The akuma backed off immediately intent on returning to his master.

"Wait!" He turned around only for the sword to swipe through him. "Thank you." Green eyes glanced around quickly. She was alone. She slid the present into her pouch and zipped it shut where it would be safe until she was truly alone.

"Lu!" Allen's voice carried through the air and she smiled.

"Walker now is not the time for games." Glaring at the blond man she turned to the golem by her head.

She gave the order with a bit of a sadistic smile, "Sic 'im Gambit!" The Hungarian could have sworn that the little butterfly had grinned at her before making a mad dash for the obnoxious inspector. Allen sighed as she came to stand next to him, his arm already transformed back to normal.

"And here I thought you two were starting to get along." Luca snorted at him.

"Oh Al, what have I said about being naive?"

"To not do it?" She grinned at him.

"Then why do you keep doing it?" He sighed while Lenalee walked up to them with a smile.

"Well it's nice to see you two are in a better mood." Krory nodded as he came over as well.

"Yes you two were rather dreary for a while. We were beginning to get worried." Lavi kept silent, as he was the only one among them that knew what had actually happened. Luca shrugged. She would smile and laugh because that's what needed to happen. She didn't have time to mourn any longer.

Her master's words drifted into her head, "Decide to be fine until the end of the week. Make yourself smile because you're alive and that's your job. And do it again the next week. Do it right with a smile or don't do it" She sighed at the advice that she had followed most of her life. It had worked so far and would continue to work. As soon as they were back at the Order Luca split off from the group and slipped away. She locked her door and moved over to her desk which was now covered in all of her usual stuff including a large stack of papers that she never looked at. _Maybe I should fold some into origami later. The pile is starting to get a bit high_ , she noted as she sat down. Brushing aside some gears and wires she set the present down. Slowly Luca pulled the end of the bow loose and the ribbon fell off. Next she slid her finger along the seam of the paper and removed that too It was a jewelry box. She pulled the top up, letting it snap into place. A silver necklace sat on the small cushion. Two butterfly shaped teez made up the charm with four small purple amethysts embedded into it hung from a thin silver chain. Grinning she pulled it free and immediately put it on. The butterflies rested on her collarbone just about the black tooth given to her by her mother. She petted it gently then picked up the card again. All it said was: To Butterfly. She shook her head. Grabbing her blue pen she grabbed a spare piece of paper and began sketching out a design. It needed to be one of a kind after all. Happy with her drawing she ran out. She needed to go into town.

* * *

It was late but Lavi couldn't sleep. He could hear somebody training. Whoever it was they had been going at it for hours and he was about to tell them to knock it off. His eyes widened when he stepped into the training room and they landed on Luca's figure. He sighed as she beat the punching bag. Her fists and feet had to be black and blue by now.

"What did the bag ever do to you?" She paused at his voice. She started to turn and then stopped before turning the other way. She still wasn't used to her limited vision.

"Nothing. But the person I want to hit, I can't." her gaze dropped down to her bare feet and away from his gaze. He walked over to her.

"Want to talk about it?" She shook her head. His eyes fell on the silver gleam on her collarbone. "Oh that's pretty and new. This gems are real too." He leaned in to examine it. "Wouldn't have anything to do with this does it?" She pouted and sat down on the floor. Her pale skin was covered in bruises despite the tape wrapped around her feet and knuckles. He sat next to her. He frowned at the familiar shape the necklace took. "I take that's from him?" She didn't meet his gaze. "Luca, don't you think this is going too far? How long is this game going to go on?" he reached out and lifted her chin up so their eyes met. "How long before it's not just a game? Or is it already too late?" She sighed.

"It's complicated Lavi. I can't really explain it. You'd think that I'd never be bored with the life we lead, but I am. It got boring so quickly. It's the same thing. Go out, find the innocence, kill the akuma rinse and repeat. Even the akuma with their different shapes they all have the same ten lines and it's never ever anything interesting. Some times their powers are interesting but they die quickly. It's lost the appeal for me. I was happy to see Allen again but we aren't always together and even we can get sick of each other. I began to question if my entire life was just this war. Were we born to fight and die? As selfish as it is Lavi, I want more than that in my life! I never knew that one night in Barcelona would change so much. I was just saving Daisya's life, I had no idea I'd see him again in Sassari. So I snagged the piece of innocence and ran, but oh Lavi it was such a rush! It was far more difficult than the akuma and he didn't even notice me until I had the piece of innocence. For the first time in forever I could feel my heart beating again in my chest the way it's supposed to! Then he attacked me in the hotel. He's funny and a hell of a lot of fun to tease. You should see the faces he makes. 'Specially if you hit him in the forehead. Apparently their stigmata are so very sensitive. To either pain or pleasure." Lavi sighed at the grin that spread across her features.

"So if you're so happy now that he's here to entertain you what's got you so upset that you've decided to to dye your hands and feet different colors?" He poked a couple of her bruises and she kicked him with a glare.

"That's the problem. Part of what makes him so much fun is the fact that he's a challenge. I've never beaten him. Outsmarted and outrun him. But now," he hand moved to cover her left eye. She sighed and dropped it. "I don't move the same way I used to. Even now, after training with Marie everyday. I'm better but nowhere near where I was. It's been months Lavi! And I'm worse than I was in Japan. I don't know if I'll survive my next encounter with him. I-" He cut her off.

"Then run next time! You don't have to fight him."

She smiled at him ruefully, "It's not that simple. He's like a drug and I'm hooked. I don't think I could stop if I tried. I know you and the others. You don't understand how I enjoy it and why Allen wants to save them but believe me when I tell you this is not my choice nor is it his. He can't help but want to save them all." Lavi was quiet for a minute.

"You know that Allen too got a prophecy when he arrived here right?" She nodded.

"Yeah, Destroyer of Time. I also know what everybody is hoping it means."

"Do you think that he can do it?" She didn't answer. Lavi sighed and stood up. "Well maybe that's what yours means." She nodded. The boy could swear that the carnivorous golem was giving him the stink eye. He didn't like it and apparently it didn't like him either. It would just randomly bite him for no reason.

"Yeah maybe." she hummed as she thought back to when she had first arrived at the Black Order.

"Wow this place sure is big." 15 year old Luca spoke to the Chinese man as he led her around the tower.

"Oh yes. There are so many departments that do different things and all the living quarters for the scientists, staff, and of course exorcists like yourself. Now we have one more stop before I'll let my beloved sister Lenalee show you to your room. You must be tired. How long has it been since you saw your Master?" the Hungarian grumbled something under her breath though he caught what sounded like a few choice words in the girl's native tongue. He couldn't help but laugh at that. General Cross hadn't been heard from in years.

"A couple months. I don't know where they're heading but when I was left behind we were in Turkey." Komui looked back at her in surprise as they stepped on the elevator.

"They? I thought it was just you and the General." she smiled and shook her head.

"Nope. Master has another apprentice. I have a little brother. He's a year younger and should be here in a year, that is if Master doesn't kill him by accident." she muttered the last part under her breath but he still caught it.

"Well that is good news. We were beginning to think that General had died or something." The exorcist snorted.

"Not even death could kill Master." Komui decided not to tell her that it didn't make sense because the elevator had stopped. Luca looked around at the darkness before her eyes moved up to the group of hooded men. She was only vaguely listening. Master told her to only take everything they said with a grain of salt.

"Now," The teenager turned back to the tall man and raised an eyebrow, "it's time to prove your worth." Before she could ask him what the hell that meant white tendrils grabbed her from behind and lifted her up off the platform. Immediately beginning to struggle, the girl twisted around to face the large white creature with a woman's face.

"Innocence. I sense innocence." The creature spoke. Luca continued to writhe, if she could just get free she could catch herself. The creature made the mistake of getting too close allowing her to kick it with her flailing limbs. She was promptly dropped.

"Luca!" Komui's voice rang out as she righted herself. She needed to time this just right. As she grabbed the hand rail of the elevator she swung her body forward and let go. Komui grabbed on as it dipped down with her movement. "Luca!" He looked around and then up at the creature. "Hevlaska! Is she down there?!"

"I do not see her nor feel her."

"What the hell Komui!" Whipping around he found her on the opposite side of the platform, perched on the hand rail like a cat.

"Luca! Never do that again! You could have died!" She glowered at him.

"Then warn me next time! You scared the hell out of me! My fight or flight instincts kicked in." She slid down from the banister.

"I am not your enemy young one. I meant you no harm" Her voice was soft and almost ethereal. It reminded the girl of something lost gone.

"Luca this is Hevlaska, I like to call her Hev, she's an exorcist too." Luca walked towards the towering woman.

"It's nice to meet you Hevlaska. I apologize for kicking you. You startled me. Please accept my sincere apologizes."

"It is alright. You have had a hard life. You did not injure me. Now if you don't mind I'd like to look at your innocence and get to know it a bit. Please do not thrash this time." Luca was quiet for a second before sliding her coat from her shoulders and throwing it in Komui's face. Slowly Hevlaska picked the girl up again. Placing several feathered tendrils along the dark liquid that ran along the girl's arms and shoulders.

"So Hev she's got some fight in her, what do you think of this freedom fighter?" Luca glared down at him out of the corner of eye. "Harlequin is such a unique weapon." Hevlaska reached down and pressed her forehead against the other exorcist's.

"4%...13%...27%...31%...42%...56%...66%...78%...80% You maximum synchronization rate with Harlequin is 80%" The older woman set the younger down.

"That's very impressive rate for someone so young." Luca whirled around and angrily kicked the clipboard out of the man's hands. "Oooh that would have hurt." She glared at him to which he smiled at her and then turned to Hevlaska. "Well what do you think?" Hevlaska looked directly at Luca.

"With the fall of the jester of deceit the seeker shall rise anew. This is what I see in your future Luca Blackwood, the Sacarii." Luca blinked several times in quick succession.

"Ooooh! That's extraordinary and very dramatic prophecy. Hevlaska is a seer and frequently spot on!"

"You still with me Beautiful?" She glanced up at Lavi who had jolted her out of the memory.

"Yeah, I guess." He shook his head.

"Get some sleep Luca. You need it. I get the feeling we'll be moving out again." She nodded as he headed to the door, he stopped once he got there. "Oh and Luca?" She glanced up at him. "Don't worry about it. You'll always outsmart him. He's got nothing on you." She smiled at him and he left. She glanced down at her hands.

"The Sacarii huh?"

* * *

"Are you going out again, Lu?" Luca looked up at Allen who jogging to catch up with her. Link was doing his best to pretend that he wasn't running to keep up with the pair.

"Yeah I'm heading into town to get something. It should be a quick trip." Her brother glanced back at the man following them.

"Can I come?"

She nodded and shrugged, "Sure, I don't see why not." The pair walked into town together with the inspector trailing behind them. The spoke in hushed whispers until they made it to the jeweler's shop.

"A jeweler? Is it somebody's birthday? Did I forget?" She shook her head at him.

"Nope. Got nothing to do with a birthday. It's just a gift. Don't worry about it." He waited outside while she spoke with the man and paid him for it. He watched her put the closed box in her pocket.

"Is it for me?" Allen asked upon her return.

"Nope." He paused again.

"Lavi?"

"No."

"What about Lenalee?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Not her either."

"Miranda?" He quizzed hopefully.

"Or her."

"Daisya?"

"No."

"Oh! Is it for Marie for all his help?"

"No I already got him a present for that."

"Krory?"

"As sweet as he is no." Link watched from behind them as they started back wondering just where this conversation was going. Was the boy really just gonna keep guessing until he got it right or gone through everybody in the Order.

"Head Nurse?"

"No."

"Kanda?" Allen tried to keep a straight face but he still didn't look pleased at the idea of it.

"Why would I give Kanda a present?"

"Fair enough. General Klaud Nine? You like her."

"The general is nice but no."

"Bookman?" She sighed.

"Not him either."

"Komui!"

"No."

"Bak? He helped us in China."

"No. I'm keeping his secret and that's enough."

"Reever?"

"No."

"Johnny?"

"Not him either." she sighed a bit tired of the conversation now but he seemed to be determined to guess it.

"What about that finder you like? Uh what's his name?" He asked wracking his brain for the name of the blond guy.

"Gregory?" She supplied.

"Yeah him! Is it for him?"

"Nope."

"What about Chaoji?" She raised an eyebrow and then spoke with a deadpanned expression.

"Yes." Allen brightened up immediately.

"Really?" She shook her head.

"No. Of course not." He pouted.

"Then why did you say yes if it wasn't true?"

She snorted, "Because I didn't think you would take me seriously. You know I hate his guts."

"Jeryy?"

"No." she sighed.

"General Tiedoll?"

"Are you just going to guess everybody who's name you know in the Order until you get it?" He nodded and she threw her head back with a groan. They could not get back to the Order fast enough.

* * *

"Tyki! Dear little brother!" Said Portuguese man slid lower into his chair and tried to hide behind his book. Not the most mature response but he wasn't exactly in the mood for his brother's shenanigans or pestering. Sheril came floating into the room and Tyki vainly hoped that his book would tell Sheril that he was busy at the moment but alas not all dreams come true. "There you are! Look what I have!" Tyki heaved a sighed put his book down. Sheril held a large silver tray covered in presents. They were all for him from ladies of all different classes. He groaned.

"Sheril you know I don't want any of them. Just toss them." He stood up knowing that this place was no longer safe to read in for a while. Not that he was reading, no instead he had been pretended to read while he actually tried to ignore the pair of green eyes that haunted the back of his mind and tune out Joyd's whining. His inner Noah had been unbearable since Lulu Bell had returned smelling of Butterfly. He continued to look around and urge his host to find her for whatever reason that the memory felt that he should just magically know. She was even in his dreams now. Honestly he figured after laying low for months while they waited for the rest of their Noah brethren to awaken that the memory would have let it go by now but it just wasn't happening. Tyki grabbed his book and slid a bookmark into place. He was going to have to go find a new hiding spot now.

"Tyki!" Sheril chided causing the man to groan and walk as fast as he subtly could. Sheril followed after him. "Just look at all these presents. Each one represents a lovely lady who is begging for your attention. How can you deny them that? It's such an easy thing to give." Tyki glanced at his older brother over his shoulder out the corner of his eyes.

"If I wanted something to beg for my attention then I'd get a dog. Toss them or keep them yourself. I don't want them." He sighed and walked out of the room. Road walked by and then called out to him.

"If you don't want them can I have this oddly colored one?" He slowed down and then stopped walking.

"Oddly colored one?" He and Sheril asked at the same time.

"Yeah this one." She held up a box a bigger than the palm of her hand. "It's black with a green ribbon." The younger man started to think.

"Yes that is an odd choice of colors. I didn't even know that they made black wrapping paper. It's rather dark and dreary. Doesn't really say get well all that much now does it?" Sheril examined the present. "And this ribbon such an obnoxious green color. Why green? Especially that shade? Where did they even get a color like that. It's nothing I would use or have ever seen before." He paused for a second before continuing, "Perhaps it's a calling card?" he pondered. Tyki's eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. "Does it have a name on it?" Whirling around Tyki snatched it away from Sheril.

"I'll take this one. Are there any other of the same color scheme?" He asked Road. She grinned up at him probably having already figured it out. He glanced down at it. It had a tag. So she had to know. Road glanced at the tray.

"Nope. Just that one." He nodded.

"Then you can have the rest. I'm going to bed. Good night." Sheril looked up in shock as Tyki started up the stairs.

"But Tyki~!" He whined.

"Good night Sheril." Tyki reiterated as he disappeared up the carpet covered stairs and down the hall. He waited until he was in his room before looking down at the box in his hands. When the akuma hadn't come back he had started to wonder if she had gotten the necklace or not. _Guess she did_ , he mused as he locked the door. The last thing he needed was one of the twins barging into his room right now. Uncaring the Noah of Pleasure tossed his book on the nightstand before sitting down on his bed. He flipped the tag over. It read: For My Love. Tugging the ribbon free he set it aside. Sheril was right in the fact that it was an unusual color that he hadn't seen before. He was going to keep it. He debated on keeping the paper before shaking his head and tearing it off. There was no need for it. A jewelry box sat in his hand. Tyki smirked when he saw it. Flipping it over he grinned at the etching in the bottom of it. It was a commission. The only one of it's kind. Turning it back right side up the Portuguese man popped the top up. It was a necklace. Tyki slid it on with ease. The chain was silver and slightly long with the pendent falling at his sternum. It would be easily hidden below his shirt. The pendant itself was pure silver and in the shape of a poker chip. The outer ring was alternating black and silver blocks with the card suit symbols in the opposite color, one in each block. The middle was clear and shiny. He grinned.

* * *

 **Well that was a rather tumultuous chapter! Let me know what you think! I can't wait to hear all about it! As always reviews feed me and keep me going through out the week. Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers and don't forget to check out the discord and hang ou with Yule and I and all our other readers. It's a bit crazy but we have a lot of fun! Cheshire is out~!**


	33. Halloween-Kp

**AAAAAHHHHH! HOW DID IT GET TO BE THURSDAY ALREADY?! I AM SO SORRY! Ugh I've been so busy this last week. I feel like I haven't had time to do anything, not even think never mind write. Please forgive me for this chapter being so late. It's hard to write when you are already behind schedule and then the power goes out! DX Makes life a lot more interesting when you suddenly have no lights, no internet, no water, no heat, and no way to cook food. There were trees everywhere! Luckily the power came back on yesterday and we were saved (good thing too Dad burnt everything on the grill). My room was so cold that night without my heater. I must have spent 20 minutes shivering under my blankets before I warmed my bed up! Anyways technical difficulties aside, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and make the Halloween story span two chapter and combine it with Kp's special chapter since you liked the scarecrow one so much! I hope this is okay with you, let me know if it isn't and we'll work something out! As always a shout out** ** **to Yule for helping me with this chapter and all the other ones as well. Don't forget to check out her story either! D. Gray Land ("Qin!," Alma glomped onto me, his tears seeping into my shirt "Yu is being mean again!" Sighing, I patted him, aware that a mini-Kanda glaring holes into my back. When I died, I never expected to wind up in this crazy world, much less as a Second Exorcist. Life certainly has a way of playing cruel pranks on me. Oh well, at least there's no homework. Slightly AU. OC-insert. ).** Anyhoo guys please don't forget to vote on my page about what to do with the story! Now as I promised I will answer the reviews from the first part and the reviews from last chapter with the next one! **

**Dear Wicken25, This is just a Halloween special/Special chapter for Kp, it doesn't have any effect on the main story line so I thought I would have some fun with it and have him kiss her. I hope you enjoy part 2!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, I'm so glad you liked the chapter and are able to see the difference between magic and innocence. I had a lot of fun packing this full of different horror pieces. I'm excited to see that all my readers are picking them up! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Kp, I hope my combining the two chapters together is okay with you! Please let me know if it's not and I'll fix it for you. I too have always loved the Legend of Sleepy Hollow myself ever since I heard it. It has always intrigued me and I couldn't resist mixing it into the story. The thought of Luca and Tyki running away for the Headless Horseman was too funny to resist. I especially love the argument about the horse having a head or not. Your praise has me blushing like mad. Are you teaming up with 15 to make me explode? Cuz I'm gonna at the rate you two are going! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Bunny~chan, I agree with you. Luca's friends and family, they are the most important thing in the world to her and she would do anything for them. Even destroy herself to save them. As things are now she's avoiding the choice by pretending that it's still not serious and she has no reason to worry. She's also a bit more worried about Allen than Tyki. It's good to know that the last chapter helped to deal with the long period in between visits. Part of the reason he was so awkward in comforting her was the fact that it never occurred to him that something could upset her. The last time he saw her upset she didn't cry, she nearly killed him. It took him a moment to realize that just like other people there are just things that she can't handle. I wondered if tossing the kidnapping line in there would gain any reactions. As for their first kiss it's gonna be a couple more chapters but it is coming! Be patient my Dear! As for Hyde and their communication well you'll just have to keep reading and find out! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, XD Hahaha! I guess work is bad for your fanfic reading! Your tale about wanting to hide in the break room and finish reading was beautiful and I loved it! I've totally been there and done that (well I wanted to do that. Like you I didn't actually abandon work, more like I couldn't.) I can't believe that my writing would be that story for somebody else. I was so excited to hear that. Yeah Luca only wanted one thing for her birthday and it didn't happen. Seeing Tyki made it a little better but she still wasn't all the happy. Wandering around lost in a maze that moves is no fun. Unfortunately for Allen her inner pyro isn't all that inner. All questions about her magic will be explained in the story so you'll just have to wait and be patient ;D. Bonus stories give me a place to test new things out with you guys so yeah they are a bit more bold. Your rendition of Tyki's explanation of why Luca was in the ark had be laughing so hard I was in tears. It is rather similar to a small child with a stray puppy. Oh yeah Tyki might actually start getting things done again. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, As always your praise and squealing brings me great joy. You have always been so faithful and loyal to me and Luca. I'm glad that you can see it fitting into the story so easily, it made me incredibly happy to hear that. You just gotta love Luca's timing. Poor Tyki, he never gets a break. She just keeps crashing into him or running him over. There's just no escape. It's definitely a match made in hell. Hell for everybody else. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Once again the full title wouldn't fit so please enjoy Something Wicked This Way Comes!**

* * *

The Noah sat together as they ate breakfast. For once it was quiet. The twins were not awake enough to be causing a scene. It was something that all of the others were grateful for. It had been rather solemn in the ark as of late. Skin had died in the ark, Tyki had lost control, the ark had been stolen by the exorcists, and Lulu Bell had failed to retrieve the egg from the Order. Instead it was destroyed. Still something preoccupied the mind of the Earl and Road. Sheril sat across from him watching him like a hawk. The twins picked at their eggs while Lulu Bell continued to sulk. Road herself was partially in a candy coma. Suddenly she looked up.

"Neh, Tyki where were you last night? I wanted you to come with us but you vanished." He met her gaze.

"I got sent out last night, and even if I didn't you know I don't like these kinds of things. I wouldn't have gone anyway." Sheril sighed at his brother's response.

"Tyki that wasn't very nice. Don't be mean to Road. You really should spend more time with us. We're your family. We just want to be around you. You can't avoid these things forever and hide out in your room for the rest of your life." Tyki gave him a dry look. He didn't bother to inform his brother on the fact that there were times when he was heavily considering doing just that. His inner Noah was driving him crazy...well crazier.

" _Had her! Had Butterfly! Sweet Butterfly._ " The memory grew more melancholy, " _Where? Where Butterfly? Find Butterfly! Where our Butterfly?_ " Tyki groaned and wished he would be silent.

"She's not here." he hissed back in his head. Upon seeing the exorcist again the memory had started right up again. Demanded they find and claim the girl. Whatever the hell it meant by that. He had resolved to ignoring it with little luck. He knew that it was childish to ignore the other being living in his head but he'd had it with the Noah.

"Who sent you?" Road piped up. Tyki raised an eyebrow.

"Who do you think? The Earl." Said man looked up.

"I didn't see you at all yesterday." Tyki froze and turned to him.

"That's not possible. You asked me to check out what was going on at Frankenstein castle." The Earl blinked a few times.

"Frankenstein castle? Hmmm," he thought for a moment. "I do recall feeling a strange presence there but so far nothing has happened to suggest it's something to worry about. Why would I send you there?" Tyki offered a shrug now aware that the others were staring at him.

"I do not know my Lord, just that you asked me to go and look around. You even opened an ark gate for me to get there." Sheril was staring at him with a worried gaze. Perhaps he thought Tyki was losing his mind which was entirely possible. He already knew he wasn't the sanest of individuals. Granted none of them were but that was besides the point. Maybe he was going mad. He hadn't felt like this since he had awakened. He grimaced silently. That had been a long and painful process. Not something he felt like doing again. Sheril had been at his wits end only to start going through the transformation himself. It had not been a fun time to be the brothers.

"Well what did you find there?" Tyki winced. How was he supposed to explain that? In front of everyone else too? There was no way he was going to tell them that an overgrown bush tossed him out. Sheril would start a lecture and that would wake the twins up enough to laugh at him for sure.

"Magic. It was everywhere. There was no innocence. Everything reeked of magic. Whoever is in the castle is a powerful Sorcerer with no regard to others. I left after realizing that it was just magic and not innocence. There was no reason to stay." He took a bite of his breakfast and left out the part that he had actually stayed to watch the exorcists for a bit. The smile on her face when the others had greeted her was worth it. She had been so happy to see her brother again. Though he had been more preoccupied with the fact that she actually kissed him back. He hadn't expected it at all.

" _Butterfly_ " the memory moaned forlornly again causing the man to groan. Maybe he really should have kidnapped her like he had threatened. Maybe then the damn memory would be quiet.

"Hmmmm, just because it's magic doesn't mean that it's not an obstacle. Cross used magic to be a major obstacle. However I still didn't send you to Frankenstein castle." Tyki opened his mouth to protest but the Earl held up his hand to silence him. "I'm not saying that you didn't see me. Perhaps they needed you. The Sorcerer may have summoned you there for another reason. Did you see anything else there?" Tyki was quiet for a moment.

"Exorcists. There were exorcists there. They were looking for innocence." The Earl nodded.

"And did your presence hinder them or maybe even distract them?" Tyki nodded in response. "Then that was probably the purpose of the Sorcerer summoning you there under my guise. Whatever they are doing up there they do not want the Black Order to know about it. The exorcists were most likely poking too close whatever they were doing. Or the Sorcerer saw one of them as a threat and used you to keep them busy. I will look into it further. This should not happen again." The family went back to eating though it was far more somber than before. The idea that somebody could break into the ark was unsettling to say the least. Tyki hadn't even noticed a difference, how could he not notice?

* * *

Luca looked around the small town. It was too late and the last train was gone for the night. Of course Link, who had turned up not moments after she escaped the maze, refused to let Allen open an ark gate to get home so they were stuck for the night. She shivered. Her uniform was warm but that didn't stop the frigid air from blowing right through her. She had been outside for too long and even the warmest garment had it's limits. Pulling her flask free Luca downed what was left in it. She would need to refill it later but right now the liquid was a welcome source of warmth. She had already given her cloak to Lenalee who's legs were freezing. Lavi jogged over to them.

"So we just barely managed to snag the last two rooms in the inn. We'll have to share though." The rest of the group nodded and bolted back to the inn. Lavi tossed the key over to Luca who tugged Lenalee up to the room.

"Let's get warmed up. Your lips are blue." the Chinese girl nodded as the headed up the stairs. Luca sat on her bed waiting for her friend to finish up in the bath. She could hear the boys arguing in the other room. Lavi was annoying Link which was pretty much her only solace of the entire trip. Her eyes flicked over to the clock. 8:45. She groaned. She just wanted the day to be over. It already sucked so much. Lenalee reappeared.

"Do you want a bath?" she questioned. Luca's head snapped up to face her.

"No thanks. I'll take one in the morning before we go. You've seen what happens when I sleep on my hair wet. I'm really tired so I'm gonna go to bed." Lenalee watched her friend crawl under the blankets and go to sleep. The girl had really wanted to go to the Samhain festival.

"Night." she called over to her friend weakly as she turned off the lights and got into her own bed. She was warmer but still a bit cold. Dark eyes flicked up to the clock, 10. Then to the figure in the other bed. Slowly she got up and shuffled over to her friend. "Luca? Luca are you awake?" she prodded her gently with the question.

"I am now." Luca rolled over to look up at her friend. "What's up? Nightmare?" Lenalee shook her head,

"I'm still cold and the window by my bed has a draft." The Hungarian pushed herself up on her elbows. She could see the curtain moving.

"Oh yeah. Alright." Shifting over she pulled the covers back and let the taller girl climb in. A minute of shifting later and the pair of girls were curled up asleep in a matter of seconds. The next morning came far too soon in Luca's opinion. Lenalee was still asleep but Link's complaining already woke her.

"Link neither of the girls are up. We don't have to be back at a certain time. Let it go." Green eyes rolled in their sockets. Her nose twitched. Pumpkins? Why could she smell pumpkins? Maybe it was her? Sliding out from under Lenalee she hopped in the shower. Lenalee was awake when she got out.

"Did you sleep well?" Lenalee nodded sleepily. The boys were still arguing, rolling her eyes again she walked over and banged on the wall. "Knock it off boys." The room went silent thankfully. It was too early in the morning for this to be happening. The boys met them down in the lobby.

"Good morning!" Lavi was as always far too cheerful for the morning hours.

"Can we get breakfast now?" Allen asked hopefully. The others nodded. Luca glanced around. Why could she still smell pumpkins? It wasn't her? Maybe one of the others?

"Hey guys? Do you smell pumpkins?" Allen sniffed the air.

"Yeah me too."

"I wonder where it's coming from." Lenalee looked around but didn't find anybody selling or making anything pumpkin related. Link looked around.

"I don't smell anything." Allen gave him a look of shock.

"How can you not smell that? Oh it smells delicious and I'm so hungry." Allen immediately ran towards the first restaurant that he saw was open causing the others to run after him and forget all about the pumpkin smell as the other different smells of food washed over them. Breakfast passed in it usual fashion of chaotic and messy. With a rare occurrence of Link dropping a glass of the floor.

"Well it's time to head out. The train leaves in half an hour. We need to gather our stuff and be there before it leaves. Just because we can jump trains doesn't mean we should make a habit out of it." Luca began to tune out one of Link's many lectures. It was long and dull like all of his other ones. Honestly the man seriously needed a life. She glanced over as Link almost tripped. _That's odd. Link's not normally clumsy. Hmmm_ , she kept the thought to herself. She was in no way ready for another lecture or to even hear him talk. Unfortunately Allen asked him what she was thinking.

"Link are you okay? You've been acting a bit funny." The blond man turn to give him a disapproving stare.

"Of course I am. Why would you ask such a thing?" They all stopped to give him a funny look.

"Well, Dude, you've been a little off since we left the maze. Tripping a lot and dropping things." Link made a face.

"Refrain from calling me 'Dude' Junior." Lavi made a face at the use of his title instead of his name. Luca moved over to the pair.

"Maybe you have a fever. It was a bit cold last night."

"Yeah it was. Even together it was still cold." Lenalee agreed. Luca nodded.

"Yeah you were freezing. I swore you stole all my body heat." She pressed the back of her hand against Link's forehead. She frowned.

"Wait do you two mean by that?" Allen tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Were you two in bed together?" Lavi asked his face growing redder by the minute. The pair of girls nodded. Surprisingly Link didn't blush.

"That is highly inappropriate!" Link pulled away and began to stalk down the road again.

"I was cold! There was a draft in our room!" Lenalee turned beat red at what all the boys were thinking. Allen looked around at them still unaware of what they were talking about.

"Nah Lena wasn't awake enough and I wasn't in the mood last night." The Chinese girl whirled to glare at the other.

"Don't encourage them Luca!"

"I don't see what the big fuss is. Luca and I used to cuddle up for warmth all the time when it got cold." Allen shrugged. Normally she would have burst out laughing but she was preoccupied at the moment.

"Can we please keep moving? We have a schedule to keep." Linked called back to them. Luca's watched him walk about out of the side of her eye. Lavi looked at her.

"What's wrong?" She looked down at her hand an then up at him at the whispered question.

Luca opened her mouth and then shut it again before answering, "There's something wrong with Link." Lavi snorted.

"We knew that L." He chuckled and continued when she gave him the stink eye, "What do you mean?" Luca glanced down at her hand. "Was he running a fever?"

She shook her head, "No the opposite. He was cold. Like something left outside. He doesn't have any body heat at all. That can't be Link. It has to be a fake." Lavi quickly lost his joking demeanor immediately.

"They picked the right person then. None of us even questioned why he wants to go back to much. It's just Link. That's who he is. That means we can't head back to the Order. Is it a Noah?" Luca shook her head.

"That's the weird part. It feels like Link." Lavi didn't comment on the fact that she never mentioned that she could feel aura. He tucked that small piece of information into the ever growing file of Luca Walker. She was full of mystery. What else could she do that she hadn't told anybody about? _I wonder if she can even do magic? There's so much that she doesn't tell us or anybody. Does Allen know or is he in the dark too? So many things to record about her, not to mention her prophecy. Just who are you Luca Walker?_ Lavi questioned silently in his head as he followed after her. Slowly the girl grabbed Allen who was closest to her. She whispered her finds in his ear. He nodded.

"Understood. Can you fix it?" She shrugged at his murmured question.

"We'll see." Lenalee fell back to walk with them.

"What's going on?" The Chinese girl leaned over and mumbled.

"Something's up with Link. We can't go home until we figure it out." Allen muttered back. Link glanced back at the four lagging behind them.

"What are you four plotting back there?" All of the teenagers smiled at him innocently. He scoffed at them. "Keep up would you? We need to go! As I have reminded you all several times we have a schedule to keep." He muttered the next part under his breath "Not that any of you care though."

"So how do we keep him from knowing that we're on to him?" Lenalee asked as Link started walking away again.

"I need to return to the maze. I think that's where it happened. It's where it had to happen. It was the only place we were separated. Unlike you guys I managed to get in. I'll check out the castle. Can you three keep him busy please?" The others nodded and she smiled at them.

"On it!" Lenalee smiled.

"No problem." Lavi grinned. He had so many ideas.

"You can count on us!" Saluting at the others she took off in the direction of the maze. Allen grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "Please be safe." Her brother's lips brushed her ear. And she nodded resting her forehead against his.

"Always. Please don't let your guard down." He gave her a bittersweet smile and she pulled away and was gone.

The maze hadn't changed since the night before. Still looming high above her head and decorated with lit torches and jack-o-lanterns. Giving a deep sigh she checked that both golems were tucked in, she pulled her hood up over them. She felt the same strange sensation as before when she stepped through the barrier. Immediately the sky went dark as if it was still nighttime. She raised an eyebrow but started down the path anyway. She kept her pace steady. So far nothing on the path moved. Her footsteps from the night before were gone. As if she had never been there in the first place. She kept her eye on the left wall. She wasn't expecting it to work but she didn't have a better idea at the moment. Following the left wall was always the long way but without knowing the actual path it was better than wandering around lost. Soon she could hear another pair of footsteps. They were gaining on her.

"Invoke." she hissed through her teeth. Tyki rounded the corner.

"Butterfly?" She glared at him.

"Drop the act. You aren't him." He chuckled.

"Come now. Don't be so aggressive. It's me, you missed me. So now I'm here." Harlequin slid down her arms into a pair of hook swords. She lunged. He just barely dodged. "Butterfly it's me. Stop attacking. I'm lost." She snorted as he held out his hand

"Clearly." The sword tore through his hat which turned back into brambles when it fell away from him. "Stop faking. You. Are. Not. Him." He chuckled.

"Fair enough." He straightened up.

"What are you up to?" He tilted his head to the side.

"What am I up to? What are you up to? I'm minding my own business, you're the one who is trespassing on my land." Luca raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm an exorcist with the Black Order I have the Vatican's permission to go anywhere I please. If anything you could get in trouble for attacking me." He chuckled.

"Trust me Dear, I do not fear the Vatican. Anyone who actually has power, true power like myself, does not fear the Vatican or their god." He observed her for a moment.

"What?" She asked sliding out of her battle stance and pushed her hood back. He made no sign that he was going to attack though her swords stayed in her hands. He chuckled again and she narrowed her eyes. He was laughing at her far too much.

"You claim to be part of the church yet that little butterfly on your head is made of dark matter. Double agent are we?" His eyes flicked to her necklace. "Oh, and wearing a tooth of the wolf pendent. That's a pa-" She cut him off.

"A pagan necklace yes. I said I was I worked for the Black Order. I never once said I was a believer. I am a pagan. Just because I work for them doesn't mean I agree." He threw back his head an laughed.

"I see you have spunk. I can't figure you out. You can get in yet you show no sign of magic." she raised her eyebrow.

"So only people who can use magic can enter the maze?" He nodded.

"Yes that's right. Those kind of people are they only ones of use to me, they are also the only ones who pose a threat to me." She raised her eyebrow again.

"Oh? So my innocence will have no effect on you?" He burst out laughing.

"You won't be able to lay a single scratch on me with those puny swords. I am far above your ability. Your ability. Or this ones." At this he gestured to his own body which still held Tyki's appearance.

"Yeah he's not the most magically inclined person to walk the Earth." The sorcerer snorted.

"Yes he doesn't seem to have much of a use does he?" She opened her mouth but he didn't let her say anything. "Other than being a pretty face." She smiled enigmatically.

"Oh, you are missing so much. He's much more than a pretty face. Magic just isn't his strong suit. Now on a less fun topic. Link. What did you do with him?" This time the man raised his eyebrow.

"Link? Oh the blond fellow?" she nodded in response. "Well I didn't do anything with him. He came out of the maze just fine not long after it threw you out." Luca glared.

"Don't lie to me. That's not Link. He was too cold."

"Ahh yes that, something I haven't quite worked that out yet." She tilted her head to the side.

"What is it? He felt like a, I don't even know." she shook her head, "It wasn't human. Something inanimate." He nodded.

"Very good. You aren't so stupid after all." She glared at him again.

"How very polite of you." He chuckled.

"Oh don't take it personally. You are still young. Young people do stupid things. It's part of being young. If you are truly exceptional then you will survive the stupid things that you do. How many years have you been an exorcist small one?" She made a face at the nickname. It wasn't the best nor did she know him enough that he should be giving her a nickname. Granted Lavi had done it the day he had met her and Tyki the third time they had met back in Sassari. _Maybe it was a guy thing? Men are weird_ , she concluded.

"This is my second year. I've been training for 10 years." She sighed, "10 years yesterday." He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Yesterday you say? All Hallows Eve. An exceptional night indeed. Very few are born on that day. Even fewer with magic. For now." She raised an eyebrow.

"Is that what you're up to? To make more magic?" He grinned at her.

"Oh small one do you really expect me to tell you my whole plan right now?" She offered a lop sided smile.

"Well that would certainly make my life easier if you did. You never told me what you did with Link. I'm going to need him back by the way."

"You don't even like him. I can see it." He scoffed at her.

Luca shook her head, "You're right, I may not like him but it would cause my brother and I a whole lot of trouble if we came back without him so give him back and we'll get out of your hedges." He chuckled.

"You are very persistent. I wish you good luck. I will not hold back. Good luck small one." With that he started walked away from her before vanishing around the corner.

"Hey! I'm not done with you yet!" She lunged for him only to feel something intertwined around her legs and swords. Green vines wrapped around her and her weapons. "Kurva életbe (God damn it)! Te köcsög (You bastard)! Baszódj meg (Get fucked)!" Yanking her left sword free, she sliced her right sword free. She tore her legs free and whirled around before hacking through the animated jack-o-lanterns attacking her. She rolled to the side to avoid another one before cleaving it in two. Spinning around and back onto her feet. "Where did he go? That son of a-" she drifted off into unintelligible muttering as she ran after him her innocence crawling up her arms. "Less things to get tangled." she sighed to herself as she took off, her golems hurrying after her. She rounded three more corners before she starts skidding attempting not to crash into Tyki with little success. The pair crash and fall into a pile on the ground.

"Butterfly?" He questioned before hissing as her innocence burned him.

"Deactivate." She orders causing it to slither away. She looks up at the Noah. "How do we always end up like this?" He's on top this time, holding his weight up by a single arm. The rest of their limbs are tangled up in a pile. Luca attempted to free one of her arms with little luck.

"You clearly aren't watching where you're running. Why are you here again? I thought you wanted out?" He tugs his leg and she yelps in pain.

"That was last night. Now he did something with somebody that came with us and I have to find him because apparently I'm the only other person who can get into this weird freaky maze. It's a bit complicated. I wouldn't mind leaving him but Al could get in trouble and honestly we have enough problems going on that we don't need anymore." She glances up. "You are very close. I don't suppose you could get off?"

"Working on it." he grunts. She groans.

"Oh we'll be here all day at this rate." Tyki lets out a gasp when she flips them over and he hits the ground.

"Are you always like this?" She looks down at him.

"You should know the answer to that by now." He can feel her breathing through his chest. Their lungs moving in time with each other. Her heart pounding in her chest. He feels her twist her arm underneath him. He lifted his back off of it. She managed to pull it free. "Okay now it's just our legs that are entangled with each other." He winced as she squirmed around trying to free herself. "What are you even doing here again?"

"The Earl just showed up and said he needed me right away and the next thing I know I'm here. He's never shoved me through the ark before but he was in a hurry that time."

"What did he tell you to do?" Tyki shrugged forgetting about where they were.

"Kill the sorcerer." Slowly he felt her legs pull from him as she crawled forward. She was sitting on his chest by the time they were both free.

"Well that was exciting now wasn't it?" He sat up and looked at her. She still sat in his lap. She ignored his raised eyebrow. "Well I hate to break it to you My Love but that was not the Earl."

"Oh? It wasn't? I can't say that I believe you Butterfly." She made a face at him.

"Of course you don't. That would make my life easier. Let me put it this way? What does the Earl gain from killing this sorcerer? Nothing. What does the sorcerer gain from dragging you here? Distracting me. He has somebody that I can't let him keep," she muttered the next part under her breath but he still heard her due to their close proximity, "no matter how much I wish I could, he knows from last night that you are a very good distraction for me. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to even get into the maze. He let you in because you serve a purpose." This time he made a face at her.

"Wow. That's a nice theory Butterfly but it's impossible to break into the ark." She smiled at him ruefully and got up.

"If that helps you sleep at night, then by all means continue to believe that." She reached down and dusted the dirt from her leather boots before offering her hand to him. He took it allowing her to pull him to his feet.

"I'm not saying it to make myself feel better. It's the truth." She shook her head.

"Then go ahead and leave. I dare you." He shrugged.

"Alright I will." She rolled her eyes as he turned on his heels and left. Luca continued to down the path keeping with the left wall. There was no reason for him to be here other than her. Perhaps it was conceited but it was true. He hadn't shown up until after her and couldn't use magic.

"I don't know." she sighed, "Maybe I am being conceited, what do you think?" Neither golem answered her though Gambit chirped as if trying to comfort her. She smiled softly and reached up and petted him gently. "You're right. I need to ignore him and focus on getting out of here, not on that fasz (dick)." she sighed. It hadn't been very long until she turned the corner and found Tyki arguing with the wall. "Havin' fun?" she drawled strolling up to him. He opened his mouth but she held up her hand, "Wait don't tell me, you can't find your way out, can't summon the ark, and can't reach the Earl or Road. Did I miss anything?" He closed his mouth and pouted. She wasn't wrong and it pained him to admit it. She sauntered past him. "Feel free to tag along if you'd like but do keep up Darlin' I have things to do and places to be." He followed after her.

"I don't think I like it when you call me "Darling" not only are you mocking me but it just sounds wrong too." she chuckled a bit at the comment.

"I suppose it does sound a bit strange. I tend to use it for others and yes I was mocking you at least a little bit." She watched him out the corner of her eye as he petting Gambit a bit with one finger. He seemed to be happy with the teez for some reason. She shook her head and rolled her eyes though a fond smile graced her lips.

"So how do we get out of here. As you said before I can't find my way out. Yesterday you said it was a magical maze and that the walls move so how are we suppose to get out if the maze cheats?" she smiled at his questioned.

"That is very simple My Love. We removed the changing variable." He raised an eyebrow at her, clearly not understanding what she was implying.

"I'm afraid I don't follow you."

She laughed and moved over to him, "I know. I'm used to it." she stole his matches.

"Hey!" His protests were ignored. Though if it was about what she said or her theft she didn't know. She popped the box open and struck a match.

"It's very simple," A grin grew from her smile. "you can't be lost if there's no maze." She tossed the match onto one of the hedges. Quickly she lit more and flung them in every direction.

"So in reality your answer to the problem is to set it one fire." She cackled gleefully as he looked around at all the different fires starting with a deadpanned expression.

"Were you really expecting something?" He shook his head, at least she wasn't mad at him. Honestly her mood swings could be like Sheril's at times.

"No, I suppose not. I really should have seen that coming." They watched as the bushes burned some of them shrieking as if they were alive. Some of the brambles attempted to take form but quickly fell apart.

"Well come on. Don't dawdle. Things to do and places to be, remember?" He sighed and followed after her as they moved around burning shrubbery and monsters dying bodies. Everything around them was up in flames. Luca could stop the bitter chuckles that escaped her lips. It was rather similar to their actual lives and relationship. The entire thing was in flames. There was nothing either of them could do about it, yet they both refused to let go and go their separate ways. She would go down with him and somehow it was okay. A more intact bramble monster rose up in front of Luca.

"You little Bitch!" She smiled sweetly at it.

"Did you really think that he would be enough to keep me from my goal?" The brambles took Tyki's form once again. Much to the displeasure of the Noah standing next to her.

"I made the assumption that you would do what lovers do but you just had to be different. You said it yourself girly you don't even like him." Tyki raised any eyebrow.

"Not you Love," Luca tossed it over her shoulder at him.

"The one you're looking for right?" He asked as he fished a cigarette out. "Hey, Butterfly can I have my matches back?"

Luca gave him a sheepish smile, "I used them all. Sorry." Tyki just sighed and dropped his head.

"How am I suppose to smoke like this then?" She groaned and pulled her lighter from one of her many pouches.

"You can ask me for a light." He leaned down over her shoulder to lite his cigarette.

"Why did you use my matches if you had a lighter?" he questioned letting a puff of smoke out.

"Because if I throw my lighter away then I don't have it and I only have one. He," she nodded at the fake Tyki standing in front of them glaring balefully, "would have realized what I was doing and stopped me." She turned back to the fake. "Now, are you really gonna make me come in there after you or will you give me the guy and we can all just walk away." The fake shook his head.

"He's mine. You can't get into the castle and if by some miracle you do. It will be too late." Luca grinned.

"That sounds an awful lot like a challenge. I'm gonna make you eat those words." Without another word she destroyed the fake with a kick and continued on to the castle. Tyki glanced at the head as it rolled away as he stepped over the body following after the girl. She glared up at the doors which were of course locked.

Tyki spoke as he placed his hand on her shoulder, "Allow me." Luca dropped her arm, she had intended to punch them down. Holding his arm out Tyki began to reject the air. Eyes darting over to her he gently pushed her to where she would be safe behind him. She stood on her tip toes to watch over his shoulder in fascination. Last time he had used this technique it had been against Allen and she had been far too worried about her little brother to be curious about the ability. The doors exploded inwards causing her to grin. He stepped aside and offered a bow. "Ladies first." She smiled at the cheekiness and the smirk he wore but strut through the now gaping doorway.

"Thank you good sir." He snorted and followed after her. The entryway was large and barren of any signs of life. Empty suits of armor lined the walls.

"Which way? Up or down?" Tyki asked looking around. Luca glanced up for a moment, allowing her Ki to search for the annoyingly familiar presence of Link. It was freezing, somehow colder inside than out, her breath misted as she exhaled. She could feel the cold seeping through her boots.

"Down. They're in the basement." At her words the hollow guards sprung to life and attacked. The teenager sighed, "It can't ever be easy. How come it never goes smooth?" The girl felt like whining but it wouldn't do her any good at this point. She dodged the first swing of the halberd. Her body swayed out of the way as if she was nothing but paper in the wind. In the corner of her eye she could see Tyki just phasing through all of their attacks. It was one of the few moments that she truly envied him. That seemed a lot easier than what she was doing. A sword almost clipped her reminding her that she should pay attention to her own opponents. Several suits surround her. One of them has a flail. All of them charge. "Activate!" Her innocence sprung to life off her skin and tore through a suit, flinging different pieces in different directions, one of them bouncing off the Portuguese man's head, with a single motion from her. Tyki glares at her. She offers a sheepish smile and a shrug.

"Did you do that on purpose?" He shouts over to her, blowing one of his own apart.

"Nope! Just happened! Trust me. If I threw one at you, you'd know!" He gave her a deadpan expression.

"Good to know." Harlequin shot forward protecting Luca from the onslaught by the sword wielding suit of armor. She could hear it pounding angrily against the black liquid separating them. She grinned at the Noah.

"Talk about anger problems." She jabbed her thumb at the armor still pounding at the barricade. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Isn't your friend's life in danger? Last time one of your friends was in danger you took it more seriously," Her smiled dropped and he immediately regretted it.

She sighed, "He isn't actually my friend and I would prefer to leave without him but Allen would get in trouble so that's why I'm doing it but you're right. We should go." She glanced over, Harlequin glows brightly. "Shall we?" He bolted over to her.

"Yeah, let's get out of here." He grabbed her arm and ran towards the door leading to the cellar of the large castle. She laughed as she directed Harlequin against the armor still chasing them. Together they slammed the door shut and barred it.

"That should hold them for a little while. The door's rather thick but still we should get going! They'll cut through it eventually." he nodded and followed her as she ran down the stairs. He couldn't help but wonder if she was going to trip and fall or not. He couldn't suppress the chuckle she she didn't even slow down when they came to a heavy set of double wooden doors, instead she merely kicked them down with gusto.

"Enjoy that did you Butterfly?" He inquired as he came to stand next to her. She glanced at him and nodded before a glare replaced her grin. He turned his own glare on the sorcerer that stood across the room with a sour look. He stole her smile.

"You just don't give up do you?" the sorcerer asked looking down his nose at the pair. "Tell me is the rest of the world as brutish as you?" Luca's green eyes narrowed at the comment. Though he was talking to both of them his dark gaze rested solely on her.

"You'd know if you ever stepped outside of this castle." The man standing before was tall in his youth but had since hunched over quite a bit. His long hair was gray and brushed straight down his back. Despite his haggard and old appearance his dark gray eyes were lively and lit with rage. His eyes were that of a man in his twenties. As if they were getting younger. She looked around for Link. The old man could wait. She spotted him behind the sorcerer. He looked as if he was sleeping peacefully but the magic spell tags told a different story. "So that's what you do. You kidnap somebody and make a fake vessel out of something else. Pumpkins I'm guess from the temperature of the fake. You put them to sleep and they wake up in the vessel unaware that you have their body. Link didn't act any different because it was Link just not his body. The question is what do you want from his body?" The sorcerer chuckled.

"Youth is wasted on the young. You do not know what you have until it's gone. I am merely putting it to a better use." Tyki watched her eyes narrow to slits, their color a vivid lime one.

"You're stealing his soul. That's why you only want people who can use magic." He smirked at her.

"Very good small one. You didn't show any signs of magic so I went with this one." he waved his hand towards Link's body. "There's no need to fret. He won't feel a thing. He'll fall asleep and never wake up."

"That's not yours to take! Souls are irreplaceable! Nobody is allowed to take somebody else's soul."

The sorcerer chuckled, "My Dear nobody is allowed anything. If you want something you must take it! That is how the world works. I'm honestly surprises somebody else hasn't told you this before. Yet you continue to confuse me. You show massive potential yet you never use it. You have to be able to use it otherwise you wouldn't be able to get in. I don't understand you and it vexes me so."

"Just because I don't use magic doesn't mean I can't. Some times there is a better approach. My innocence was just fine against the bramble monsters." she shrugged. "But," Her innocence deactivated and crawled up her arms. "if you want to see my magic that's fine. All you have to do is look into my eyes." The sorcerer scoffed.

"I have been making eye contact with you since you rudely kicked my doors down. Nothing has happened. You boast to try and stall for more time but it's too late for you! His soul is almost gone and then you're next small one."

Luca smiled wickedly, "Looking into my eyes was your fatal mistake." A dark hand shot through his chest from behind. He felt it tighten around his heart for a moment before the organ was yanked free of his rib cage. "You've been under my spell since you met my gaze. You should have noticed." She saw the recognition flash in his eyes right before they dulled and he fell to the floor dead, his red blood spilling out all over the cold concrete. Tyki walked over to her heart still in his hand, glove completely dirty and sullied. There was no way to return it to it's natural white.

"Okay Butterfly, I'll admit. That was creepy. How were you able to speak to both him and me? You kept zoning out on me." She smiled at him as she rubbed her eyes. They were dry now from not blinking for so long.

"That was simple. When he'd start to get long winded I'd come back to this realm and talk to you. Thank you for not making a fuss about it. I know you didn't believe me." Tyki shook his head while still staring at the body. He may have killed the man but she tore his consciousness away. He had never seen anything like it before. He wasn't so sure he wanted to.

"If you say so. Didn't look so simple to me." he looked down at the heart in his hands and then grinned. Walking up to her he knelt down on one knee and offered her the heart. "You've stolen my heart." She groaned but smiled all the same.

"That was a terrible joke and that's not even your heart My Love." He laughed and stood, tossing the heart over his shoulder. "True but I tried." He sighed when she walked over to the blond who was still catatonic. "I should probably vanish so you don't get in trouble huh?" She nodded a bit mournfully.

"Yeah, Link would have a full on fit if he saw you here." she walked back over to him. "Thank you for your help though."

"Do I get a kiss for my hard work?" She laughed.

"If you ask nicely." He groaned.

"Ugh you're really gonna make me ask?" She nodded, a grin pulling at her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Nah." He dove in stealing another kiss from her. She kissed back not really caring about the fact that he didn't ask. They pulled apart when the need for air became too great. "I'll see you next time." He was gone before she could stop him, taking the red ribbon that was holding her hair back with him.

"Hey! I needed that!" His deep chuckle bouncing off the walls of the dungeon was the only response she got causing her to pout.

* * *

 **So I hope everybody enjoyed this chapter~! You can all thank Yule for Pumpkin Link. She came up with it while helping me out with the first part and said that it had to be a thing so it's now a thing. If this was canon Luca would start calling Link Pumpkin. It's too bad because that would have been hilarious but alas it was simply not meant to be. Next week we dive back into the regular story and Luca must face her problem with her innocence. She can no longer run away from it. Next time! Red Like Roses! Cheshire is out~!**


	34. Red Like Roses

**I'm back! I want you all to know that this chapter almost killed me and my beta. You should all shower Yule in love for listening to me all week as a panicked and wrote. I'm so excited to bring you this chapter! I've been plotting it for so long that I've lost track of it! The thruth of Harlequin will finally be revealed! I'm literally so excited that I'm jittery. When my beta was editing I couldn't sit down. I just wandered around as we talked about it! Anyway come join Yule and I in our discord. We have a lot of fun! You can still find me at Cheshire#7475 and I'll add you in. As always bonus chapter reviews will be answered in the next bonus chapter that way we all aren't confused. I'll be answering the reviews from Even the Sky Weeps here so let's get to it before I get distracted and go off on some random tangent. So random babbling aside let's move on to the reviews!**

 **Dear Zon Yokai Blade of the Spirits, Yay! I like poems. I loved the one you wrote for that chapter. I'll let you know when I would like/need one! You have a real talent for them. I enjoying dropping my titles and leave you all wondering what's gonna happen next. I really feel like adding Luca in changed how Allen grew up a bit as well as Cross' feelings towards Allen and what's gonna happen. I've been plotting the necklaces for a while but had to wait for a good time to put them into play. Luca's was easy but I actually struggled with what she should send to Tyki and went through several ideas before settling on the poker chip for numerous reasons. Wisely will add things to the story. And WIN shippers unite!**

 **Dear Cam, I'm so glad you loved this chapter. As for Cross I have to agree with Allen, I don't think Death can kill Cross. I think he's just hiding out. If I had Apocryphos chasing me I would too. I think Cross used a spell at the last minute to save his life or Road did something and he's just hiding out whether it's for his own safety or just to piss Neah off I don't know. Either would be just like him. As for the rest of your review well, spoilers. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, I'm updating as fast as I can! I'm glad you liked the necklaces. I really loved the idea it just took forever to find a place for them to go. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, Things are never what they seem. Even the title of the manga itself alludes to this fact. Nothing is black and white. Nothing is good or evil. Everything is in shades of gray. Most people can't understand that and choose to look at it however it suits them. I'd love to hear your theories! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, I'm glad you're so excited about it and it made you happy! Ah now I want ice cream too but it's so cold here that I'd probably freeze if I ate some. Yep the bite wound Joyd gave Luca scarred and I think I can tell that you're excited. Despite Cross' failures as a parent I love him as a character and wish he was around more. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Kp, I hope you enjoyed your special chapter! It's gonna be a few more chapters before they see each other again but we're getting there. Just be glad you aren't him. It's been it's been over half a year since he's seen her! Yes we are moving towards Hallow as for Tyki, I like all of his looks, the stripper outfit was definitely something I remembered though! XD Enjoy!**

 **Dear Bunny~chan, Their game never ended just got put on** **hiatus for a bit** **but they are now starting to make their moves again. Bouncing the ball back and forth across the court. Just wait Sheril's gonna ask about all the money Tyki is spending, the roses aren't cheap and the necklace is also custom made because he'll only allow the best for his Butterfly. Cross knows a lot more then he's telling. I have to say that he's one of the closest people to the truth. Number 1 has a bit of significance if you know where to look ;D Enjoy!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, Luca and the Earl's encounters will be revealed...eventually. Those are all good questions to ask, unfortunately for you I won't be answering them in the AN, you're just gonna have to wait until it comes up in the story. Yes Cross didn't approve of Gazella's taste or Luca's for that matter XD. He worries about his kids far more than he shows and for good reason. They take care of each other but not themselves. It's such a vicious cycle and he's just facepalming and fretting in the background. Cross has insider knowledge remember? He knows what it means and he's not pleased. Poor Tyki's missing a pretty good chunk of what happened in the ark. The Sacarii were assassins. I spend so much time researching because I'm also bad at it so don't feel to bad about it! I had fun writing all of that. I grinned when you said it was adorable and honestly I'm excited for their meeting again and Joyd's thoughts on the matter. Enjoy!**

 **Dear WinterYule, I loved your review! It was long, talked about the story and you hit most of the key points! Komui deserves to be sick for all the damage (emotional and physical) to everybody. Johnny's used to Luca's habit of losing or destroying her uniform in a few chapters you'll learn how many jackets she's gone through. She's completely lost count of the gloves though. She's so hard on them. Luca is definitely the one Lvellie should fear the most but he's rather ignorant or perhaps her poker face is better. Who will ever know? Luca's foot tapping was what grounded him. She is his anchor in this world, her and his promise to Mana. As for Gazella's visitor, Maaaayyyybe. Allen can be a really painful character in general. I think of all of them I feel bad for Tim getting used a weapon. I thought Cross was gonna kill Allen just then. Cross is such a deep and troubled character and Gazella is right about him. All I'll say is that her taste is very similar to her daughter's much to Cross' dismay. He just can't win. I think you are impossible to make cry. I cried writing it! The poem was perfect because Luca and Cross have terrible communication skills especially with each other. It just doesn't go well. Allen is doing his best to hope that her not seeing Tyki for a while will crush his sister's well crush. I can't wait to hear what you think of Gazella, what she did, and how she differs from Luca. Tyki panicked cuz he doesn't want Sheril to know hence his tactical retreat (read: running away) to his room. Lavi provides a different perspective for Luca and he does care about her and the others even though he knows he shouldn't. Lavi's failing at his job but I think Bookman is too. Gambit has orders to follow and they just suck when it comes to Lavi. Bug spray wouldn't work only piss him off more. He's better of to just run, Gambit doesn't stray too far from Luca. Komui made her mad by not telling her and scaring the hell out of her. She needs that hell! XD sorry that was bad. As for the rest of it, all will be revealed! Enjoy!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, Yeah thanks but I wouldn't get used to it. It's a rare occurrence. Yep we are moving to that arc in a few chapters which will be fun. Thanks for your compliments. Luca and Allen are finding that their world is quickly falling apart and they don't really know how to deal with it. Tyki is always good for Luca. He doesn't let her go off the deep end. Luca does it on instinct and it would be bad if it got away for a couple reasons, she knows one of them. The North America branch arc will do just that. It's gonna be a blast. Road is enjoying dangling it over his head and blackmailing Tyki into doing her homework with it, granted he doesn't do it right but she tries! Luca knows that Lavi is more likely to give her an unbias opinion. While Allen doesn't hate Tyki the way the others do, remember she missed Lavi's fight with Tyki, he's lowkey protective of his sister and thinks that Tyki is only playing with her and her feelings and is going to hurt her. He's trying to** **dissuade** **her from her game with Tyki. He knows her best and knows it's not a game to her anyway. Plus she doesn't want to worry Allen. Also could you tell me what you'd like to happen in your special chapter with Joyd please? Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **For those of you wondering where the nicknames came from here it is: Luca calling Tyki My Love is her mocking him and his attractiveness. She's basically pretending that she's fallen in love with him on sight like so many woman do. Tyki calls Luca Butterfly because she's pretty and interesting but as an exorcist facing him her life is short and fleeting and her beauty doesn't matter once she's a corpse. The joke is on them of course but there you go!**

* * *

Akuma swarmed the area chasing the long haired exorcist through the forest each intent of stealing the piece of innocence hidden in her jacket. Jumping from tree branch to tree branch seemed like a lot more fun than it actually was. As per usual of her luck Harlequin had decided that the break from it's temper tantrums due to Cross' apparent death was over and it was back to it's regularly scheduled habit of not working properly. Luca groaned, she still wasn't allowed to be on a mission on her own and at the moment she couldn't find Kanda who was suppose to be on the mission with her. She hadn't even made it home yet, of course running over to the South American Branch to see if some of the ancient Aztec magic could fix her eyesight. Gambit chirped from his place on her left shoulder. She darted to the right just barely avoiding a particularly sharp branch sticking out into her path. She glanced up at the silver golem flying above her head.

"Scor connect to Kanda!" The golem bobbed up and down signaling that she understood the order before beeping.

"What?" She rolled her eyes at the snarled question.

"Where the hell are you? You're supposed to be on this mission with me!"

"I'm busy! There are akuma everywhere!" He growled.

"And you think there aren't any over here?" She snapped back. "Where are you? I'm coming to you!" Luca let out a yelp as the branch under her feet broke due to a crack under her left foot. She plummeted down towards the ground kilometers per second. She hit the ground hard, the only thing saving her from broken bones was Harlequin catching her at the last moment.

"Aww the poor little exorcist fell down." Luca pushed herself back up glaring at the akuma mocking her

"Hey!" Kanda's shout was ignored as the akuma was still talking.

"Don't worry, we'll give you a helping hand. You can sleep when you're dead which will be soon!" The akuma around her laughed like hyenas. Getting to her feet the girl bent down to brush the dirt and leaves off her boots.

"As if any of you could kill me. Even your precious Noah can't kill me. You have nothing to be arrogant about. All of you are just another damned soul twisted by the dark matter, a puppet for the Earl and Noah, used to dance and entertain them as they see fit." Her eyes saddened as she stared at them. She could vaguely hear Kanda yelling at her through Scor but she couldn't make out what it was he was saying over the commotion the akuma were making. Harlequin floated around her low to the ground. It was getting heavier and heavier. Thrusting her hand forward the innocence followed the gesture spearing through the level 2 before rounding on the group of level 1s floating around. They all exploded easily. _At least I'm not completely done yet_ , she thought. She dodged another level 2 that came flying at her, ducking behind a tree she recalled the liquid cleaving the akuma's arm off before taking it's head. She groaned as she looked at them all. _It's going to be a long night_ , she sighed as the liquid metal flew around tearing the akuma apart. She could feel the sweat starting to drip down her forehead and the back of her neck. She was tired, Harlequin was so slow and heavy. She couldn't keep this up much long. Thankfully the akuma were gone. Gambit let out a panicked chirp and she whirled to her left just in time for the armored foot to connect with her stomach sending her crashing through the trees into the clearing. She hit something soft and felt arms wrap around her under arms pulling her up to her feet. She leaned her head back. Kanda glared down at her.

"What the hell Luca? I've been calling you for several minutes. Answer me next time damn it!" She smiled.

"Yeah yeah yeah, I'm sorry. I was busy. The level 3 came barreling through the trees, out of the forest.

"Che. It's only a level 3." Luca's smile twisted into a frown at the tone.

"It snuck up on my blind side. At least cut me a little bit of slack! I'd like to see you adjust to half your field of vision in a couple of months!" He pushed her towards it.

"Well finish what you started." She rolled her eyes but turned back to the akuma. It had been ranting at them the whole time but neither of the exorcists had been listening to it. It probably wasn't important they all pretty much said the same thing anyway.

"Harlequin! Release level 2! Harbinger!" The akuma shot forward intent on smashing the Hungarian teen's head in. It's fists hit the innocence, each punch spreading more green light through it. "Strike, Nightmare's Mark!" Luca winced as her arms ached and burned as the innocence vaporized the akuma. Glancing down at her arm her eyes widened to see thick black lines slowly forming diamonds up her arm. "Deactivate!" The diamonds disappeared as the innocence slid into it's normal place. Quickly she unbuttoned the straps holding her sleeves up allowing them to roll down and cover the now pale skin. She rubbed her right arm trying to ease the pain in her muscles a bit. Kanda walked over to her.

"Lets go. I don't want to miss the damn ark gate and have to wait for the next one." she nodded and followed after him not quite keeping up with his pace. She just wanted to go to sleep. The entire month had been exhausting and she felt like she hadn't gotten a single break. Even when she slept she was plagued with nightmares which greatly shortened the time that she slept. She had already built 5 more clockwork spiders and a scorpion. That one had been a bit tricky. She wasn't entirely sure what to do with them now.

"You can't run forever. One way or another you must make a choice." The woman's voice drifted on the wind, or perhaps it was just in her head. She couldn't tell anymore. She was too tired now. They met the finders in town, they had only lost a few of them this time. As cruel as it was Luca couldn't bring herself to care. The church looked the same as all the others. Tall and foreboding, promising pain for her beliefs. She followed after Kanda, tracing her stupid identification number in the priest's hand as if she was a robot. He moved aside and they stepped into the blinding white city. Immediately she was greeted by Allen. She smiled and excepted the hug from him. They stayed like that for a moment. Link was pulling out another pile of paperwork from wherever he kept it. Not in the mood for it, Luca grabbed Allen by the hand and ran. They quickly lost Link, who was trying to carry the paperwork, in the many halls. She knew that both Link and Kanda would yell at her for leaving them with the paperwork but she couldn't care less at the moment. Allen chuckled as they came to a stop in one of the many lounges.

"Not in the mood for company?" she didn't answer him, merely flopped on the couch. The younger exorcist joined her and she fell over into his lap. Her brother pulled the ribbon keeping the messy hair tied back free and began to pet the unruly black curls.

"I'm too tired and I don't feel like fighting with Link at the moment but I also don't feel like dealing with those stupid questionnaires of his. When are they just going to franc (fuck) off?" Allen continued the calming motion but sighed at her question.

"I don't know Lu. It's best not to start anything and just wait for it to blow over." The girl gave a non-committal hum in response. "So any luck in South America?" The Brit changed the subject.

"Of course not. Let's face it. I'm gonna be half blind for the rest of my life. It's hopeless." Allen wanted to sigh but refrained from doing so.

"Don't say that Lu. I'm sure it's not that bad. We just haven't found the right spell or cure yet. It's out there somewhere."

The older teen gave a dry chuckle, "Oh Allen. Always so optimistic. I don't know how you do it." He smiled down at her.

"Well someone has to be. You're so much like Master sometimes that it hurts." The Walker siblings fell into silence. The pain of their loss still fresh in their hearts. A pain they couldn't share with anyone or even explain why they were sad due to the cover up. Luca's eyes slid closed, allowing the aching feeling to take over. She fell asleep to her brother's fingers carding through her hair in a soothing manner.

Breakfast was mostly eaten in silence. Kanda was ignoring them while Lavi, Lenalee, Miranda, and Krory had no idea what to say to the pair. A few tables away Chaoji watched them with a deep set frown. Luca had woken up in her own bed and figured that Allen must have carried her back. A flash of silver caught Allen's eye.

"Lu?" He paused for a moment. "Do you have something in your mouth?" She nodded.

"Yeah, I got my tongue pierced while I was in South America."

"WHAT?!" Luca winced at the volume. She sighed at the response and stuck her tongue out to show it off. All of them stared at the small silver stud in the pink organ.

"Why would you do that?" Krory asked, he looked a little pale. Lavi examined it in fascination.

"Apparently it's an old Aztec tradition used to honor the gods. As I am a pagan I decided to get it done. I then purchased a silver stud earring and adjusted it to fit. I rather like it." The others just stared at her for a moment.

"Hey Beautiful?" Green eyes darted up to meet a darker one.

"What's up Lavi?" His one visible eye flicked over to the teez that sat on the table devouring a large steak.

"When did Gambit change colors?" All eyes flew over to the butterfly. They found Lavi's point. The golem was no longer black and purple now his left wing was striped diagonally with black and white while the right wing was black with a white spade on it. The bottom part of his wings were black with white decorating them.

Luca blinked several times before saying, "Huh. Well would you look at that. I have absolutely no idea when that happened. He's still pretty though." The entire table sweatdropped at the girl's response. Link eyed the golem suspiciously. He never did trust it but it couldn't be pried away from the girl long enough to dispose of it. He knew something was up with her. He didn't dare use his CROW abilities. She had been looking at him funny ever since the Walkers' confrontation with General Cross. _Could she know? No there's no way. Neither of the Walkers has shown any sign, not even the most minuscule sign of being able to use their ki never mind magic_ , he was being paranoid. That had to be it.

"Luca, Lenalee, and Allen!" All three heads glanced over to where Reever stood in the doorway of the cafeteria. "Finish up breakfast and head to Komui's office. You three have a mission." The three sighed and stood.

"Don't worry about your dishes I'll take them." Lavi grinned at them.

"I'll help too." Krory offered.

"Thanks guys." Allen smiled. Luca narrowed her eyes as she examined her brother.

"Al are you feeling alright?" she questioned as they walked down the hall. Lenalee immediately turned to inspect the younger boy.

"I'm fine. Really." Lenalee tilted her head.

"You do look a little flushed." Allen waved them off.

"Oh there's no need to worry about it. It's just from the warmth of the food." Link stayed quiet in the background just watching the three. Luca walked over and reached up placing her hand on her brother's forehead.

"You're a little warm. Maybe you should stay back and have Head Nurse take a look at you. You could be coming down with something." Allen shook his head.

"I really am fine, Lu. You worry about me too much." She made a face. _Only because you don't worry enough about yourself_ , she kept that thought to herself and sighed.

"If you say so. I can't force you to stay." He smiled and continued down the hall. The pair of girls shared a worried glance and followed after him.

"You're going to the Himalayas." Komui spoke calmly. "There's innocence up in those mountains. Due to the terrain our finders have had a hard time getting up there. Unfortunately several akuma have been spotted. Lenalee and Luca you two have the best innocence for transportation and Luca you can carry multiple people. I need you three to move fast. Take the ark and leave immediately." The three nodded and left. Luca glanced at Allen out of the corner of her eye as she walked to her room to grab her bag. He still looked a bit flushed. Unfortunately for him, being as pale as the dead you could always tell when something was wrong. She flung her bag over her shoulder and before standing outside waiting for the pair to join her. Allen smiled at her but it did little to calm her worries. The trek through the white city was spent in silence. Luca was currently more interested in massaging her arms. They were still aching like crazy. She bit her lip as she trailed behind the others. Harlequin had never done this before. Maybe something really was wrong. Should she go to Komui or not? She couldn't decide. It was probably nothing...right?

"Luca!" Said girl's head snapped to see the other three waiting at a door several kilometers ahead of her. She jogged over to them.

"Sorry, got lost in my thoughts." she smiled but neither of her friends looked like they believed her. Allen opened the door and they stepped out.

"Well have to take the train from here. This is the closest gate to the Himalayas I have." Allen explained as the group walked towards the train station. The whistle blew through the air. All four heads snapped up.

"Run!" The exorcists bolted after the leaving train. "Everybody up!" Luca shouts. Grabbing Lenalee by the hand she tossed her onto the back of the train. Link and Allen jumped up themselves. Luca followed after. Allen grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

"That was too close." Link sighed as the walked along the top to first class. Luca couldn't help but smile and laugh at the attendant's face. It never ceased to amuse her. They were always so surprised when they dropped through the hatch on the roof.

"I'm sorry but you can't be here. This is first class. Regular passengers are supposed to be in second class." The attendant's eyes glanced up to the hatched that Luca had closed on her way down. "How did you even get up there in the first place?" he asked a bit bewildered. Link sighed again.

"We're with the Black Order. Please prepare our room." The man's dark eyes flickered over to the badge on Luca's chest. Widening he bowed immediately.

"Of course. I'm terribly sorry about my misunderstanding. Please forgive me." The exorcists just waved him off. Allen and Lenalee both smiled gently.

"Oh it's no problem. We're used to it. A lot of people are shocked by our entrance." Lenalee assured him gently.

Allen leaned over to Luca and whispered in her ear, "I always feel bad for the poor attendants. They're always so shocked and confused."

"Really? I'm always entertained by it." Luca snickered back quietly. Link glanced back at them silently watching. Allen followed Luca's gaze as her smiled dropped.

"I wonder what he's thinking." Luca snorted in response.

"Probably that we're plotting to assassinate the pope or something else that's evil and sinister." Allen sighed at his sister but didn't dispute it. She was probably right. Central didn't trust him as far as they could throw him. Neither him nor the now missing General Cross. Luca said he probably wasn't dead and faked it somehow so he would listen to her. She was usually right, especially about their master.

The train ride was long and boring, Luca spent most of it napping on Allen's shoulder or the window. When she wasn't napping she stared out the window. She couldn't bring herself to be chatty. Luca grumbled more to herself than the others as she pulled her cloak around her body more. The Himalayas were cold of course.

"We better start the trek up. It's a long climb. Remember if things get bad you are to get us out of it Luca." Her eyes jumped over to Link who had been talking. She nodded silently. As the others began to walk towards the mountains Luca glanced over at Allen. He was flushed, she knew that if she brought it up he'd argue that it was the cold. She was almost certain he was coming down with something. She shifted her gaze to her arms. They still ached and her muscles burned. She rolled her sleeves up. Pale skin met her eyes; the black lines were gone but she had no idea if they would come back if she activated her innocence again. She bit her bottom lip as worry began to claw at her stomach. Harlequin had never done that before. Sure it threw temper tantrums sometimes but that just meant that it was moody like her. It's how they matched. A snow flake landed on her nose. She tilted her head back. It was starting to snow. _Great, that's just great. Snow is the last thing we needed. I hope we get back before it gets bad. Allen should take it easy for the next few days_ , Luca tried to calm her thoughts as they began the hike up.

It became apparent the more that they climbed up that Allen wasn't coming down with something, rather he was already sick. Very sick. The chills came first. Then the sneezing and coughing. The higher they climbed and farther they got, the worse his condition became. His flush spread across his face and he was breathing differently. Luca stayed by his side, watching him with blatant worry in her eyes. They needed to turn around and head back. Or at least Allen did. Luca was about to voice this opinion, though she planned to make it crystal clear that it was not up for discussion, when Lenalee called back to them.

"Hey! There's a village up ahead!" Luca looped her arm through Allen's. He smiled at her weakly and mostly let her lead him, he was leaning on her heavily with her murmuring to him softly that they were almost there. Once they got up they found that it was empty with ruins and half destroyed buildings. Lenalee sighed, "They must have abandoned this village a long time ago." Link nodded.

"They probably found that it was too cold and they couldn't survive or grown enough food." Luca pressed the back of her hand to Allen's forehead ignoring his delirious rambling that he was fine.

"Kurva életbe (god damn it)! Franc (fuck)! Köcsög (motherfucker)!" Luca's long string of curses brought the duo's attention to her and Allen.

"How bad is he?" Link asked walking over. Luca was practically holding the younger exorcist up. Luca opened her mouth to reply when the snow around them exploded around them. Akuma explode up out of the snow.

"Akuma!" Lenalee shouts. Luca takes charged immediately.

"Hold them off! Link take Allen and take cover! He's in no condition to be fighting. Go!" Link nodded, for once not arguing with the younger. "Invoke! Harlequin." The innocence flew from her skin and began to tear through the level 1s around. She wasn't sure if she dared attacking one of the level 3s. She had just barely won last time, her eyes flit over to Link who was dragging Allen to one of the very few houses still standing. She didn't have the option to be careful. It was just her and Lenalee now, there was no time for slacking off. She couldn't afford it, not with Allen out of commission. She summoned it back to her. Armor would be better, she could just use brute force. Not great for her body or her muscles but that wasn't the main point. Immediately her limbs felt heavy but she didn't have time to stop and think about it. A swarm of level 3 were coming at her. She sighed, glared and started punching. Luca quickly lost count of the akuma she had killed the colors on the armor they wore blended together into a mess. There was no end to them.

"Die little exorcist!" Luca dove to the side to avoid the level 2 akuma that flew at her from her left. She snorted as she rolled back to her feet in a crouched position.

"Why is it that all akuma have to speak? Can't you just be quiet killing machines? Seriously is that too much to ask?" The akuma was covered in quills which gave her pause. That didn't look good. Granted she was having a hard time taking it seriously. It looked similar to a level 2, except it was a fish. She straightened up and blinked a few times.

"What would you know about akuma?" It snapped angrily. Luca shook her head.

"Never mind that. Answer this question instead: What the hell are you?" It glared at her.

"I am a regal akuma. My masters are very pleased with my ability!" it continued to boast.

"That still doesn't explain what you're supposed to be. You've got to be the most ridiculous looking akuma I've ever seen and I've seen plenty." It didn't response instead puffed itself up by sucking in a bunch of air. The exorcist braced herself against the pulling sensation. Her armored boots digging into the snow to stop her. The quills grew in size causing the girl to be even more weary. Her eyes widened as they began to explode from it's body, the air forcing them to be expelled. "Oh szaros (shit)!" They were to far spread out to dodge. She'd have to block them all. She kicked and punched them away. She could hear them bouncing off the gauntlets.

"You can't block forever!" It crowed gleefully. "Eventually you will die by my poison." She jumped up out of the way of another barrage.

"I think I'm more likely to die from you talking me to death." Her eyes widened as she realized what was behind her. Twisting around in midair she yelled. "Link! Move!" The blond man's head snapped up to see the spines flying at him at high speed. Lenalee also whirled around so see. Neither girl would make it in time. Landing on her feet Luca shot forward. She had to make it. She wasn't going to make it. She pushed her legs to move faster. "Faster!" She ordered. She could feel her muscles protesting but she didn't care. Link reached for something up his sleeve. Perhaps his weird dagger that she knew CROWS carried. A flash of white shot over to the older man. "ALLEN! NO!" The order was too late. Her brother dove in front of Link taking the blow for him. Large spikes stuck out of his body at odd angles.

"Allen!"

"Walker!" Lenalee and Link shouted together as the boy keeled over unconscious. The blond caught him, eyeing the blood that ran down his body in rivets, staining his uniform. Luca whirled around. "Luca! Kill the akuma before it gets away! That will save him!"

"I know that!" She snapped but flung herself at the akuma none the less. Her rage consuming her vision. She ripped out a large spike from it's body. "Release level 2! Harbinger!" Her innocence glowed green before flowing into the spine. "Strike, Nightmare's Mark!" The spine doubled in sized several times. The akuma flailed around trying to dislodge her.

"Walker! Hurry up! He's fading fast!" Link's shout only fueled her fury. Like kerosene being tossed on a fire.

"Cease to exist." She ordered with a glare before shoving the quill through it's face, spearing through the akuma completely as if it was a shish kebab. The akuma exploded in blast of green light sending the girl flying back. She hit the ground hard, expelling the wind from her lungs. She gasped for oxygen. As soon as she could breath again she jumped up to her feet. "Allen!" she rushed over her brother ignoring the swarm of akuma. Link was still holding him. Her eyes widened in fear as she took in his injuries. She made a split second decision. Her head snapped over to her friend. "Lenalee!" The taller girl hopped over.

"What?" she questioned before she saw the wounds on the youngest. "Oh god! Allen!"

"You need to go! Allen needs medical attention. Now! He was sick before. He shouldn't have come with us. You need to take him back." Link looked up at her.

"What about the innocence? Miss Lee should stay with you. I can take him back." Luca shook her head.

"No. If you get attacked you'll both die. I won't let you take that chance with my little brother. This isn't up for discussion Link. Deal with it." Both of them flinched at the growl that came from the girl.

"But there's so many!" Lenalee fretted. "You should come with us! We'll come back for the innocence later." Luca glanced up. Several akuma were climbing the mountain.

"We can't if we do that it will be gone and destroyed. I'll be fine. Now go!" Lenalee opened her mouth but Luca cut her off. "Lenalee we don't have time for this. Allen doesn't have time for this. NOW GO!" Lenalee wanted to argue but knew she couldn't. Link had gently shifted Allen onto her back.

"Can you keep up?" Lenalee asked Link he nodded and they took off. Taking a deep breath Luca glanced back at them one last time before she jumped onto the roof of the nearest cottage to examine the massive hoard of akuma. She took one last deep breath before she spoke.

"Harlequin," she smiled ruefully at what she was about to do. _Allen would kill me if he knew. Especially after what happened to him_ , she brushed that thought away. Even if she died, Allen would live and that was the important part. Her life wouldn't be in vain, well at least not to her. She vaguely wondered what Tyki would say if he knew. _Probably laugh at me for doing something so stupid and then rip my heart out. If I die here then he doesn't win the game, so in a way I still win. Won't that piss him off_ , she wanted to laugh at the absurdity but she was afraid if she opened her mouth or made a noise she would cry. "Maximum power, activate." This had to be the most idiotic thing she had ever done. "It may be the last thing I'll ever do." The metal liquid exploded in a brilliant flash of vivid green. It grew to a colossal and imposing size. With a single gesture she sent her innocence rolling and crashing like the waves of the sea. The akuma shrieked and howled as it collided with them, vaporizing them in an instant. The level 1s and 2s vanished without time to cry or move. The level 3s ran, tripping over each other and tossing others out of their way.

"Stop running! Fuse you fools!" A lavender level 3 akuma started shouting. As if they suddenly remembered they could do that. Luca rolled her eyes at that fact. She needed to finish them off quickly before the effects of forcing her maximum release appeared. She knew she'd be in pain for a while. Five humongous level 3.5 akuma now stood across from her. All five attacked.

"Evil star guitar!" Flicking her fingers towards her body recalling her weapon back to her. The blasts of dark matter being sucked into the innocence. The glow was so bright that the light was now pure white. Plup plup plup plup plup plup plup plup plup plup plup plup plup plup plup plup. Luca winced, the effects were appearing. She could feel the hexagonal pattern of her innocence embedding into her skin. It started on her collarbone and spread down her arms and stomach. Plup plup plup plup plup. The pattern climbed up her face. _It really does move fast. I can't help but feel that it's worse. My synch rate has plummeted these last few months. It really took a swan dive on my last mission. I don't imagine that it helped the process at all. I need to finish this now_ , she reflected.

"I'm breaking down. I'm out of time. I've got to end this. Farewell little brother." She smiled sorrowfully, she wished Allen had been conscious for her to say goodbye to. "Are you ready Harlequin?" Her expression morphed into a glare which she directed at the akuma. "I guess this is my swan song. Strike, Azrael's Mark." For a single moment the innocence took the form of a giant pair of wings before it began to spin in a circle charging up. Thrusting her hand forward she spoke a single word, "Fire." The blinding white light obliterated the akuma. Her heart pounded in her chest and her breathing grew shallow. Her knees buckled and she began to fall backwards. "I guess this is the end." she smiled and collapsed backwards into the snow. The last thought that crossed her mind was, _I guess our world as one is ending for all eternity. Sleep well Allen._

* * *

"I'm alive?" The question spilled from her lips the moment she woke up. She struggled to sit up. Luca looked around. She was in one of the cabins. It was one of the more intact ones.

"You are very lucky young lady." Luca's head snapped over to the door. A man stood in it dressed from head to toe in furs. "I don't normally come up here. You were almost completely covered in snow. I actually tripped over you. I didn't even think you were alive." he walked over to her and offered her a steaming cup. She reached out for it, or she tried. No matter what she did her arms wouldn't move.

"I'd love it but I need a minute. Thank you." He nodded and set the cup down before sitting down on a stool by her bed.

"It's too dark to take you anywhere. In the morning I'll take you down the mountains and get you to a doctor." She smiled at him.

"Thank you for helping me. May I have your name please?" He nodded.

"Of course. My name is Angtharkay. My people used to live in this village but we moved after a bad avalanche to a safer location in the mountains." She smiled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Angtharkay. My name is Luca." Slowly she reached out for the cup. It was still warm allowing the heat to seep into her hands. She sipped at the tea. It was an herbal mix probably to help her regain her strength.

"You should rest some more. I will bring you some soup for dinner when it is ready." She nodded.

"Thank you." He got up and left. Luca finally looked down at her arms. Her eyes widened. Thick black lines formed diamonds all up her arms and across her collarbone. They ached so much. She finished her tea allowing it to warm her up from the inside. She slid back down into the bed. She was too tired for this. Angtharkay seemed nice so he probably wouldn't kill her in her sleep. There was no reason to. If he had wanted her dead he would have just left her in the snow. She would have never known and the Order would have never found her body. She'd slumber forever in the snow. Burrowing under the blankets at the mere thought she curled up and let dreams take her once more.

Morning came far too quickly in the Hungarian's opinion but there was nothing she could do about it. She found that she was much stronger in the morning she could get up and walk around. Angtharkay entered the room.

"How do you feel?" He asked. She smiled at him.

"Much better, thank you. You're a shaman aren't you?" He nodded.

"Yes I am. I came here to speak to those who died in the avalanche. I wanted to help them find peace. They led me to you. I can only assume that you are versed in magic. Your aura is bright and shines like the aurora." Luca's eyes widened.

"You've seen the aurora? What was it like?" she couldn't help but ask excitedly. He smiled and chuckled.

"Yes. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen." She smiled.

"I've always wanted to see it. I've never been able to. One day I will." He nodded.

"I would definitely recommend it. Now lets get you down to a doctor's." Luca shook her head.

"Thank you for all your help Angtharkay but I have a job to do. I have to get up the mountain. You have saved my life and helped me immensely. If you need something please let me help." He smiled.

"All I ask is that you be safe in your travels." They stepped outside, the snow storm had died during the night leaving a clear day for travel. Both golems flew out of the pocket of her cloak. _They must've been hiding in there from the cold of the storm_ , she noted.

"Thank you for all your help." Angtharkay waved her off with one final warning.

"Your mother, she says, to flee because it's your blood that's red like roses."

"I can't. My brother needs me." The cabin was almost out of sight when a thought occurred to her "My mother?" causing her to turn around to look back for a final moment just in time to see Angtharkay dissipate into thin air. "What? He was a ghost? A ghost saved my life. Komui won't believe it. Hell none of them would." she couldn't help but chuckle at that thought. The rest of the trek up the mountain was rather uneventful. The cave that the innocence was located in was a bit unstable. She weaved around the stalagmites deftly. Luca glanced up at the icicles hanging from the ceiling. "Better be careful, huh guys?" Gambit chirped causing the girl to hop to the side as one the stalactites fell. "Good job Gambit." she petted the little butterfly on the head before continuing through the cave. "It's best if we're really quiet."she whispered. Scor flew close to the girl's head to avoid crashing into anything and bringing the cave crashing down on them. Luca's head snapped back. She could hear voices coming down the way she had just come. It sounded like akuma. "Franc (fuck)!" she hissed and ran down the the passageway just hoping that it wouldn't bring everything down on her head. The innocence sat on a pedestal. If she wasn't in such a hurry she would have been interesting in the symbols all around it carved into the snow. It was times like this that she had actually read the dossier on it. Snagging she continued down praying to whatever deity was listening that the cave had another exit. She need it to. Otherwise she was screwed. The pattern was still on her skin and her innocence hadn't responded to her attempts to activate it. Perhaps it was rejecting her. She didn't have time to ponder it. Luckily Luca crashed through a thin sheet of ice hiding another opening. She could hear the akuma bickering as they raced after her. She wouldn't be able to lose them on the white slopes, not with her black cloak. It was one of the few moments that she wished she had something white even though it looked terrible on her. Slipping on a sheet of ice she flew down the slope before crashing into a snowbank. She wanted to complain about the pain but quickly ducked under it and buried herself as the akuma came flying down. She froze.

There was a level 4. They couldn't defeat a level 4. _The last time one of those had shown up it had taken, Allen, Lenalee, and Master_ , the thoughts swirled in her head.

"I can still feel the innocence. The exorcists must have escaped down the mountain and into the town. We'll catch them there. Now move it!" The level 4 barked, clearly annoyed with the other akuma with it. As soon as they were gone, Luca burst up out of snow before running down after the akuma. There was no way Allen was better and Lenalee was on her own. She wasn't sure what she could do but she couldn't let them get to the others.

"Scor! Connect to Timcampy!" She was breathing harshly, her innocence was still heavy against her skin and all her muscles ached. As she had thought the day before using brute force on the akuma had been a bad idea.

"Walker. What's going on? Where have you been?" Link's voice carried through the golem.

"Link! You need to get out of there! You need to go now!" She yelled. Her mind still racing with the panic. She couldn't lose Allen again.

"Walker! Explain! What's going on? Why do we have to leave?" She sighed it was a long story.

"A level 4 is heading your way! It can sense Lenalee and Allen's innocence! It will tear that town apart. You guys need to get out of there and back to the ark gate! I'll distract the akuma as long as I can but you guys need to move! NOW!"

"Alright. Be careful." Luca was shocked by the last sentence but she answered none the less.

"You too." she was quiet for a moment. "Link please take care of my little brother. I have to go. I'm trusting you." She nodded and Scor cut the call off. "Scor, eat!" she tossed the piece she had stolen to the golem. "If I die grab Harlequin and go. Go to Allen." The golem shook it's head. "Scor you have to." Reluctantly she nodded. She could see the akuma now. She still had no idea what she was going to do but she had to do something. Without thinking she leapt and kicked the level 4 into a snowbank before disappearing into another one. The level 4 pulled itself from the snowbank.

"It seems the exorcists didn't get as far as we thought. You two go one ahead. There are two leaving the town get them. I'll deal with this one. Now go!" The level 2s left and the level 4 grinned. "Come out come out little exorcist I know you're here." Luca slowly stepped out of snowbank. "There you are. I was hoping you would let me chase you. It's time to die now." The akuma kicked her in the stomach before she could see him move. She flew back and crashed into a tree. She cried out. "Oooh you sing very nicely. Do it some more." The girl just barely managed to move out of the way of a blast of dark matter. "Well are you going to activate your innocence or not?" Luca didn't say anything. How could she win? She couldn't even hurt it without her innocence. Taking a deep breath she ducked behind a tree. Once again snow began to fall from the sky.

"Harlequin," she paused. What did she say to her innocence? How do you even talk to it? "I know we've had our differences but," she stopped. "I need you." The woman appeared before her in her normal glowing green mist.

"Are you ready to accept me as I am? Are you ready to accept what we were meant to be? And what we were meant to do? Or do you just not want to die?" Luca was silent for a moment. Was she ready? The akuma was blowing up trees looking for her.

"Come out come out! Stop hiding little exorcist!" Another tree exploded. Luca looked the woman directly in the eye.

"Hunter, I don't give a damn about that stuff anymore. My only concern now is my brother, and if that means destroying every akuma then so be it. That is what I will do." Her innocence stared back at her.

"Your mother intervened and tried to separate us. If we do this we do this as one. Become what we were meant to be." The woman held out her hand and for the first time in her life Luca accepted it. Instantly the pattern disappeared and the black liquid exploded, the melted metal falling into the snow leaving the pure innocence in her hand. She watched as it liquidated.

"Bottoms up." Luca said and downed it in one go. Luca felt in throb in her body, beating like a second heartbeat. Her heart ached and burned with a pain unlike anything she had ever felt. Soon the throbbing spread from her heart and down to her arms all the way down to her inner wrists right under her palms before her blood exploding out. The level 4 appeared.

"Found you!" It singsonged. The blood solidified into crystal glittering like rubies and slowly rose up into a headless winged creature. It leaned towards her. Luca smiled and reached out to it with one hand.

"Time to go." she turned her gaze to the akuma. "Eternal Hunter invoke!" The blood turned dark red and shot at the akuma with speed unlike anything she had ever seen. It shrieked in rage at her. Her head felt like it was splitting open. Slapping her hands over her ears she tried to block out the noise with little success. She could hardly think at all. _What was it that Master did to counter it?_ She wasn't able to process what was going on. _Maria! Maria had used her powers on him_ , the thought was barely their for a moment before a familiar melody washed over her. Her head snapped up and she whirled around. "Magdala curtain?" she stood up and pulled her hands away from her ears. There was blood but not a lot. She'd be fine. She was more interest in the song. "Master?" she brushed away that silly thought. "No he wouldn't be here. So where is it coming from?" Her eyes widened as she saw Eternal Hunter floating around her, it was resonating. Her innocence was singing Magdala curtain.

"We are one now. You control my form with your mind. If you know how it works you can make it. You know the song so we can sing it." Hunter's voice sounded in the back of her mind.

"Understood." She nodded, she could see the akuma scream dying down. It's lungs running out of air. With a single thought blood seeped from the stigmata now present on her wrists. Instantly it solidified into clawed gauntlets. Luca shot forward just as the akuma ceased it's screaming. Her fist connecting with it's face sending it flying. It hit the mountain side. "Wow. I'm stronger." A blast of dark matter barreled through the air at her. She dove to the side, rolling and was back on her feet in an instant. "Faster too apparently."

"Stop that noise!" The akuma howled in pain. It was at this point that she realized that despite changing forms Eternal Hunter was still singing. She could still hear the vocalization of Madgala curtain. It couldn't recreate the ability but it did defend against the screaming.

"Looks like I'll be ready to give My Love a run for his money now." Luca grinned and cracked her knuckles, the sound made much louder by the innocence.

"You won't defeat me." it hissed angrily at her as it flung itself forward.

Luca's grin spread as she goaded it on, "Watch me." The hymn ended on her silent command. "I'm gonna tear you limb from limb and send you back to the Earl in box or I would but the Earl doesn't care about you at all. You're just tools and nothing more. You poor pitiful creature." She always tried to feel bad for them the way Allen did but most of the time they just got on her nerves and annoyed her to death or they tried to before she killed them just to get them to shut up. The snow began to fall heavier. Another blizzard was coming. She eyed the sky warily. She would need to move faster. The girl wanted to catch up with the others before they were gone. Luca launched herself at the akuma her gauntlets forming into her falx swords, a particular favorite of hers. The slashes tore into it's flesh shredding it's skin. It screamed again and kicked her away, foot planted firmly in her stomach. She smashed through several trees before rolling to a stop.

"Die here!" A blast of dark matter sent her into crashing into the cliff side. A crack ran up along the mountain from where she hit. A loud snapping sound rang out. The Hungarian's head snapped up.

"Oh francba (shit). That sounds like an avalanche." She looked up to see the akuma flying away. "Hey!" She chased after it. She glanced over her should to see the snow rushing down towards her and the town. "How come it never goes smooth?" She yelped as the snow washed over her.

* * *

When she opened her eyes it was dark. Gambit was squeaking in fear and Scor was trying to fly but only succeeded in hitting Luca in the face with her wing.

"Scor, stop flailing. Gambit it will be okay." She tried to control her teeth chattering. She needed to get out before she froze. "Which way is up? There's no point in digging deeper down. A thought occurred to her. _Gross, but it should work. After all gravity doesn't change just because of an avalanche_ , she noted. Turning her head to the side she spit. The saliva arced before falling down. "Well at least we're facing up. Hopefully I'm not too cold for this. Activate!" Her innocence slid out from her scars. Directing the metal forward with her hand out of habit the liquid forced it's way out, creating a hole to climb out. "Stupid akuma. Stupid snow." she grumbled as she was climbing out. The blizzard was raging all around her, apparently it had gotten worse while she was trapped. "How long have I been under there? Maybe I fell unconscious again?" She could hardly see. "Board." The innocence slid into it's normal travel form. "I need to catch up to others. Scor, Gambit, get inside." Both golems hid into her pocket as she jumped on.

* * *

The level 4 had located the train that the other exorcists were on fairly quickly. The level 2s were dead but that didn't concern it. Another female exorcist stood in the way. The akuma could feel the innocence. It was in her dark red boots.

"Oh, are you going to play with me now?" Lenalee glared at the akuma. It was a level 4. Was Luca dead? She almost started crying. Luca was famous for avoiding death. She was okay, she had to be. Lenalee couldn't bear the thought of losing another piece of her world.

"I won't let you harm the people on this train!" The akuma lunged before something stopped him. Red liquid curled around it's body causing it to shriek in pain.

"Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go you damn exorcist!" The strange liquid yanked the akuma from the top of the train and back into the dark of the snow storm. She was about to go after it when a voice to call up to her.

"Miss Lee! We have more akuma coming in!" Lenalee wanted to chase the akuma and make sure it dies but she couldn't leave all the people defenseless. Link was leaning out the window to call up to her. Sighing she slung herself in through the window and attacked the akuma.

* * *

"Just die already!" Luca just smirked at the demon.

"Well if you did your job properly I wouldn't still be here, but that doesn't matter. It's time for you to be destroyed. It's getting dark and it's time to head home." The armor reformed and she met the akuma head on. Green energy crackled. Purples lighting like energy climbed up the red armor.

"Your armor's beginning to crack. You can't take me." Luca smirked.

"It's not cracking. It's absorbing your power. It's my special ability." The purple energy turned green and she grinned. "Reap, Nightmare's Mark!" A large blast of energy exploded from her fist, sending the akuma flying back. It was missing an arm. "You know from where I stand it looks like your the one who's gonna die."

"You damn bitch!" It lunged at her again. This time kicking her in the head. She staggered whirling around with the force of the blow to lessen the damage. She cracked her neck and rubbed her jaw.

"Huh. That actually hurt." She could see some green light out of the corner of her eye coming from her face. "Oh? Does my power now apply to my body as well? Well that makes this even more interesting. I can't wait to try this out against My Love." She grinned at that last thought and slid back into her battle stance. The akuma charged again. She jumped dodging it's next kick and punch. Dancing backwards as she dodged it's attacks. "You aren't very good this. How on Earth did you manage to make it this far?" she giggled. It was probably a bad idea to egg it on but she was having too much fun to stop. Luca went skidding and rolling back several feet in the snow. She grinned as a mischievous thought came to her. Quickly packing the snow she flung the snow ball directly into the akuma's face. She shot forward grabbing it's one remaining arm and ripped it off.

"I'm gonna kill you!" It continued to wail. Luca watched in fascination as her gauntlet absorbed the arm still in her grasp.

"Well what do you know. I can completely absorb you and turn it into power." Hail began to fall on the battlefield. "Well I guess that's my cue to end this. The green energy blazed brightly.

"Die you scum!" the akuma screeched as it attacked.

"Cease to exist! Reap, Nightmare's Mark!" The explosion sent her flying back into a snowbank. She coughed as she pulled herself free with Gambit squawking at her in protest. "Yeah yeah yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't plan on that. Guess it has more power than I thought. That's gonna be fun to learn to control. I see many broken things in my future." She glanced over at the smoldering heap of the akuma as it lay dying. "Goodbye."

"Why do you bid me goodbye?" It asks breathless. She watched it sadly as it began to detonate finally dying. The soul was still there she could feel the energy.

"Because you are a pitiful creature. May you find peace." The explosion blew her hair around and into her face. "It's time to head back. No doubt they've made it to the ark gate and the Order and Lenalee's trying to charge back out to find me. I hope Allen is okay."

* * *

"We can't just leave her out there by herself! I don't even know if it was her on the train! I didn't see who it is! Komui it's freezing out there!" Lenalee slammed her hands down on the desk. Komui opened his mouth to say something to calm his sister down but Lvellie cut him off.

"I believe the more pressing matter is the fact you, Miss Lee returned with Allen Walker without the innocence." He turned his gaze the blond man. "Inspector Link I am very disappointed in you that you allowed a 16 year old girl to bully you into doing what she said." Link bowed his head in an apology and shame. He knew he should have had Lenalee stay.

"I apologize Inspector Lvellie. There is no excuse for my actions." Lenalee whirled around.

"If I hadn't been there all those passengers would have died! Allen and Link included!" She snapped at him.

"Is Allen Walker not an exorcist?" She glared at him.

"Allen is sick and wounded! He should have never been sent out!"

"We have now potentially lost two pieces of innocence to the enemy. Harlequin was an incredibly valuable piece due to it's diversity of weaponry which we cannot recreate. To this day we have no idea how it came to be in that form." Lvellie continued ignore Lenalee's outburst. Clearly she had been spending too much time with the elder Walker sibling. She was starting to develop an attitude problem like the other dark haired girl. Nobody heard the door to office open. Something connected with the back of Lvellie's head sending him stumbling several steps forward. Link jumped forward to steady his superior.

"You know if you didn't give everybody the third degree you might have some friends or at least people who didn't hate your guts. Wouldn't that be nice?" All whirled around to face the door where Luca was casually leaning against the door frame, her legs crossed in front of her sarcasm dripping from her tongue and snow from her hair and uniform. The piece of innocence she had chucked at the man's head now rested by his feet.

"And just where have you been?" Lvellie demanded though he was quickly shoved out of the way as Lenalee flew at the girl as if her innocence had been activated. The Hungarian barely had time to brace for impact before the Chinese girl threw her arms around her in a death grip that was probably meant to be a hug. Laughing she hugged her back.

"You're back! I was so worried! You left and didn't come back! I thought you might have died. We were told that there was an avalanche! None of the finders there could make it up the mountain. They were searching for you but found nothing. The snow strom forced them to come back without you." Luca patted her on the back as the girl rambled trying to get all of her jumbled thoughts out.

"Relax Lenalee. Just breathe. I was fine. Yes I got buried but it wasn't that hard to dig myself out. I just used my innocence to get out." Lenalee pulled back to inspect the girl for injuries.

"What about the level 4? Was that you on the train?" Luca nodded.

"Yeah the akuma caused the avalanche and I didn't manage to out run it in time. I caught up to it on the train. I threw it off and jumped off after it. It took a little bit of work to kill it but I was fine."

"So you fight on par with a level 4 Miss Walker? When did this change occur pray tell?" Lvellie raised an eyebrow at the girl. Instead of answering she merely smiled mischievously and walked over and kicked the innocence into her hands as if it was a football and left. A moment of silence passed through the room before everyone raced after her.

"Luca where are you going?" Komui called as he ran.

"To take the innocence to Hevlaska." She shrugged. Lavi looked surprised to see her.

"Hey Beautiful. Lena said you were missing." He abandoned the book he had been reading in favor of following her. He noted the group running after her. "Are you doing something fun? I thought you'd go visit Allen when you got back." Luca smiled.

"Oh that's where I'm going next. I have to take this piece of innocence to Hevlaska first. I went through hell to get it. I'm making sure she gets it." Lavi laughed but it was dry and humorless.

"Careful Beautiful, they'll start to think you don't trust Central." She snorted at the warning.

"Does anybody?" Lavi gave her a rare smile that was real.

"Chaoji?" he offered with a grin knowing it would set her off.

Luca's lips pulled back in a snarl, "Please, it only proves that he is a useless waste of space who's dumber than a box of rocks." Lavi let out a bark of laughter at her words. The pair had fought ever since returning. Chaoji's rude and unpleasant response to Allen's mere presence has the girl itching to see his blood spilled. Luckily for the older exorcist nobody was stupid enough to leave the pair alone. Lavi was almost certain that if that ever did happen Chaoji would mysteriously vanish with no trace. He was almost certain that Luca was capable of it. She would get this look in her eyes sometimes. He still couldn't quite place his finger on what it was but it was cold and dark. He wasn't sure if he ever wanted to know just what it was. He chuckled as the group finally caught up to them as they entered Hevlaska's chamber.

"Welcome back Luca." Hevlaska's voice would always be a soothing sound to Luca. It reminded her of her mother's voice so much that it ached.

"Thanks Hevlaska. I have a new piece of innocence for you."

"You have two new pieces." Hevlaska noticed.

"What?!" Luca winced as the others yelled from behind her. Luca sighed and pulled the piece she had retrieved and handed it over.

"You have saved this piece. It will sleep with me until it is ready. Now show me your innocence." Luca sighed and pulled her jacket off, tossing it to Lavi. She walked over to Hevlaska who immediately picked the girl up and placed her tendrils on her. Several on her chest and over her heart, two on on her new scars and more in various places all over her body.

"Hev, what do you mean?" Komui asks suddenly worried about the girl.

"Hevlaska what is the meaning of this!" Lvellie demanded unpleasant as always. Hevlaska ignored them and spoke directly to Luca.

"I see you have completed your prophecy. Your innocence has finally reached it's true form."

"Hev, are you saying that Harlequin has evolved?" The woman shook her giant head.

"No. Harlequin is no more."

"Are you saying that Harlequin was destroyed and now she's synchronized with a different piece?!" Lvellie shouted cutting the woman off.

"No. Please let me finish. Harlequin is no more because it was not the true form of her innocence. Something happened between the death of it's last accomadator and Luca's birth. It went wrong. It has finally taken it's true form. It's real name is Eternal Hunter. I will now test your synchronization level." Luca allowed the woman to rest their foreheads against each other. "1%...14%...23%...32%...47%...59%...65%...76%...88%...90%. Your maximum synchronization rate with Eternal Hunter is 90%" She set Luca down on the platform. Lavi offered the girl her jacket which she slid back on.

"It's grown." Komui noted aloud.

"It's been two years." Luca answered as she hopped up on the railing, crossing one leg over the other. She had the feeling she'd be in for some questioning.

"Ashen wings torn from the immortal monster wandering in the light of the moon, the Moonlighter has risen." Hevlaska spoke one last time.

"Wait how did you fulfill your other prophecy? How do you have two prophecies?" Lavi asks scratching his head in confusion.

"I would also like to know this and look at your new innocence." Komui told her.

"So my last prophecy was "With the fall of the jester of deceit the seeker shall rise anew. This is what I see in your future Luca Blackwood, the Sacarii." right?" they nodded in response to her question. "So basically the jester of deceit was me-" Komui cut her off.

"You fell?!" she winced.

"Sorta. Just let me explain! Please leave all comments, questions, and angry rants until the end of story time. Thank you." They all made faces at her but still kept quiet causing her to chuckle. "When I was little and I discovered what Eternal Hunter did and what it was, well my own power scared me. So I surpressed it. Harlequin is actually the name of it's first form. Harlequin's ability is shape shifting just as it was before. Level 2 is still Harbinger. Anyway so the jester of deceit refers to me lying about my innocence and what it actually is. It says fall because I actually had to start falling before I accepted my innocence for what it was. Sacarii because I was the only one that could strike down the lie. Seeker obviously alludes to Hunter." she answered with a shrug. They all blinked at her a couple times.

"Let me get this straight, you were simultaneously the jester, the seeker, and the sacarii? You were every person mentioned in your prophecy?" Komui asked. She nodded.

"Well there's one for the books." Lavi muttered. Komui took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I think I need to go lie down."

Luca burst out laughing, "Yeah that might be best." Luca had never seen Link or Lvellie dumbfounded but she was certainly enjoying every minute of it as the elevator rose back up.

"So run that by me one last time. Your innocence is what?" Allen asked as the pair wandered down one of the many halls of the castle. Allen had gotten them lost in his attempt to escape Head Nurse and her terrible cold medicine.

"You know this would be easier if you would just take the medicine." Allen snorted at her.

"Says the girl who holds the record of infirmary escape attempts in the Order. They even gave you a plaque, besides it's been several days! I'm fine! I swear!"

The girl gave a sly smile and slung her arm around his shoulders before singsonging, "That's because you're my baby brother and I wants what's best for you even if you don't like it." Allen smiled and tried to fight the blush on his cheeks. Luca never stopped nor cared about blatantly showing her affection for him. It was nice and reminded him of Mana. _He would have loved her_ , he sighed in his head before jabbing her in the side causing her jump, shriek and then pout.

"Well I'm taking after my beloved older sister, now tell me about your innocence again." Luca chuckled.

"Komui's not entirely sure what it is anymore, so they're calling it a crystal type for now. It lives in my heart but I still have the stigmata scars," She showed him the scars on her inner wrists, "but it's not really crystal. It's not like Lena's. I'm one of a kind. Komui thinks that it was meant to parasitic like your but something stopped it and Eternal Hunter had to take a different form." Allen touched one of the scars.

"That's so weird. It's warm." she nodded.

"Yeah well it's got my blood pulsing through it." she shrugged.

"Hey Lu?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you, maybe, lead us back to the cafeteria? I'm really hungry." she burst out laughing as his stomach growled deafeningly.

"Of course. Your stomach is loud enough to wake the dead." He swung his arm around her waist as she lead them to the cafeteria. She kicked the doors open to lazy to reach for the handles. It was odd that they were closed in the first place but she shrugged it off as she stepped in.

Suddenly the lights flipped on and everybody shouted, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCA!" The Hungarian teen jumped back a bit startled but Allen quickly put his arm around her shoulders.

"Did you really think that I would forget your birthday?" She pouted at him.

"Of course not but it's not really a big deal." Lenalee appeared in front of her.

"Blasphemy! Of course your birthday is a big deal! We're happy you're alive!" Luca sighed but smiled none the less.

"Yeah, it's good to know that. Thanks!" she grinned and joined the party.

It was late when the party ended, many of the others just fell asleep where they were. Luca had already carried Lenalee back to her room so Komui wouldn't create another Komlin to hunt down anybody who saw his precious Lenalee asleep. _Honestly that man has so many issues. You would never believe him to be brilliant or a good leader but he is_ , Luca sighed though her mind drifted back to the level 4's attack and how quickly he took control. He trusted Allen, Lenalee, and Cross to end the akuma, apologized to her, Lavi, and Kanda about what had happened and rushed to those who had been trapped under rubble's aid. She shook her head as she returned to the cafeteria for Allen. She found Link trying to stand him up, she sighed and walked over. Between the two of them they managed to half carry half drag the boy who had eaten himself into a food coma to the boys' shared room.

"Luca," The girl turned around surprised to hear the blond man use her first name instead of her surname. He looked uncomfortable for a minute as she tilted her head to the side, blinking curiously. "Happy birthday."

She smiled before answering, "Thanks Link. Sleep well." he nodded and she went to her room next door. She flicked on the lights, despite what she first thought she'd actually had a good time. The party was fun, Lenalee had planned everything with Allen keeping her busy by getting lost. He hadn't answered when she asked if it was on purpose or not. Her green eyes widen in surprise. Sitting on her bed was another bouquet of roses. She walked over to it and picked them up. Unlike last time there were 10 of them. The ribbon was still black but decorated with tiny silver bells this time. A tag was tied to the ribbon that made her smile.

"Happy Birthday"

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 **So I've been typing so long that I don't have much to say here guys! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Remember reviews fuel my soul and keep me alive. Now if you would all excuse me I'm gonna pass out. Cheshire is out~!**


	35. Bonus Chapter: Through Pleasure's Eyes

**HOW DID IT GET TO BE FRIDAY?! I'M SO SORRY GUYS! I SWEAR I'M NOT DEAD! Anyway this chapter was very time consume and I got a late start on it and thus it was extremely late! So here was have the last of the birthday winner chapters. We have one more bonus chapter which is Yule's and the much anticipated demon Luca chapter! And obviously the Christmas chapter but you guys knew that. Anyway as I was saying this is 15** **th** **chapter so I hope you enjoy it. Again I apologize for it being so late but it couldn't be avoided. Anyhoo as per usual I'll be answering the reviews from the last bonus chapter and the reviews for Red Like Roses will be answered in the next chapter.**

 **Dear Alexc1209, Luca's certainly got a lot on her plate now. The poor girl's never gonna get a break. She's not very happy about that information but she's dealing with it. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, I always love to hear from my readers and your eagerness shines through. It's very heart warming. I know I could use it right about now. Why is winter so cold? DX It's so freaking cold out. Here's more about their relationship from a...different perspective. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Cam, I'm glad you liked the chapter and I agree with you. Link can be a pain sometimes. Don't worry Luca will get on his nerves for you. She's really good at it. Enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear Zon Yokai Blade of the Spirits, Thanks, It's good to know you like it. I can tell you that it was not short to write. Lavi is a bookman and Luca is basically a giant mystery that makes no sense. It's too bad that you didn't like the villain. It wasn't his youth that he wanted. He wanted to rid the world of non-magical people. He needed his youth to keep up with his mission. Luca doesn't have magic eyes she just channeled her magic to her eyes because she knew that he would meet her gaze to speak to her as an equal in terms of the fact that both could use magic. As for the kiss I just like teasing you guys until it happens in canon! Enjoy.**

 **Dear Bunny~chan, Your main point is that the sorcerer got into the ark, you have to remember. The Earl is the most powerful sorcerer on Earth. They don't expect another sorcerer to high jack the ark. In their opinion nobody would be stupid enough. The Earl didn't know that the ark was Cross' mission, only that he was in Japan. Tyki is the most oblivious person to walk the planet. He will never notice. XD Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, You're hold review had me in stitches. I was laughing so hard. Especially your piece oh Joyd. It turned around a really bad day. Especially the part about Joyd's persistence. Poor Tyki. He's not gonna get it to stop. He's just gonna have to live with it until they see her again. I love your comparison of Tyki to a rock in regards to magic. If it's okay with you I'd love to use it in a later chapter! Please let me know. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear WinterYule, Forever my rock! These chapters would never happen without you. You listen to me all the time! You're just the best. Though I'm not sure Tyki ignoring Joyd is considered "dealing" with it. I think Link my have nightmares of Allen's eating habits as it is but he definitely would have if Allen had eaten his fake pumpkin body. I think I would too. I think canon Allen would have blushed a bunch but not done what Lavi was doing or how Link was reacting. You're praise on the sorcerer and how it all went down was lovely and amazing. I'm elated That he came off as** **threatening and eerie** **because he was suppose to be. The sorcerer didn't go for Luca because it thought it was a fluke because she didn't use magic or even show a hint of it. Luca liked Tyki's bad joke but she does also enjoy chocolate. She would love some. She probably could use it around this time too. Poor Luca. I had fun with the kiss and the ribbon. She's got enough of his things that I think she owes him a ribbon or two. She can just steal Kanda's. Wish her good luck! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, Poor Tyki, the truth is Tyki doesn't want to admit that what she's saying is true. Mostly because she will tease him to no end. Especially if she found out that he fell for it, not once but twice. She'd never let it go! Tyki is the best distraction for Luca and Luca is the best distraction for Tyki. It's just how it goes with them. Even when they didn't have feelings for each other they still wanted to play their little game. It's nice to know that you love my inclusions of Joyd where I can fit him. I hope you really like this chapter, it was a lot of work. I hope that I managed to do Joyd justice with my writing. He's a very hard character to write especially with so little information. Please enjoy your special chapter and until next time!**

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 **ATTENTION: WHILE THIS IS TECHNICALLY A BONUS CHAPTER, THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER AND IT'S CONTENT IS CANON TO VEIL OF INK AND GOLD! THANK YOU THAT WILL BE ALL! PLEASE ENJOY~!**

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It was dark and cold in his home. If he could even call it a home. Joyd resided in the darkest part of his host's mind. Chained up and locked in a cage. His host always suppressing him, always holding him back with all his strength. He sat in his cage, having long since given up at tearing at his chains. He would wait for an opening and then he would make it his. He'd take over his host and never let him back out. He would be free and Tyki would be the one in the cage. He would just have to be patient. Easier said than done but it wasn't like he really had another option. So he would sit and wait.

Joyd wasn't sure how it had happened. Well actually he was sure. His idiotic host made a mistake and dropped his guard. The dumb human had gotten too cocky. She had come out of nowhere. He didn't see where she came from because his host hadn't. The innocence had burned as it always did, searing away the skin, leaving raw bloody muscle. It hurt, as it always did. A single punch had broken several bones in their face. He kicked his host who glared at him but stepped out of the rubble. It was a woman? No it was another exorcist. She wore that cursed coat. Her innocence took the form of clawed gauntlets which she used to cut down the other exorcist. He wasn't sure why his host insisted on being strange in the way he left the corpses but perhaps if he hadn't that none of this would have happened. The exorcist would have been dead and they would have been gone, so maybe it had been a good thing? Who could ever tell. This wasn't his kind of thing. The two exorcists had whispered to each other for a few moments with his host just observing them before his host had moved but they attacked. Then the noise started. She was strong. He'd give her that. Then like a coward his host ran away. Went back to the ark to lick his wounds with a note in mind to keep an eye out for the woman. Desires and Dreams were waiting for him, not that either he nor his host could hear a damn thing over the ringing in their shared head.

* * *

Being yelled at by your boss for 20 minutes for something that you didn't do was never fun. Joyd couldn't help but snicker at his host's misfortune. He didn't know who had been talking to the Millennium Earl but whoever they were they were good in his books. The Earl was asking them to get and destroy another piece of the vile innocence. The akuma as always were dumber than dirt, or Wrathra who was nothing but a puppet to his own anger. He hadn't know something was up until something crashed into them and sent his host stumbling. Whirling around to yell at the useless akuma he found that it was gone. Rolling his eyes Tyki walked towards the innocence when knocked up into the air and then fell into their hat which had been grabbed. The black whip stunk of innocence. It snapped over to where a hooded exorcist stood.

"Let's see what I can pull out of my hat. Well well well would you look at that." she spoke as she pulled the piece out. His host noted in the back of his head that the voice was mellifluous _. "Now that's what I call a rabbit."_ He inhaled deeply, the scent was familiar. Metallic green met gold.

 _"Ah! You!"_ He and his host came to the same realization simultaneously. It was the same exorcist from the last time. Immediately she began to laugh, clearly amused by the situation. He growled.

 _ _Fight...win...kill__ _,_ his host ignored him, kicking the memory back into his cage. His host bickered with the woman for a while. He snorted when she revealed that it had been messing with the Millennium Earl. He grinned. Perhaps she wasn't all the bad after all. Tyki kicked him for that comment but he enjoyed it too much to care. It was at this point that the voice in the back of his host's head which was probably the sanest there between the two of them was telling him that not only did he not have the piece of innocence but he was also having a childish argument with an exorcist. The same exorcist that a few days ago had broken several bones, stole his hat, saved another exorcist from him, and almost made him deaf. Joyd growled when the exorcist sat down on the roof. She didn't even see them as enough of a threat to be alert or even stand! When she covered her eyes with her arm he kicked his host _,_ _ _Attack!__

 _ _I am__ _,_ Tyki snapped back as he lunged for the girl who merely rolled out of their way. She was paying attention! Joyd's nose twitched. The vile liquid innocence was missing! His eyes darted around with his host's who spoke to her. "Where's your weapon?" she grinned as it shot out from under their feet and crashed into them. His host struggled and fought against it but the wretched substance prevented the use of their powers which meant that they felt everything they crashed into. Finally it left them in the rubble. New injuries throbbing, aching, and bleeding. The exorcist was gone. He snarled, growled, and roared at his host for his stupidity, not once but twice!

 _ _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Get innocence! Destroy! Kill!__ Tyki groaned as he pulled himself from the rubble. Joyd raged in his cage at his host.

 _ _Yeah yeah yeah. I hear you,__ he huffed before calling another akuma, "Find her!" he ordered. He waited for his wounds to heal while his host waited for the akuma to come back.

"I've found her at a nearby hotel Master." The akuma bowed lowly to his host who huffed.

"Take me there." The akuma with it's ability to see through things lead them to the exact wall which had the exorcist on the other side. Taking a deep breath his host reached out for his powers. "Repel." The wall exploded. The phone that she had been using hung down. A voice was yelling from it. His host walked over and picked it up. "I'm so sorry, she can't come to the phone right now." Uncaring he tossed the phone over his shoulder and went to look for the exorcist. Kicking rubble away and phasing through the bigger pieces they searched for the little exorcist. Joyd grinned at the thought of her blood spilling, dyeing the ground crimson. He and his host relished in the thought. "Come out, come out! Aw come on don't tell me you're already dead little Butterfly. I was so hoping that we could continue playing." The akuma by them exploded.

"Come now, My Love there's no need to be like that. I'm right here." Her voice drew their attention, despite her new injuries she didn't seem to care all that much that they were there. It drove him crazy. How dare she!

 _ _Kill! Maim! Destroy!__ Tyki grimaced at the howling memory and tried to focus on the conversation he was having with the girl. __Kill! Maim! Destroy! Kill!__ The woman darted away during his yelling. Tyki kicked his cage again and ran off after her. She was fast he would have to give her that. Joyd ignored the other voices arguing in Tyki's head and focused on chasing Butterfly. That's what Tyki had called her anyway. He didn't care if it was her name or not. It didn't matter. Butterfly would die today. They'd crush her heart for the humiliation of two escapes. She would not make a third one. He wouldn't allow it. He couldn't allow it! His host grabbed her from behind only for this skin on his arm to sizzle. They let go of her and she rolled away. __Two...innocence...?__ he questioned. His host voiced this question. The girl shrugged him off with a smile. Kill! he reminded his host who waved him off. The teez released were quickly shot down but it gave them time to slip behind her. __Kill! Destroy!__

"Would you prefer if I bit you?" His host purred in her ear. She whirled around only to get kicked into the wall.

"Buy me dinner and then we'll talk." He smirked at her as he considered the offer.

"Perhaps."

"Oooh now I'm all tingly." Joyd rolled his eyes at the flirting. That was not what Tyki was suppose to be doing!

 _ _Kill...no...flirt,__ Tyki glared at the memory.

 _ _Not flirting. Not really anyway__ _,_ he huffed as he turned his attention back to the exorcist. The pair clashed, exchanging blows. The girl was keeping up rather well. Tyki slammed her into a wall and she cried out in pain.

"What a pretty sound that was Butterfly." Tyki cooed at her as he and Joyd reveled in the noise. He threw her again but she or her body didn't come back down. After a moment of her voice drifted back to them.

"I never shy away. I j-" A loud train whistle cut her off. "Oh francba." she groaned upon hearing it. "Well as much as I love the time we spend together I have a train to catch." Tyki raised an eyebrow at this. Joyd growled at him.

 _ _No...escape...no...fail__ _, Joyd warned his host._ The Earl would not be happy if she escaped again.

"Do you think that I'll just let you walk out?" She smiled at him.

"No of course not. However you have something else to catch." Joyd tensed at the response. That was not good.

"Oh?" He didn't get to say anything else as she ripped the three tier crystal chandelier from its place on the ceiling and flung it at him.

"Come on now Butterfly you should know that can't hit me with something that's not innocence." Smiling as she fell she answered him.

 _"Of course I do."_ Right on cue the liquid innocence covered the chandelier as it crashed into him.

 _Move_! Joyd's shout was too late. By the time they were free of the rubble the exorcist was long gone. Safe aboard the train, leaving Joyd with a bunch of injuries to mend. So many broken bones. They had lost her for the time being. Idiot! Use...less! Fail! Got...away! Idiot! Pain! Joyd berated his host for his stupidity.

 _I know! I know! I don't need you to remind me!_ Tyki snapped back before going back to ignoring the memory. Leaving it repair their shared, sorta, Joyd noted scornfully, body.

"I can't believe she threw the chandelier at me." Tyki growled as he finished phasing his body from the rubble of the hotel. "I can't believe I fell for it. I can't believe I lost another piece of innocence to her!" By this point he was more than a little pissed off and Joyd wasn't helping with his yowling.

"Who threw a chandelier at you?" Road asked from behind them. Joyd whimpered and curled up. It was bad enough to be like this. It was even more that Dreams who could see through dimensions could see him. The girl wasn't so bad but it was humiliating that the other memory could see him like this. Locked in a cage like an animal. Unable to wander around free like the others. None of the other hosts kept their memories locked up, just his. He was the only one trapped. Trapped like a rat. He didn't know where he heard it but it wasn't wrong in this case. The others either pitied him or laughed. Dreams pitied him but could do nothing to help. The girl launched herself at them disturbing the broken ribs which he hadn't yet repaired. His host's attempt to steady the broken bones did little to help. Joyd quickly became aware of the blood pouring into their lungs due to the broken rib that had punctured the organ. Their body shook as their lungs tried to expel the blood only making it all much worse. Black spots entered his host's visions. Joyd panicked trying to realign the bones properly. There was no way in hell he was dying again, especially not like this. Their legs faltered alerting Dreams that his host was hurt. She steadying him and then saw the blood. Joyd and Tyki let her drag them home. "Earl!" she screamed half dragging Tyki into the room with her. Both the Earl and Desires came running.

"Road what's wrong?" Desires asked worriedly. His eyes widened when he saw his younger brother hanging off his daughter. "What happened?" he rushed over to take the man from Dreams as her lithe form was having trouble holding her uncle up. Joyd continued to push their healing before his host passed out.

"He said that somebody threw a chandelier at him." Desires stopped for a moment and blinked at her.

"That's a new one." Joyd groaned. Now Desires and his memory knew too.

"Bring him in here Sheril." the Earl ordered motioning to a room. He sighed the Earl's magic would speed up their healing process. They would survive. He kicked his host to keep him awake.

 _Fool_ , he growled. Tyki waved him off with a grunt.

"Do you know who?" Desires asked Dreams who followed doggedly at his heels.

"No. They were already gone."

"He said her." Lero spoke from where he floated by the smallest Noah's head.

 _Kill...her! Kill...her!_ Joyd growled at his host as their world went dark.

* * *

As soon as their were healed they were sent out again. The Earl wanted them to check out a small town in Rome where the children were said to be possessed by a demons. Tyki snorted at that thought, _They wouldn't know a real demon_ _ _if it shot them in the face. Humans are so gullible.__ Joyd was still pouting in the back of his mind. Tyki had decided to only take one akuma. They babbled too much for his taste. There was already somebody with the children when they entered the town. A familiar figured watched the children. Short and curvy with black braids. She stretched. Joyd sat up as a feeling welled up in his host's chest. He was...glad? to see her again? The memory kicked his host.

 _ _Happy?__ he prodded trying to understand what the hell host was thinking. Tyki snuck up behind the girl though he was pretty sure she knew he was there.

"I thought women were supposed to be good with children but you appear to have broken these ones." The exorcist looked over her shoulder at the familiar voice. A smile pulled at her lips.

"I've missed you My Love." The Noah came to a stop by her side holding up his hand to the akuma still in disguise to halt several feet away. Joyd couldn't help but note the term of affection she had used towards them.

"It's been a couple days Butterfly." The smile grew into a grin. The memory of pleasure kicked his host.

 _No...fail...this...time_ , he was ignored once again.

"Aww you've missed me too." Joyd groaned.

 _ _No...tell...no...flirt__ _,_ Tyki took a drag of his cigarette.

"Perhaps I did. You certainly are interesting, I'll give you that." Joyd glared as his host just stood around chatting with the exorcist instead of killing her. He even told her about Dreams!

 _ _No...tell...about...family! Kill!__ Tyki as always ignored him.

"So can I kill them?" Tyki's blunt manner in asking had the pack of children's mouths dropping. Joyd waited for the outcry from the girl.

"You could. I'd take it as a personal kindness if you didn't." Slowly the children began shuffling back. Joyd's ears perked at this. Huh, that was new. Most exorcists did their best to defend 'innocents' as the Order called them. This one didn't seem to care.

 _In...ter...esting_ , Tyki nodded in agreement with the memory. Perhaps they should prod her a bit more.

"Why?" She sighed in response.

"Because I don't really feel like getting in trouble for letting you kill children. It's not very nice My Love." The lackadaisical manner in which she answered him had him grinning. He shrugged it off and attacked. Joyd was surprisingly quiet while this was happening at least until the kid started talking. He could sense his host's thoughts and ire. Yes Butterfly annoyed him and yes at some point he would kill her but she did have his respect. The thought of her being a prostitute bothered him. It just wasn't something that she should be doing, it didn't fit her.

 _ _Kill...child. Kill! Kill! Butterlfy...ours! Not...for...oth...ers!__ Tyki attacked but once again Butterfly got in the way. _ _Butterfly...move__ _,_ he whined. He rolled his eyes as the pair began to flirt again despite trying to kill each other. He didn't understand humans. Not at all. He growled at the pain when the innocence connected with their middle stigmata. His host cursed and swore at her but she merely smiled and carried on with her flirting. His nose twitched, sweat. She was tired. __Attack!__ Tyki nodded and lunged. She wasn't paying attention. They pinned her against the wall. Joyd howled in pain when her foot connected with their middle stigmata a second, much harder time. His host attacked again with her only dodging.

 _ _Concussion most likely__ _,_ Tyki noted as she just barely dodged him with a clumsy move. Definitely a concussion, he mused grabbing her by the ankle and tossing her into a building. He eyed his burnt glove with displeasure.

 _ _Where...Butterfly?__ Joyd's question caused Tyki to look up and around. Where was she? She hadn't gotten up. They took a couple steps towards her. One of her legs stuck out of the rubble but didn't move. _Butterfly?_ Joyd kicked Tyki, _ _Check...Butterfly.__

"Butterfly?" he asked moving a bit closer. Still no noise or movement from the exorcist. With every second that she remained motionless he moved closer. Finally giving into his curiosity he walked all the way over to her. Pushing the rocks, wood, and other debris off he found her unmoving with the golem tugging on her hair trying to rouse her. "Are you really unconscious?" Knowing that this was a bad idea if she was faking he knelt by her. Pressing two fingers to the side of her neck he found her pulse. "Well you're alive," he paused. She was completely unguarded. He could take her out right now. "well now Butterfly, I guess I win. It's too bad you're not awake for it. The look in your pretty green eyes would've been gorgeous." The golem hissed at him revealing it's teeth but he just batted it away.

 _You didn't win. Not really. If you won she would be awake. Killing somebody who's defenseless isn't winning. You're cheating. She still wins_. Tyki reached for her heart, trying to ignore the voice in the back of his head. _This just proves that you can't actually beat her. Butterfly would have never killed you if you were out cold. You're weak._ the voice pressed on hissing like a poisonous snake in his ear. Joyd was silent. It wasn't his voice but he knew his host wasn't a sane person.

"Shut up." Tyki growled. His hand faltered just above her chest; fingertips scarcely brushing the fabric of her jacket. "I won, she lost." he realized that he was trying to convince himself but it didn't matter his hand dropped but didn't move through her skin. Instead it just rested on her chest above her heart. He could feel it beating steadily. It didn't realize that it was about to be pulled out. "There were no rules to our little game." But there were. the voice whispered softly. You know there were. "I don't have a choice. She has to die." he resolved pushing the voice as far away as he could. Despite his best effort he couldn't summon his bloodlust, it just wasn't there. Even Joyd couldn't dredge up any bloodlust, only a malcontent feeling. She had been fun to play with. Despite her chattering. Yet he and his host knew they couldn't let her live any longer. There was no reason. The Earl wouldn't be pleased if they did.

 _ _Painless__ _,_ Joyd mumbled to his host who nodded. He'd crush her heart. She would never wake up. A worthy opponent didn't deserve to suffer, no he didn't want HER to suffer. It was different.

"Goodbye Butterfly." Before he could reach for her heart again her legs shot out connecting with his stomach and sending him flying away from her. "Damn it! You were awake! Why the hell did you wait so long to attack?" he asked wiping the blood away from his mouth as he got up. She didn't.

Joyd hissed and shrieked _,_ _ _Innocence! Innocence! Destroy! Destroy!__ Tyki rolled his eyes.

"Very nice Butterfly." he called. He was shocked when he gazed past the creature to see that the exorcist had yet to move. She wasn't awake. The harlequin tilted it's head at him. Startled by how much it reminded him of it's owner he took a step back. "Are you the heart?" he inquired. It shook it's head no. Rather it turned and pointed to the teen. "You're her heart?" Tyki questioned quizzically. This time it nodded.

 _ _Kill! Destroy! Vile! Kill! Destroy! Vile! Innocence! Destroy!__ Tyki tried to focus on the fight and ignore Joyd's raged induced screeching. With no innocence to steal other than the one before him he retreated. Joyd having given him a headache along with the multiple head injuries from Butterfly and her innocence's weird form.

* * *

Joyd thought nothing of it when Tyki had answered the phone. He couldn't care less about their little human charades. He was still sulking in the back of his host's mind in his ever present shackles and cage. Every time he tried to get out Tyki shoved him back in. It was a never ending war between them. He wanted out! He wanted to roam free, kill, chase Butterfly and destroy the nasty innocence! He paused. He wanted to chase Butterfly. That was new. The exorcist was entertaining, one of the few things he and his host agreed on. He wanted to play with her more.

"That's perfect. I'll slip something into her free dinner compliments of the hotel." Tyki paused after what the hotel manager had just said. Joyd's ears perked up. They only knew of one female exorcist.

"Her?" he questioned. Joyd tuned into the conversation his host was having.

"Ah," The man stopped his laughing. "yes the exorcist's a woman." Joyd nudged his host.

 _ _Butter...fly? Butt...erfly? Is...Butt..er...fly?__ Tyki nodded to Joyd thinking the same thing.

"Tell me everything you know about her." The order from the Portuguese man startled the other. He took too long to answer. "Now."

"Um she's short, with long dark hair tied back in a pair of braids and a nice rack. She appears to be Eastern European yet speaks English very well. She has a silver golem. Her uniform is a short jacket with tight black pants and knee high boots. She was very tired and asked for a phone but I distracted her so nobody knows that she's here." Tyki growled at the man. There was a short pause before the other man spoke again. "Oh! She has bright green eyes like a cat! They were very striking." Host and memory growled a warning at the stranger.

 _ _Ours! Ours! Ours...to...play...Ours...to...kill__ _,_ Joyd slammed against the bars of his cage but they held fast. Only they were allowed to end Butterfly's life. But only once they were done playing with her.

Tyki retreated to his room after the phone call. He silently wondered why the comments made on Butterfly had upset him as he stared at the fire crackling in his room. He ran his hand over the top of the fireplace. He still hadn't come up with an explanation for why he hadn't wanted to kill her when they last met. She was defenseless he could've ended everything but it had been about as easy as getting Road to do her own homework. He needed to figure it out quickly too. Sheril had noticed the difference. Tyki was no longer coming home unharmed. Was the memory right? Did they want to play with her?

Joyd rolled his eyes at his host. He had just said that but the man wouldn't listen to him. He was being stubborn.

Tyki shook his head trying to clear it and ignore the memory. He was far too sober for this.

Tyki looked up at Il Trascurare. It was nice enough, though not his normal style. Nothing Sheril would ever deign to touch. Honestly his brother could be so prissy sometimes. Sighing he picked up the suitcase that sat next to his feet. Tyki couldn't believe he was about to pay a sleazy creep a huge amount of money to see Butterfly.

 _ _Our Butterfly,__ Joyd grumbled. He did NOT like this stranger. She was theirs! Not his! No...touch...Butt..er...fly. Ours! Joyd ignored the other voice that was still there from their last encounter with the exorcist. Joyd growled and paced the whole time that the stranger fumbled around. Tyki did little to pacify the memory.

"The sign says no smoking My Love." They looked up at the sound of her voice to see Butterfly sitting on the banister. Joyd grinned. It was time to play.

"I've never listened to anyone before Butterfly why would I start now?" She smiled at his host.

"Now, now there's no reason to be rude." He sighed while Joyd snorted. His host was whipped. Tyki glared at him.

"As you wish." Licking his fingertips Tyki put the cigarette out and tossed it into the trash. Ignoring the rest of the people in the room the pair continued to flirt with each other. Joyd rolled his eyes again.

 _ _No...flirt...fight! Stop...flirt...ing__ _,_ Joyd kicked his host several times with no results. They weren't getting anywhere here. He tugged at his chains and rattled the bars of his cage again.

"Harlequin." Joyd grinned as the man fell dead. That was new. She was definitely more interesting now.

"That was uncharacteristically cold of you Butterfly. He's dead." To prove his point Tyki walked over to nudge the body with his foot. Joyd continued to grin. The exorcist was now their favorite of all the ones they had met. "I would've never pinned you as someone to kill another human." Pushing herself to her feet the exorcist spared the corpse one last glance.

"He's a broker. He sells his own kind out for money. Any person who would betray his own people is no better than the demons he helps create. While some of the others are more idealistic," Obviously she was thinking of somebody. "I am not. I have lived in real world long enough to know that not all humans are good and those people are not worth saving nor can you save somebody who does not want to be saved."

"So he doesn't count as a person?" he questioned. Joyd cackled at the idea. He didn't see how it mattered. They would all die no matter what they did. Even Butterfly he noted.

"I never said he wasn't a person. I said he wasn't worth saving. Besides by killing him I have saved others." Tyki watched her balance along the railing. The look in her eyes said that there was more to the story than she was letting on. Perhaps she had run into another broker when she was younger?

"Does this have anything to do with your younger brother?" Her eyes slid over to him. Joyd glanced at his host. The question was odd. Did her brother matter?

"How perceptive of you My Love. It does, but that's not a story I feel like sharing." her tone told him to drop it so he did. Joyd grumbled at his host but quickly forgot his complaint as the girl attacked. The pair traded blows and commentary easily til Butterfly made a mistake and his host took advantage of it. She kicked their feet out from under them only to get dragged down with them. She hit their chest. Tyki's heart started to hammer. The pair lay still for a moment. Both trying to catch their breath. Slowly the girl got up. His host flipped them over, pinning the exorcist underneath them. It was at this moment that Joyd took notice of the girl's eyes and their color. Greener than anything he had seen. They captivated him and his host alike. She blinked slowly neither breaking eye contact. Joyd struggled against his cage. As Tyki reached for her heart she reached around him. They barely had a moment to wonder what she was gonna do when her lithe fingers threaded into their hair and yanked. Both groaned at the feeling. They enjoyed it and the sensations it brought far more than they should have. Taking her opportunity she threw them off.

"That was a very dangerous thing to do Butterfly." Tyki growled his voice deep and gravelly, also getting up. Joyd reached as far as he could towards the girl. He wanted to grab her.

"Why? Did ya like it?" she prodded smirking. The memory strained against the cage and chains.

 _Control...give...control...give!_ Joyd demanded angrily. _Butt...erfly...But...terfly... Hold...But...ter...fly._ Tyki pushed him back.

 _No, she's mine and this is my body. Knock it off_ , he snapped.

"You have no idea." The Noah rumbled appearing right in front of her. Butterfly moved to jump back but he was faster, grabbing her wrist and yanking her back to him his other arm wrapped around her waist holding her against his body as if they were going to dance. Freezing she lifted her eyes up to meet his. Metallic green met gold before he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You should be more careful." his lips ghosting along the rings on the edge of her ear. Joyd rumbled in the back of his mind, the sound came from the memory's chest. Grabbing the hand that was holding her wrist Butterfly spun bringing her arm in before throwing him over her shoulder with a bit of effort on her part. She bolted out of the hotel.

 _ _Idiot! Move! Catch...Butter...fly!__ Joyd howled as his stupid host jumped up and ran after the exorcist. __Lost...her...Idiot__ _,_ Joyd chided annoyed that the woman had gotten away.

* * *

Joyd grumbled as the Dream's host bossed his around, Idiot. Tyki glared at him. It's was silly for him to take orders from Dreams and host! It was even worse because Butterfly had gotten away from them again. __Lost...her...Idiot__ _,_ Joyd chided annoyed.

 _ _I know! I know! She got away again with another piece of innocence! If you're so great why couldn't your nose pick up her scent in the forest?__ Tyki snapped back. The memory had been unusually talkative ever since his first encounter with Butterfly. As time passed he became worse and worse. They had been lost in the maze for hours. A loud piercing shriek rang out. Tyki's head snapped up and he looked around. There was no indication to where it had come from. Might not have been from the maze at all. He continued to wander around looking for a way out when something came thundering around the corner and crashed into him. Whatever it was took him down and the hit the ground hard.

 _ _Stupid!__ Joyd groaned until his nose twitched and a familiar smell cause him to grin. The long string of Hungarian curses and easily recognizable voice clued him in on what the memory was smiling about. He pulled himself up from the ground.

"Butterfly?" She looked up at him with wide green eyes and stopped yelling in her native tongue.

"I can explain." she sounded awfully sheepish.

 _ _Found...Butterfly__ _,_ Joyd grinned. Tyki pushed him back down and away. Joyd pouted as they spoke. She was his too. His stupid host didn't get to keep her all to himself! __Share!__ he growled at his host.

 _ _No! Go away!__

"Wait a minute was that you that shrieked?" She pouted but nodded not meeting their eyes, finding the corn stalks to her left far more interesting. She continued to kick the corn on the ground around her

"Yeah." she mumbled.

"That was adorable." She looked offended.

 _Cute_ , Joyd agreed with his host.

"I am NOT adorable!" Tyki started laughing again. Most women wanted to be adorable but not Butterfly. Nope, she was offended by it. "Stop laughing it's not funny!" she was practically whining now.

"What are you even doing here Butterfly?" he asked once he got his laughter under control. She was still glaring at him but it wasn't having the desired effect because she had yet to stop pouting. Her bottom lip quivering ever so slightly. Joyd began to struggle, reaching for control of their shared body and the girl before them. The chains yanked him back and away from the light of the day.

"So basically you're the errand boy?" Butterfly sniggered at him. His nose wrinkled in disgust partly at the girl who was laughing at him and partly at the memory in the back of his head who pointed out that he was indeed the errand boy and stupid for getting bossed around by a little girl. Joyd knew that technically Dreams and her host were the eldest the only ones left alive before the Earl had killed the traitor. He shivered at the memory of his and his previous host's death. It had been painful and he had been unable to do anything to stop it. It had happened so fast. The traitor was far stronger than he had ever let them believe. Their battle had been quick and brutal. Shaking the memories of the past away he tuned back into what their Butterfly was saying. "Well keep walking. I really don't want to meet that thing again." They walked around the corner only to crash directly into the scarecrow it's eyes glowing angrily. "Run!" Turning on their heels both bolted down a side corridor. Joyd rolled his eyes at his host running from something so simple.

 _ _No...flee. Fight! Fight! Fight...Stupid!__ his host ignored him in favor of the argument with the girl that he was having.

"And how did that work out for you?"

"About as well as the Earl having you retrieve a piece of innocence." she snarked backed as they took another turn.

"That was uncalled for." Their fast pace made it hard for him to glare at her but he still managed. She smirked back.

"Your face is uncalled for." He almost tripped over his own feet at her retort. Joyd started laughing uproariously at the girl's response.

"Are you always like this or am I just special?"

"I get like this when I'm tired, hyper, or just in a good mood." Unaware that his host had stopped after leading them down a dead end Butterfly crashed into them once again. The pair fell into a tangled pile of limbs. Joyd rolled his eyes.

 _No...stop...powers. Have...powers_ , Joyd reminded his host with annoyance.

"So which is it for me or is it a mix?" Butterfly shifted around trying to untangle herself from his host with little luck.

"I'm normally happy to see you." He snorted and shifted a bit. "Ow! You're on my hair! Get off! Get off! Get off!" she cried arching her back in an attempt to alleviate the pain in her scalp causing him to move again.

"Okay now I think I'm offended. You're supposed to be scared of me. I can kill you." She rolled her eyes and shifted against them a bit more bringing uncomfortable sensations to fill their body. Joyd rumbled from low in his chest. They weren't bad sensations and Tyki was enjoying them far more than he should.

"You're much more fun than akuma. They all have the same lines and it's bori-" she cut herself off to look up at him in amusement. "Me? Scared of you? That's real cute My Love." She managed to pull her hand out from under him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her higher up off his waist.

"Stop thrashing around damn it." he hissed. She glared at him.

 _Butterfly_ , Joyd whined at the lost of contact from their Butterfly. They were so close to her and Tyki wouldn't give him control. The sudden jerk that came along with her retaliation due to her unconsciously trying to flail her hands around as was normal for her in regular situations, caused them to crack foreheads.

"What the hell Butterfly?!" He snarled unable to rub his sore head as he was still holding her and himself up. Joyd hissed in pain. That hurt so much. Why were their stigmata so sensitive? How did she always managed to hit that particular spot? Unlike Tyki he was able to rub the wounded area. It helped a little bit.

"Kurva életbe!" Joyd listened as she started swearing in Hungarian he assumed, or that's what his host called it. He didn't know what it meant or what she was saying. He winced as she squirmed more, her hips digging into his. The feeling was back causing them forget about their aching stigmata.

"Do you always have to aim for my forehead or is it just luck?" Her features contorted in anger at Tyki's comment.

"Nyald ki a seggem!" She did it again.

"If you're going to swear at me could you at least do it English so I can at least respond?" He sighed in annoyance.

"You seem to be managing just fine as is."

"Would you just get off?" he huffed. Joyd rolled his eyes as the bickered instead of trying to free themselves from each other though he personally didn't see why they would want to. Every time she moved, it seemed like it was getting worse and more uncomfortable for his host."Are you done yet Butterfly?" Instead of retorting she took a deep breath and wiggle up from his waist so she was sitting on his chest. Allowing her heels to tug his laces free allowing her to move them again. Their freedom of each other and success of getting free was short lived as the strange creature came back this time wielding a weapon.

 _Powers! Butterfly!_ Joyd remind him just in time for his host to grab the exorcist and phase them through the corn and away from harm. Joyd hummed at the exorcist who was safely wrapped in their arms and tucked into them. It was at this point that Joyd realized that the girl was rather small. She fit under their chin with ease. He knew their shared body was tall but still. Much to the memory's disappointment his host released her. He offered her his hand, pulling her up to her feet. They continued through the maze. Joyd hissed as they began to speak of innocence. He hadn't been able sense in over the girl's own innocence. _Take...Butt...er...fly...in-ino-in-ino-inocence_ , Joyd slid the thought into his host's mind unwittingly distracting his host long enough for the scarecrow to toss him through several walls of corn. _Idiot! Lost!_ Tyki glared at the memory but couldn't argue. They were lost and Butterfly was on her own with the strange scarecrow monster. She was cursing again when they found her. _Attack!_ Instead of arguing Tyki complied with the memory. Shoving his hand through, he glared upon finding nothing to tear out. Glaring back at him the pair started actually arguing angrily. It was the first time they had actually stopped flirting with each other. The scarecrow quickly ended the argument and sent them running again.

Night fell and they were still in the corn maze. Butterfly had made a torch but it was starting to dying and they still weren't out of it yet. Butterfly was starting to get tired. They could see it in her eyes. She kept blinking it away. The scarecrow popped up again and attacked. They scuffled with it until Butterfly set the entire thing on fire and it burned away until only the head with the vile innocence in it. She was rubbing her eyes when they stepped out of the cornfield.

"Goodnight My Love." Joyd whined at that. Butterfly was leaving again.

 _Inno...cence_ , Joyd reminded his host before the girl vanished on them as she had a habit of doing. Usually with the innocence too. That needed to stop happened. _Don't...lose...inno...cence_ , Tyki nodded.

"The innocence first. You can't have it this time Butterfly. You give it to me and I'll pretend that I didn't see you." Normally he wouldn't bargain with her but he himself was tired and he just really wanted to go home and sleep in his own bed.

 _Take...Butter...fly...too_ , Tyki ignored him and that thought. Focusing on the girl. She looked up at him thoughtfully for a moment. Joyd listened as the girl bargained for the hat his host was wearing. It was entirely too cute of her.

"Why do you want my hat so much?" She grinned up at him.

"I like the shimmery black ribbon on it. It's shiny!" he shook his head as she chirped.

"Here." he handed over the hat. It was a small price compared to the innocence. She took the hat but hesitated on hand the innocence over. "Butterfly..." he warned daring her to make him chase her. Joyd readied himself for the impending chase the girl would give. Instead much to both of their surprise the girl didn't run.

"At least wait until I'm gone so I can pretend I wasn't here." Normally he wouldn't have cared but he couldn't resist the pout she was giving him. He knew it well. Road was a master of it and apparently so was Butterfly. Between her watering eyes and quivering bottom lip he just didn't have it in him to refuse. He couldn't. Joyd whined. It was almost impossible to look away.

 _Take...Butt...er...fly...too_ , he offered again.

"Fine just get out of here." he swiped the head from her grasp looked away. By the time he looked up again she was gone. "I can't believe she actually let me have it. I wonder if her innocence will punish her for it. I hope not, that would be a rather boring end to our little game." he hummed to himself glancing around the scenery almost expecting her to jump out and steal the head back. _Not to mention that it would mean that you would lose_ , the voice in his head was back again whispering unpleasant things. His lips drew back into a snarl at that thought. _That's a problem for another day_ , he decided. Joyd sniffed the air. He didn't sense any innocence. Reaching into the head Tyki felt his hand close around a small object. It didn't feel like innocence. Eyes widening he yanked it out of the head. Sitting in his hand was the small blue glass bottle that the oil had been it, a slip of paper taped to it.

"Sorry My Love maybe next time!" was scrawled across the paper marked with a little smiley face in smooth blue ink. Joyd exploded uproariously in the back of his head. He was rolling around on the floor. Tyki glared. He was not nearly amused by the girl's antics.

 _Lose...again...fail...idiot_ , Joyd snorted too amused to actually be mad at his host this time around. The fact that he had fallen for her ruse was too great to be angry. Joyd continued to howl in pleasure as Tyki steamed about it, stalking back through the ark halls. They hadn't found they akuma either.

 _Maybe Butterfly destroyed it?_ Tyki hummed to himself. Otherwise where would it have gone? Or maybe the scarecrow destroyed it. _Wouldn't that be interesting?_ he mused.

"Welcome back little brother." Tyki did his best to repress his sigh when he heard his brother's voice. He was rarely in the mood for Sheril's antics. "It's rude to ignore people Tyki, no matter how beautiful you are." The groan slipped from the younger man's lips. Joyd groaned along with his host. Desires' host was crazy, loud, and obnoxious. Far too high strung for Joyd's taste. As much as Tyki with his cage and chains annoyed and angered him. He truly would kill if he had ended up with somebody like Desires' host.

"Hi Sheril. Is there something you needed or are you just annoying me because you can?" Sheril raised an eyebrow as his brother turned around to face him. The annoyance clearly painted on his face.

"I was just trying to say hello. You haven't been around lately. I also wanted to know what you did to your jacket. You're covered in," he paused picking something off from Tyki's jacket to examine it. "corn? What on Earth have you been doing?" Tyki sighed. Despite his ire at the Hungarian he was definitely not ready to share her. Sheril would break every bone in her body rather quickly. She would be no fun if she was broken.

Joyd let out an angry snarl at the thought of Desires or his host touching Butterfly, _NO! Ours! Not theirs! No...al...low...touch...Butterfly! No...touch... ...fly! No...touch!_ Tyki nodded in agreement with the memory's rage induced shrieking. Joyd calmed down when his host left due to Desires' host wailing at a ridiculous volume.

* * *

Joyd twitched with anticipation. His host had been sent out on a mission again and he couldn't wait to either destroy some innocence or see Butterfly again. It had been too long since they had seen her when she had kissed Tyki after he had killed that witch. She had smelled nasty and had begged in her last minutes. Butterfly never begged nor would she ever. That he was sure of it. So far they hadn't found anything. The innocence was hidden rather well and it was driving them both crazy. It was dull and uninteresting. Joyd was more than a little bored, even more so than his host who still kept him locked up. He still longed to roam around.

Tyki had already spent all morning looking for this one piece of innocence and still it alluded him. Sighing he left the house and moved out into the street. _I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually miss Butterfly. What a concept_ , he shook his head trying to rid himself of these thoughts. They weren't helping at all. If fact they were almost as distracting as the exorcist herself. The strange girl had been plaguing his mind lately. Joyd wasn't helping either. Every time they were bored, Joyd whined to go find the exorcist girl. He couldn't do that. He never chased girls. So why was this one different? He still didn't have an answer.

"You know your akuma aren't very bright." His eyes snapped over to the rooftop of the house on the other side of the road, following the sound of her voice. Butterfly grinned down at him from her place seated on the roof. Her left leg crossed over her right one while her chin rested in her left palm supported by her elbow placed on her elevated knee. Joyd grinned and gave a bellow of joy. Things were sure to be interesting now.

"Well that explains why the akuma aren't answering. You've already killed them." he sighed though the corners of his lips still pulled up slightly.

"Yeah I think I offended them. Didn't mean to, but I think I still did." She sat up as she tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully. Host and memory longed to taste them. They looked full and soft. What would she taste like?

 _Taste...Butter...fly?_ Tyki pushed Joyd away. What kind of a question was that? Taste her?

"I'm probably going to regret this but I'd like to know. What did the akuma do that wasn't very bright?" he tilted the brim of his hat back a bit so he could see her better as he spoke.

"They mentioned you and innocence. I actually only stopped for lunch. Had one of them not mentioned that a Noah was here looking for innocence I wouldn't have even known. I mean this is getting a little sad. Why don't you just give us a call next time or let them make a sign?" He sighed a slapped a gloved hand over his face. The girl was right they really were stupid. This wasn't the first time that an akuma had tipped her off to him and innocence. Joyd snorted.

 _Dumb...aku...ma_ , Tyki sighed at the memory, he wasn't wrong though.

 _You aren't much better_ , Joyd growled at the insult. His host ignored him to pay attention to the girl and their flirting. He had finally admitted that he was indeed flirting with the girl. It didn't seem like such a bad thing anymore.

"You're just lucky My Love, I'm naturally like this." He rolled his eyes at her tone. She was enjoying this way too much for his taste. Tyki brushed Joyd away when he pointed out that they were enjoying it too no matter what his host actually said.

"Joy."

"Aww don't be like that you'll make me sad." she cooed.

"You shouldn't be happy to see me." She ignored his sigh and arched an eyebrow at him.

"Are you scared of me?" He looked up at her like she was crazy for asking that question. Joyd paused for a moment. It was an odd question for Butterfly to ask. He wondered where she was going with it.

"No of course not. That's different." Joyd grumbled and rolled his eyes at the answer his host gave their exorcist. It was different but he wasn't suppose to say that to her.

 _Stop_ , Joyd warned him.

"Wow. Okay, ouch, way to hurt my feelings." He blinked up at her several times before raising his own eyebrow, at her statement. He couldn't tell if Butterfly was playing or not. Her smile had dropped and now her lips were pulled into a thin line despite their fullness.

"You didn't actually think that I saw you as a threat did you? You've entertained me so far, so I haven't killed you." Joyd groaned.

"Well if that's how you feel." she got up and dusted herself off before she started walking along the peak of the roof away from the town.

 _Stu...pid! Idiot! Stup...id! Stupid...Idi...ot! Stupid! Stu...pid! Stupid! Idiot! Dumb...idi...ot! Stupid!_ Joyd howled, kicking his host as many times as he could. He could only watch her as she jumped over to the next roof and continue down the row of houses as if she was leaving the town though normal people used the road. It took his host a minute to come to the realization that she really was leaving town. _But...ter...fly...mad. Idiot...up...set...Butt...er...fly_! His host called out to her only for her to answer with harsh words and a cold empty tone.

"Aw come on Butterfly don't be like that. You're taking it the wrong way. It was a compliment. No exorcist has survived running into me, never mind more than once." Joyd kicked his host again as he dug them a deeper hole. She was really mad at them, well his host, she didn't know about him yet, for now. It hadn't been a compliment to her, that much was obvious. He could smell her anger. Joyd rolled his eyes as his host followed after her doggedly. Only to get punched in the face. It did seem to make her feel better. And then she pushed them from the roof. If his host had been anybody else they would have had multiple injuries but his strength had saved them.

 _Get...Butt...er...fly!_ Joyd reminded him. Shooting up Tyki went running after the girl. She was really destroying the image that his host had carefully crafted but that didn't seem to matter anymore. Tyki hadn't even noticed. The tussle that had followed after they caught up to her was quick and she had managed to hit them in the sitgmata once again all while flirting. The explosion caused by dark matter and innocence meeting shot both combatants back. They were on their feet first. Butterfly still lay on the ground. For a moment she looked so vulnerable sprawled in the dirt, her chest heaving. _Butter...fly?_ Joyd prodded his host to go check on her. Slowly she to her feet, she was exhausted. Her body language and eyes showed it perfectly.

"I think you'll be the only exorcist that I'll actually be sad to see die." She arched an eyebrow at his comment. Joyd whined at the thought. It was wrong. Butterfly wasn't supposed to die. It wasn't right. It left an uncomfortable feeling in his chest. Like he was squeezing his own heart

"You really know how to make a girl feel special." she drawled, sarcasm dripping from her lips.

"I aim to please." She observed him carefully. She wasn't paying attention. His host shot forward and grabbed her. "Don't space out on me Butterfly." the order was the only warning she got before her back connected with the ground rather painfully knocking the wind from her lungs. Tyki was sitting on top of the exorcist when she opened her eyes again. "I guess the last few days have finally caught up to you." Suddenly it didn't seem like a fair fight. Like he had cheated.

 _Bu..tter...fly. Re...lea...se...Butt...er...fly_ , Joyd chided. This wasn't how they should win. It wasn't winning. It wasn't right.

"Not all of us heal at an unnatural rate." she pointed out, her breath ragged. A lazy smile spread across her lips.

"What are you smiling about?" He asked raising an eyebrow suddenly afraid of what she could be planning.

 _Butter...fly...happ...y?_ Joyd question. He knew he wouldn't be if he was where she was.

Before Tyki could do anything she flipped them over. Propped up on her hands and knees she hovered over his torso. She blinked at him owlishly. "What's with the look?" he moved to flip them over again but she caught his hand.

"Just hold still for a moment." He blinked at her several times. Joyd nudged his host to do as the girl instructed. He wanted to know what she was thinking.

"Why on Earth would I do that?" She sighed at him.

"I just want to try something. It shouldn't hurt."

"Shouldn't?" he questioned to which she shrugged. She did that a lot Tyki noted.

 _Do...it_ , Joyd grumbled at his host who kept talking instead of just holding still as instructed.

"I won't promise because I don't know. I just want to test a theory, like I said it shouldn't hurt." He stared up at her for almost a minute trying to decide if he should trust her or not. Logically it was a horrible idea to trust the enemy yet he was still going to do it.

"Fine, but know that if this hurts I'll never trust you again." She smiled at him.

"I think that's fair enough. Now just hold still." Neither knew what to expect from the girl. They could never predict what she was going to do next. She was always at least one step ahead of them. Releasing his hand she leaned down slowly. He eyed her warily but didn't move as instructed more than a little curious about what she was going to do to him. His eyes shot open wide before sliding close as the Hungarian pressed her lips to his forehead directly on the middle stigmata. Pleasure and delight flooded their system. Tyki was new to the feeling but for Joyd it was familiar. It had been too long since he had the pleasure of an intimate touch, especially there. A particularly sensitive area for the Noah. It either brought great pain or great pleasure. It was usually reserved for mates but sometimes other Noah did it too. They had done it after losing the Earl to the heart that first time. Trying to reassure each other that the flood would end and they would survive again. That the Earth would reemerge from beneath the watery depths. Most hosts didn't know about it. Dreams did if he remembered correctly. Tyki started to come back he noticed. He opened his eyes to look up at the girl. She kissed his stigmata again and they lost it. Neither host nor memory noticed when the girl was ran off. Only when they sat up to find themselves sprawled in the dirt road all alone. Joyd whined at the girl's disappearance. Once again they had lost their Butterfly. When his host stood Joyd retreated to the back of his host's mind to think. Not even Desires shrieking could pull him for it.

* * *

Joyd didn't know what was happening. One minute they were killing a target from the list, it wasn't even a battle. The boy had already practically destroyed his own innocence trying to save a traitor of all things. He couldn't even stand up, never mind defend himself. His host had just pulled back taking the top button with him, a weird habit he had but Joyd didn't care enough to kick up a fuss about it before they were sent crashing. A familiar smell wafted over to them. It couldn't be. Sure enough it was. Bent over the dying exorcist was Butterfly caressed the other teen's face softly. The boy mumbled something that they didn't catch.

"Shhh, it's okay. I'm here now. It'll all be okay." her voice was soft and soothing with her tone being almost motherly. It was an interesting change from what he was used to from her.

"I wouldn't say that if I were you Butterfly. He's not going to make it. Not with that hole in his heart." She ignored his comment. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. That much Joyd knew. Butterfly was ignoring them. This was far worse than the last time they had seen her.

 _Butterfly?_ Joyd questioned.

She stood and turned to face him. Tyki actually found himself taking a step back when she faced him while Joyd whimpered mournfully. Her face was cold, a scowl covered it but her blazing green eyes were livid. _Actually she may not forgive me for this. She wasn't even close to this enraged when we met in Barcelona_ , he watched the liquid metal slither over her arms creating a pair of thick clawed gauntlets that stopped a few inches below her shoulders. He eyed the glowing green energy that coursed through the black metal warily. It was new and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Joyd hissed at the innocence. The feeling was much stronger than what her weapon normally gave off. He knew, it wasn't a good thing.

"I have to admit Butterfly I've never seen you move so fast." he stopped for a moment. "Actually I didn't see you at all." She didn't say anything, just continued to glare at him as if she was hoping that he would spontaneously combust. He opened his mouth again but she attacked.

 _Move!_ Joyd ordered. She wasn't joking this time. Tyki just barely ducked the fist swinging at his face again. His eyes widened when the bamboo stalk behind him that she did hit snapped in half.

"That would've hurt." She grabbed the broken tree and threw it at him as if it was a javelin. "Aw come on, you know that won't touch me. Are you really letting your temper cloud your judgment?" Tyki let the bamboo fly right through his head though he was a little disturbed that it went right between his eyes. _I think she's actually trying to kill me_ , he concluded to himself a bit unnerved by the revelation. He tried his best to ignore the feelings of disappointment he felt as that thought crossed his mind. In his momentary distraction Butterfly brought her foot down on his head. Hard.

 _Idiot! Dod...ge. No...get...hit. Hit...hurt. Butt..er...fly...an...gry_ , Joyd snapped as they ducked and rolled. Tyki still wasn't letting him out but he was relying on his animal like instincts to avoid that attacked that were coming at high speed. The girl, no the exorcist was really trying to kill them. Their previous game with her no longer mattered. Only their death. Retribution for the other's death. She was angrier with them then the stranger that she had killed Tyki tried his hardest to pretend that he wasn't saddened by the fact that she now loathed him. Joyd made no attempt. It was wrong. She had been so close and intimate with them the last time she had seen them and now was doing this.

"Are you really going to keep giving me the silent treatment, Butterfly? I never knew you would be so childish." She didn't respond to Tyki's taunting despite his best efforts. It was as if she was completely deaf to him. Joyd kicked him for his poor attempt and for breaking their Butterfly. She wasn't supposed to be like this. She was suppose to laugh and smile and call his host that silly name.

"Release level 2: Harbinger! Strike, Nightmare's Mark!" Tyki raised an eyebrow at what she said. _What's that?_ he questioned silently. It sounded like an attack. She slid her left foot back and once again fell into a fighting stance. One he recognized from Barcelona. _What's she doing? She's too far away to land a hit and I'm definitely not about to let her get close enough to me to do so..._ , he contemplated. The green energy rushing in her armor blazed brightly as she punched at him. His eyes shot open wide as the energy flew from her fist like a ball of fire streaking towards him like a bullet.

 _Move_! Joyd's warning was too late. It crashed into their chest sending them flying through more trees.

 _Shit! That's pure innocence! Where did all this fire power come from?_ Tyki cursed as he pushed himself to his feet. He barely dodged the next shot aimed at his head. The Portuguese man ducked and weaved through the trees to avoid the bullets that tore through the bamboo like it was mere paper.

"Are you going to run out of shots any time soon?" She didn't answer just launched another barrage of fire at him. Several connected with his chest hurling him back off his feet several meters away before he hit the ground forcing the air from his lungs harshly. He groaned in pain his chest heaving trying to regain his breath. It didn't last long. Butterfly was suddenly on top of him. Her knees pinned his arms down from where they dug into his biceps while her hands wrapped around his throat tightly.

 _No! No! No! No! No! No!_ Joyd shrieked and flailed. This was wrong. She was wrong. This wasn't their Butterfly. This couldn't be their Butterfly.

Gold met metallic green as their eyes stared into hers. There was no compassion or gaiety in her eyes. They were completely devoid of any emotion. He struggled to get her off with little success, his heart hammering in his chest as his body started to panic. He couldn't reach her with his legs or his arms. He couldn't even grasp at her hands constricting around his neck slowly crushing his windpipe. His brain was screaming at him to do something as it ran out of air. Darkness was starting to creep into his vision and he began to struggle more violently than before.

Joyd began to freak out and thrash around and against the cage as their world went dark. He didn't want to die again! Not like this! Not by her hands! It wasn't right! They couldn't get her off. The innocence at their neck burned and seared their flesh. The electricity destroying their windpipes and hampering their breathing even more. The darkness spread and Joyd could feel himself sinking into it again. The pressure lessened for a moment and Tyki shot her off. Joyd curled up in his cage. He didn't want to look as the stars spread across her skin. She was dying. Their Butterfly was dying. She had been aptly named. Beautiful but fleeting. She would be gone before they were out of the forest. The only thing that would be left of her was dust spread over her brother's corpse.

"Boa noite pequena borboleta (Goodnight little butterfly)." As Tyki spoke, Joyd let himself fall asleep. He was too tired to argue or fight his host.

* * *

The sword tore through them. It burned. Searing them from the inside. The pain quickly overtook Tyki and he lost consciousness. Immediately the memory felt the bars and chains weakening. He yanked at them tearing the chains apart. This was the opportunity he was waiting for! Tyki was weak and had just lost to the exorcist that had supposedly killed in the bamboo forest. All he needed to do was wrestle control from the weakened man. Butterfly was also there. Alive and grinning. Tyki's heart had picked up when he saw her. Seeing her alive was the best thing to happen in this whole game. He had smelled her when his host taunted the other exorcists with a way out but she wasn't there. Tyki had said that they imagined it. He knew his host was hallucinating about her a lot. She wasn't supposed to be dead and she wasn't. That hadn't changed the way they had felt when they thought she was.

He was free! He had beaten Tyki and wrestled control of their shared body from them. Butterfly and her brother stood across from him. They backed away slowly. The boy attacked while she held still. He easily tore at the boy, his claws were sharp and he was ready to kill. After he claimed his Butterfly of course. She wouldn't be pulling another disappearing act again. Her brother's blood woke Butterfly from her trance and she attacked. He batted her away. He'd deal with the others first and then take her home. She would be safe at home.

"Tyki Mikk?" The other male exorcist joined the battle. He caught Butterfly's brother. "Is that outfit supposed to be funny?" The red head's gaze moved over to Butterfly who was still on the other side of the room. Joyd glared. He didn't like this one. He was too close to Butterfly. He didn't like the way he looked at her. It was why his host had given her a teez. It had orders to keep her safe and keep other males away from what didn't belong to them. Joyd had different plans. "Hang in there Allen." The exorcist tried to comfort the other. Joyd laughed with delight as he chased the teens around. He kept batting Butterfly away. Perhaps he should restrain her? He shot her back again. The Noah sniffed the air almost like an animal.

"Bu...tt...er...fly..." her head snapped up as he called her name.

"What?" The white haired exorcist attacked him diverting his attention away from his Butterfly who has responded to her name. He moved away from her. They wouldn't leave him alone so he would kill the others before taking her. He decided to pick them off, starting the weakest which had to be the other girl. She wasn't like Butterfly. She wasn't strong. Her kick was nothing. He tightened his grip on her throat. She hardly struggled. The weapons of the others two sent him flying. Butterfly punched him. He pouted as he flung her away by her hair. She'd have injuries but would live. Her innocence wrapped around and yanked him back towards her. She was persistent. He'd give her that.

"Come and play with me." she grinned weakly. Joyd frowned and decided to remind her who she belonged to. She cried out in pain when he slammed her against some rubble. "I think I liked it better when I was the one who was out of control." She struggled in his grip to no avail. Her hands were pinned on either side of her head by his much larger ones. She froze as he ran along her face his tongue. It lapped up the blood dripping down her face from the cut on her eye. She blinked several times as he grinned at her.

"Mi...ne." He growled in her ear. Her head snapped up to meet his gaze. Using his claws he tore the collar of her jacket apart exposing her bare shoulders to him with ease. She thrashed helplessly in his grasp. He tightened his grip until she stopped like a good little mate. He placed his face in the junction where her shoulder met her neck and inhaled for a moment. Her smell was comforting. He missed her. His grip on her was still as tight as it was when she had started to resist moments before, it was best if she didn't struggle. He sank his fangs into her flesh. She screamed at the top of her lungs as he drew blood and the fangs ground against the bone in her shoulder. Her innocence exploded into him freeing her of his grasp. He glared at the general, he had to be a general, who handed his mate over to the red haired exorcist again. He snarled as the man spoke.

"The Noah clan huh? I guess that explains why there was so much commotion on the ark when it was about to be destroyed.

"Ex...or...cist." The Noah growled at the general.

Cross snorted and began pulling the chains off, "You're a disgrace to your kind allowing the memory to swallow you." Joyd ignored the lecture. It was meant for Tyki anyway. He'd have to deal with this general first and kill the others before collecting Butterfly. Joyd's head snapped over to where Butterfly had just been a moment ago. She was gone. He couldn't even smell her anymore.

"Bu...tt...er...fly...?" his head snapped around wildly trying to locate the teens.

"I've had the kids leave the stage. You don't mind do ya?" The enraged Noah rushed the general. He did mind! She was his! His Butterfly! The general pulled his gun from it's holster. "Judgment!" The exorcist general fired four rapid fire bullets which connected with the Noah's torso, one of them destroying the helmet. He howled in pain as the bullets pierced his flesh. Five more were fired. Glaring at the incoming bullets the Noah summoned dark matter to his hand. Straining against the innocence he deflected them, sending the bullets careening into a rock. He didn't have time. Butterfly couldn't have gotten too far. He needed to catch her. He wouldn't let her wander off the way Tyki had.

"The best you can do is alter the bullets' course?" The man snorted condescending at the Noah who glared at him as his chest heaved. "Well, we'll see. My rounds don't stop until they've hit their mark." As if on cue the bullets burst from the rock them were previously embedded in and crashed into his side before he even had time to react. He was losing and quickly. Butterfly was gone and he was losing. He couldn't land a hit on the man but was taking so many of his own. His body collapsed out from under him and he could do nothing but wait for the exorcist to end his existence. He looked around for Butterfly. He wanted to see her one last time. His world went dark.

* * *

 **Well I hope you all enjoyed this. It's really late I know. I haven't slept in a while so I apologize for any mistakes in the story and Ans. I'd edit and so did my beta but things slip by. I hope to have the next chapter out on time but if not please have patience with me. Anyway please read and review. Reviews encourage me to write which means the chapter is less likely to be late! Whelp, I'm going to bed! Chesh is out!**


	36. No Rest For The Wicked

**Yeah I know it's still late but it's not as bad as it was last week. Hopefully next week's chapter will be on time. I think it's pretty impressive that I updated on Friday and managed to get this one out today. Anyway next week will be a Christmas special slash a birthday chapter for Tyki and Allen. Anyway lets get onto the reviews!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, Luca is the one who is most likely to argue with Lvellie and Central. She completely disagrees with pretty much everything they say and do. As her thoughts have said she believes that Lvellie will lead many exorcists to their deaths. She believes that the person in charge should have to know what the battlefield is like. Chaoji is blinded my his rage and hate.**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, Yes she did. Luca did also forget. Don't worry something or somebody will remind her and she'll try something. Poor Komui or perhaps poor Lenalee. I don't know yet. Keep your eyes peeled for the next surprise! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Puella Lector, Your praise had me blushing and your encouragement was very much needed and appreciated. I hope the story continues to meet your standards and that you continue to enjoy it~!**

 **Dear Cam, Sorry for the confusion. No you didn't ruin it for me. I was referring to the part in China when the others were wondering if he had died, Allen had stated that a little death couldn't kill his Master. Yep Eternal Hunter is around now which means that Luca has a new problem but it wouldn't be Luca's without problems. Link's awkward moment was hilarious to write. It's probably the nicest they will ever be to each other. As for Tyki and his ability to get the gifts to Luca well you'll just have to wait and see! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Zon Yokai Blade of the Spirits, The next canon chapter will start in hallow with the mission to France. But Red Like Roses and this chapter had to happen first. Timothy and Luca is an interesting pair. You have to remember Luca doesn't like kids. She's not good with them nor does she have Allen's patience to deal with them. Originally the ghost wasn't a ghost but I decided to go with that instead. I thought it would be better. In a way it was Harlequin but it a way it wasn't too. Luca just always has to be complicated. XD Tyki's knowledge of Luca's birthday as well as the gift showing up with be explained later. Also it's not Road. The prophecy took me forever to write but for some reason the name just clicked. I'm glad you liked them both. Enjoy.**

 **Dear Skiescloud, Welcome to the story. Hearing the fact that you binged my story brought a grin to my face. It means a lot to me to hear that. Also you are right on the money! That song is perfect for Luca and Tyki. Seriously you just introduced me to my new favorite song! I love P!ATD in general but that song is so perfect! I always love music recommendations so let me know if you have anymore! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Bunny~chan, The Aztecs didn't leave the piercings in but Luca tweaked it a bit. I had fun with the scene about Gambit. Luca is totally unaware that Gambit changed colors and doesn't see the problem with it. Link has a slight suspicion but she hasn't done enough for him to confirm it. Luca was a little busy but she'll remember. She also has to find the Earl first. Luca may have forgotten in all of the chaos but I haven't, I promise. The akuma was actually based on a puffer fish. I thought I would try something a bit more interesting and a bit more odd. I'm not sure how I feel about it to be honest. It was a bit of a pain to write. I explained in the chapter but I'll go over it again here, Hunter cannot copy the moves. Only physical forms and only if Luca understands them and how they work. So no Luca will never be able to copy Judgment and while it could form a cloak it would be able to do anything that Crown Clown could do. Hunter was able to recreate the melody that Maria sang but it was no different to Luca herself singing the song, it doesn't do anything. It just over powered the level 4's shrieking. Like their mistress Gambit and Scor don't like the cold so they respond similarly to her. Link may hold a slight grudge against Gambit XD! The new prophecy has something to do with Tyki huh? Interesting, very interesting indeed. Luca wasn't expecting the party and Allen knew it. Link is only being awkwardly nice because it's her birthday and he feels like he should. They'll go back to their bickering as seen in this chapter. Luca's thought process in that moment was literally, "Well it worked for Lenalee and Allen and the others are gonna die if I don't do something" so she drank it. Besides it's naturally in a liquid form anyway. As for her birthday and Tyki knowing it there's more than meets the eye which I will show in the next canon chapter so you're just gonna have to wait. Once again you looking up the meaning behind the flowers is wonderful. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, Very good! You're killing me here. You were spot on in your theory on why Gazella messed with Hunter. You're too good at this XD. Figuring out all of my tricks like that. Honestly with Luca and Allen it's a very vicious cycle. He worries about her but not himself and so she worries about him and not herself and it just keeps going round and round and nothing ever changes. Lenalee tries but she's not very successful (read: not at all) but she does make the effort. The siblings can be a bit closed off to others especially outside of each other. It's just something that stuck with them through their childhood. You had me cracking up with you "** **How's that for not fighting her seriously?!" line. Even now whenever I read it I burst out laughing. You sound just as indignant as she is and was about that little piece of information. You're very close with one of your thoughts on the prophecy and what a part of it means. You are better at it than you think. Keep trying! No Luca never told him her birthday. It doesn't mean that much to her but somebody told him ;D. You're gonna have to wait to find out. You're theory about Luca's father is very interesting. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear WinterYule, I know you told me not to wipe myself out writing really long chapters but it just keeps happening. I don't even know how. They just get so long. I guess I'll have to try again to make you cry. I'll keep it in mind. Luca and Kanda don't argue the way Allen and Kanda do but they still bicker like siblings. Her falling synchronization rate was so hard to write. Every word I wrote I had no idea if it was getting what I wanted to say across or not. The diamond patterned scared her. One of the worst things you can do to her is have her innocence not react because it means that she's unable to defend Allen so it scared her to no end. Her solution? Turn it off and try turning it back on again. XD Brilliant plan Luca! A logical person would have gone to Komui yes, but nobody ever said Luca was logical. She has no regard for her own personal safety. Allen and Luca very rarely get down time but Luca really needed it and they are both still reeling from the loss of Cross. It's worse for Luca due to her feels about Cross. Luca thought the tongue piercing was cool and just went with it. She never paused to think about it. Krory does come off as a little green. The coloring of the teez doesn't just change in hallow. If you look at the teez when Tyki and Road save Allen in the manga they look like how Gambit does now. That's why I changed him. Trust me, Link will regret doing that. Of course Allen should have stayed home and of course he didn't. The boy doesn't know when to quit or even take a break. He's such a twit. At that very moment, Link was more afraid of what Luca would do to him if he didn't listen to her at that very moment. Luca's thoughts reflect her mentality and the issues that she carries with her. It will all make more sense when we get to her background and how she ended up with Cross in the first place. Even though Allen is her first priority she will not deny that she thinks of Tyki often and that he has had an effect on her. Every once in a while Luca gets to act her age. The aurora excites her and she swears that she will see it! That she'll take Allen to see it with her. The warning will come back into play later. Keep an eye out for it. ;D This chapter basically forced Luca to come to terms with who she is and what her innocence is and does. If she wishes to continue to protect Allen she must give up denying who and what they are. Luca has a lot to learn about Hunter, it's been a while since it's been called what it truly is and this is the first time that it's in it's true form, as one with it's accommodator. I will admit to being really excited her and Tyki's next meeting. She's gonna be ready for him. The answers to your questions about Hunter's effect on him will be revealed in that chapter so you're gonna have to wait. Luca will always take the opportunity to piss Lvellie off or give him a hard time. It bringers her such joy. The little devil. Lenalee could probably hug somebody to death. Chaoji has earned himself no favors from Luca by his reactions in the ark. I dread the day the two of them end up on a mission together. I'm glad it made you laugh though. Luca has no respect for him at all. The others have been smart enough to keep them apart. Honestly Komui is just so done with the mystery that is known as Luca. He can't even keep up with the girl and what's going on with her anymore. It's always changing. Her prophecies only prove this. Her falling was definitely a subject everybody wishes she had brought up. Luca is slowly clawing her way up to kicking major ass. She's coming for the forces of darkness and there's nothing they can do about it. The plaque was the science division making a joke at her expense but she turned it around on them by being proud of it. It's hung up in her room on her wall. Even though Luca doesn't like her birthday Allen does and he strives to let her know and Lenalee was all for it. Gazella's meddling is the reason that it's not just one or the other. More will come out as she explores it and it's new abilities now. Everybody loves Link's very awkward happy birthday. It was entertaining. Also Butterbeer XD This will always amuse me. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, I'm glad to know that my efforts to make the chapter suspenseful were a success. I tried to raise the stakes and make it seem hopeless. Luca finds herself in those situations a lot, have you noticed that? Gazella didn't weaken the innocence she tried to do something else with it. It will get explained later. Luca's reason for hiding it will come out. I will say that it ties in with the theme of Hunter. I can honestly say that I've been plotting the reactions to her first prophecy for a while I think Komui's was my favorite to write. He's just so confused. If anyone can give him a headache it's Luca. In some ways fighting yourself is hard as Road showed Lavi in the ark and lord knows Luca has a lot of things that she'd prefer left buried in the past or kept in the closet never to see the light of day. I hope you enjoy the chapter and I can't wait to hear from you!**

* * *

Luca woke with a groan and a throbbing in her skull. Why was it blinding white in her room? She was pretty sure she had painted her room, whether this was allowed or not she didn't know nor did she care, a dull shade of blue gray. A lot of people thought it was weird but she liked the color. It allowed the content of her room to speak about her. From her clockwork inventions, to her black covers with bright paint splattered all over them, to the top hats that she had pinned up on her wall, and the pile assorted junk that was in a pile in the corner of her room. None of it was hers, rather things that she had pilfered for whatever reason. She didn't know why she still stole things, especially these things. She didn't need them nor did she have a use for them. It was a quirk she never got over from her childhood. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Blinking rapidly she tried to get used to the brightness in her room. She looked around once she could see again. Oh. It wasn't her room. She was in the ark. That would explain the whiteness of it all. Grumbling she stood up. And immediately regretted the action. Her head was pounded. Clearly she had too much to drink last night and was paying for it now. Every part of her body ached. Her right leg was killing her. She shook her head. She almost didn't want to know what she had been doing last night. She glared at the bottle of whiskey. Stalking over she grabbed the empty bottle and headed back to her room. God, what did she do to her leg? She felt like cutting it off would be less sore. The girl slunk into the baths after gathering some clean clothes.

"I'd say I'm never gonna drink again but I know that's not true." Gambit nuzzled his mistress sympathetically. There wasn't anything he could do. Scor went to bump heads with her as they often did before freezing centimeters away from Luca's throbbing skull. She smiled at the golem. "Thanks for remembering Scor. Maybe later after this hangover is gone. Thankfully the bath was empty excluding Luca who had just walked in. Sighing she stripped herself of her dirty clothes, tossing them away. She'd pick them up later. Right now she just wanted to soak in the bath. Her eyes widened. Her right leg was bandaged. Starting from her knee and climbing up her thigh. There wasn't any blood so that was probably a good thing. Sitting down on a bench she slowly unwrapped her leg. There was no injury. No there was something much worse. A tattoo. Her drunk ass had gone out and gotten a tattoo. Spanning from her knee up her thigh on the outside of her right leg was a trail of small butterfly silhouettes. A very familiarly shaped butterfly silhouette. They were teez. Luca groaned and dropped her head into her hands. How could she have possibly thought that was a good idea? It was one of the stupidest things she had ever done and there was a rather long list. Footsteps. She could hear footsteps. Luca dove into the water. Nobody else could see this. God she just wanted to die right now. Great, she hadn't gotten to brush her hair before it got wet. Now it was going to be a nightmare, well more than it already was. Lenalee walked into the room.

"Oh! There you are Luca! We've been looking for you for a while. Allen said that you weren't in your room this morning when he went to check on you." Luca smiled as best she could. She didn't feel like smiling but she couldn't tell the other girl what was going. The tattoo and her drinking would get her into some seriously hot water.

"Yeah sorry, I don't know when I woke up, just that I felt odd. I dunno. Maybe it's the mission. I'm still not used to Eternal Hunter being, well," she shrugged here, "Hunter. It's been Harlequin for so long." The Hungarian glanced down at her wrist at the scar on her right wrist. What Lenalee didn't tell anybody about this new form of innocence was that it hurt. Her arms ached. Her scars hurt and the skin around it was red and irritated from constantly being reopened. The wound would never heal nor was it meant to but her body didn't know that. She was incredibly tired too. She felt like she had no energy at all.

"Well I'm not surprised. It took me forever to get used to all the changes." Lenalee joined her friend in the water. The pair of girls entered the cafeteria, one of them in a far better mood than the other.

* * *

"Luca's in a bad mood." Marie noted as he sat up. Daisya and Kanda both looked up at him. The girl was on the other side of the cafeteria.

"So why do we care?" Kanda snorted going back to his soba. He wasn't even sure why they were sitting with him.

"Sounds like she's got a hangover." Daisya jumped up.

"I'll bring her some coffee!" Grinning the man ran off and came back with a steaming cup. Kanda rolled his eyes.

"Doesn't she put creamer in hers?" Daisya blinked for a moment.

"Oh yeah you're right. I'll be right back." Once again running off is search of the dairy, he left Kanda to guard the cup of coffee. Even those who were desperate were not desperate enough to fight Kanda for it. Despite the fact that in the Black Order is was worth it's weight in gold. Glancing around for a moment Kanda slit his wrist open. Marie raised an eyebrow but pretend that he didn't know what Kanda was doing. It would only upset the younger man. Blood seeped from the cut and into the steaming beverage. Daisya came back right as he slid the cup back into it's place. "Here it is!" Dumping the creamer in the coffee, he bounded over to present his offering to the girl.

"Luca!" The dark haired girl found her Turkish friend offered her a steaming cup of coffee. She smiled at him.

"God I love you so much Daisya!" He grinned as she cheered taking the cup from him, letting the heat warm her hands. "You are just the best. This is just what I need!" Setting the cup down she threw her arms around her.

"Yeah I know I'm the best but it's good to hear it. Enjoy!" Luca sat down drinking her coffee happily. Allen shook his head.

"I think you have a problem Lu. You drink way too much of that stuff." she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I do have to agree with him, Walker. That's far too much caffeine to be healthy." Luca turned to glare at Link.

"Says the man eating cake for breakfast. I think you just need to zip it Blondie." He glared at her.

"Walker! Do not refer to me as Blondie. It is very rude. You may refer to me by my title or at least by my surname." Luca rolled her eyes at the man and took a long drink from her flask. He always had this effect on her. She took another one before putting it away.

"I have news for you Blondie. You're not the boss and even if you were it's not like that would stop me. I'll tell you the same thing I told that dictator of yours. Respect is earned. If you want my respect earn it!"

"Guys! Please don't fight at the breakfast table. Can't we all just have a civilized breakfast. You fight all day, let's just leave breakfast out of it please." Lenalee begged. Luca frowned but complied with her friend's wishes. She knew that she was provoking the man but her hangover and early morning discovery had her in a bad mood. Allen leaned over to her whispering.

"Is something wrong?" She sighed at the question and continued to pick at her small stack of pancakes.

"I'll tell you later. There too many people right now." Allen nodded. While Link was dropping over his dishes, the siblings slipped away after the elder managed to convince Lavi to drop off their dishes allowing for their escape. Instead of going to her room, she led him to an empty room that currently had no purpose, a subtle spell allowed it to be locked an used. Her less used magic ingredients and tools were stored here.

"So what's up?" Allen asked looking around the room. He had only been in here a few times.

"So do you remember after you found out about me being half blind I came clean with you?" He nodded.

"Yeah you had said that you snuck in to see Master and he filled you in about the 14th and what was going on with it so you weren't surprised about everything that was going on." She smiled, glad that he had remembered.

"Well one of the reasons he told me is that he and I think that I might be able to find or write a spell to separate you two. Part of the reason he told me then was to give me as much time as he could. I knew something was up the minute that song started playing so I asked him about it."

"You always were more intuitive than I ever was." she smiled at him over her shoulder as she dug around looking for the herbs she needed to make herself a hangover cure.

"I wouldn't say that. I would go with I'm suspicious of everyone and everything." Allen sighed and shook his head as he leaned against the wall.

"Why are you always like this?" she laughed in response and immediately regretting the action. The argument with the inspector had only made things worse though the coffee from Daisya had helped some. She would be better after she drank her cure. Allen sat down on the floor next to her as she crushed the herbs in her mortar with the pestle. "So what was up with you? You seem to be in a mood," he paused and then added with a chuckled, "I mean more so than you normally are around Link." She made a face at him as she finished mixed the remedy up.

"Well I was working on a spell last night and I tried it out. It exploded. I'm just frustrated. So far nothing has panned out. I feel like I'm just running in circles now."

"Is that what all the blue ink on your arms are?" Luca looked down. Sure enough she still had a slight blue tint to the skin on her right arm from where she had washed her notes off.

"Yeah, I don't always have a place to put it when an idea comes to me so I put it on my skin so I don't forget it." She reached down to rub her leg again _Okay, time to add pain medicine into the remedy_ , she sighed.

"Are you okay? You keep rubbing your leg. Did you hurt yourself? Did they backfire injure you?" Allen asked eyes flashed with worry. Luca grimaced. She really didn't want to tell him.

 _"_ _No, I'm not done yet. You're going to listen to me. I don't care if you don't tell Lenalee or the others but why didn't you at least tell me? I've been worried sick about you for the last several days and you keep brushing me off. We're family! Family helps each other. So why won't you let me help you? I'm your brother and you go to hell and back to help me so let me help you. It's not weakness to admit that you need help. Let me help you."_ Allen's words and reaction in the infirmary rang in her head. She sighed. She had to tell him. She had promised to stop keeping secrets from him after that.

"Sorta. Please don't freak out." Allen raised an eyebrow and motioned for her to continue. She sighed deeply. "I've had so many spells, backfire, go wrong, or just do nothing. I'll admit that I was more than a bit despondent. So I snuck into Master's alcohol reserve and got drunk. Apparently while I was drunk I wandered out in through the ark and I," she paused. _God, this was embarrassing_ , she thought. She so did NOT want to admit this, least of all to him.

"You..." he prompted.

She sighed but answered, "I got a tattoo and it's rather sore right now." Allen sighed and shook his head.

"I really wish you wouldn't drink so much or at all but I understand the feeling. I will admit to feeling the same way with everything that's going on right now. It's a trying time." he placed an hand on her shoulder as she downed the remedy. "So I'm guessing this is a hangover cure?" she nodded and made a face. These things never tasted good.

"Yeah which only added to my bad mood." He chuckled.

"Yeah I figured when you said you got drunk. Can I see the tattoo?" She grimaced and sighed.

"Do I have to?" He nodded. "Fine." She unbuckled her belt and slid her pants down. Allen examined the tattoo.

"You must have been really drunk to get this. If I didn't know who you were thinking of when you got it I would say that it's pretty."

"Yeah. I know. I don't have a clue why I got that but I did and I'm stuck with it. But it's really sore right now." She pulled her pants back up and buckled them. She took the time to refill her flask. It was almost empty.

"Walker! This isn't funny! Come out right now! You are going to be in serious trouble if you two don't show up right now!" They fell silent as Link went storming by clearly looking for them. He couldn't sense them with his ki due to the many spells that covered the door. As his footsteps faded Allen sighed.

"We should head back." Luca nodded as she hid her things away again.

"Yeah, it sounds like Link's about to have aneurysm." she snorted almost laughing. Allen shook his head as they left, Luca locking the door manually and magically. The walk away from the unused area of the Order was mostly silent both siblings contemplating what was happening and where their life was going.

"Lu?" The girl glanced to side out of habit before she remembered that she couldn't see anything on her left side. Neither sibling was quite sure when or how they had done it without coordinating it but Allen was always on his sister's left, guarding her blind side. _Huh, it almost seems as if the darkness isn't as dark as it normally is. How weird_ , she ignored that thought and answered her brother.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for helping me."

"It's not helping until I actually managed to change something." Allen reached over and rubbed her shoulder comfortingly as she lamented mournfully. Gambit chirped mournfully and nuzzled into her hair. He couldn't help his mistress or cheer her up. Only sit with her. Allen heaved a sigh.

"Fine but know this. Even if nothing works out and I lose to the Fourteenth I have always and will always be eternally grateful for everything you have done for me. It's the most anyone has ever done for me. I can never repay you."

"Don't be so dramatic. I'll figure this out, no matter. It will be okay. I promise you." Allen smiled, his heart warming up. Her dedication was the best thing in the world to him. She had proven it so many times. Their small family, yes despite what he said Cross was family, was broken, yes but they were family. Their Master may be missing but he had a reason for it and would come back.

"I love you Luca." She turned and smiled at him.

"Mindennél jobban szeretlek öcs (I love you more than anything little brother)."

"There you two are! What have I told you about running off! I am suppose to be guarding you and I cannot do that if you are not here!" Link started in on the lecture as soon as he found them ruining the soft moment between the siblings.

"Link do us all a favor and don't lie. You're a glorified babysitter sent by your overlord and central to keep and eye on us as if we are plotting to overthrow the Pope and go running to the Earl." Allen sighed as they immediately began to argue.

"Guys stop arguing we have a mission!" Lenalee called over to the small group. Grumbling they headed to Komui's office with Allen silently thanking the man and his timing.

"Kanda and Daisya. You two are going to Spain. Lavi, Lenalee, Luca and Allen you are all heading to Portugal. Unfortunately Lenalee, you and Lavi are heading to a different part of Portugal that the Walkers. The reason I'm telling you all this is because you are all heading out from the same gate. It's the closest to all of your missions. You have half and hour before the gate opens. So you should all go get ready." The group split off once again each heading off on their own, minus Allen who was followed by his shadow.

Luca sighed as she changed into her uniform, pulling on her cropped tank top on. It was far more comfortable than the strapless she had been wearing before Harlequin had evolved into Eternal Hunter. She glanced at the black ink on her chest. The silhouette of three crows flew from her heart up towards her shoulder. One for each member of their little broken family. The closest crow was her, the next one Allen and the farthest was Cross. She'd never abandon her family no matter what. Another swig of whiskey burned her throat at that thought. She slid the smooth fabric down her skin. It was soft and breathable. Johnny was a genius, she'd give him that even if he was a bit weird. Grabbing her long curls she knotted it around the base of the pony tail several times before letting the now short end fall above her shoulder. Tugging on her jacket she grabbed her bag and met the others at the ark gate.

* * *

Luca groaned, _Leave it to Komui to get the train schedules mixed up and strand us here for hours._ They had been sitting at the train station for over and hour and none of the trains were there still wasn't there. Kanda leaned against the wall, annoyed but at least this time it was justifiable. She would give him that. Lenalee sat at one end of the bench with Luca in the middle and Allen on the other end, leaning against his sister, sleeping on her shoulder. She could see the bags under his eyes. His nightmares were still bad. Daisya sat on the ground back against the side of the bench. Link stood on the opposite side of the bench a ways away from the exorcists with Lavi sitting on the wall above the siblings one leg pulled up to his chest. The group was silent, nobody knowing what to say and some just unwilling to talk. Any attempt at conversation seemed to fall short and stale. Luca spent the time examining the ring she had gotten from her Master. It had been hidden in Scor with a small note. She still didn't know what it meant entirely. The ring itself was a small silver dragon ouroboros with black diamond eyes. "You'll make it to tomorrow" was inscribed on the inside. Allen bolted up with a startled cry. All heads snapped over to the youngest. Luca grabbed his hand as his head swiveled wildly clearly looking for something.

"It's okay. It was just a nightmare. Everything's okay. Go back to sleep." Reluctantly the boy lay back against her and closed his eyes. Despite this she knew he wasn't actually sleeping, his breathing too irregular. God she needed a drink right now. Taking a deep breathe she glanced up at the golem. "Scor, melody." immediately the golem responded to the order, letting the familiar music spill from her open mouth. It was Allen's playing. Luca began to sing, allowing the words to flow from her lips.

Falling fast asleep, may this little boy find blissful dreams

Among the ash and the flames that light up the night sky

...one by one... falling softly

With your silhouette casting shadows of your lovely face

I watch the sky as a million dreams are shining

Little dreams, little dreamers

Within the tender night, your silver eyes were trembling

That moment you shine pure, born anew into this world

Across a million years, time has brought us here

Our prayers burn into the earth, back where they shall return to time

I will never stop this prayer leaving my lips

Someone please show this child what love is

Take those tiny hands and leave a kiss

Falling fast asleep, may this little boy find blissful dreams

Among the ash and the flames that light up the night sky

...one by one... falling softly

With your silhouette casting shadows of your lovely face

I watch the sky as a million dreams are shining

Little dreams, little dreamers

Within the tender night, your silver eyes were trembling

That moment you shine pure, born anew into this world

Across a million years, time has brought us here

Our prayers burn into the earth, back where they shall return to time

I will never stop this prayer leaving my lips

Someone please show this child what love is

Take those tiny hands and leave a kiss

The last note hung in the air as Allen now slept peacefully. Nobody commented on the lullaby though she did notice Link jot something down in his notebook. Luca couldn't care less. The man was nuisance in general. Him knowing that she knew the lyrics didn't change anything else. Lvellie already thought she was the devil and plotting evil things with her brother. _Might as well give him 'proof'_ , she snorted at the thought. _That idiot will be the death of everybody at the Order_ , she sighed.

Allen was still asleep by the time their train showed up. Kanda and Daisya had left some time ago but their train ride was longer. Shifting slowly the older managed to move the younger sibling onto her back not waking him once. She waved as best as she could at Lenalee and Lavi before heading to their room, ignoring Link. He would follow. He always did. It felt weird to sit on the other side of the compartment but she couldn't look out the window with her left side anymore. She drank half her flask in the time the train ride took.

* * *

Portugal was swarmed with akuma. The exorcists walked right into an attack. All around them people ran and screamed. Tripping and trampling each other to get away from the akuma. Luca grinned cheekily at her brother.

"All work and no play."

"No is not the time for quips Walker!" Luca rolled her eyes at Link.

"Activate!" Both innocences sprung to life at the command. The cloak enveloping Allen's shoulders while the blood exploded from the scars on Luca's wrists floating around it's mistress.

"Whatever Link. Why don't you be useful and get rid of the people. They're in our way." Link opened his mouth to argue but just sighed and did as he was told. She turned to Allen. "Let's get down to business then." He nodded and they took off. Immediately out of habit her gauntlets appeared as Luca lept at the first akuma she saw a green level three taking it's head off with a punch.

"Lu! Try something else! Broaden your horizon." She pouted but did as she was asked. She knew he was right. She just didn't like it. Slowly the dark red liquid slid down her arms and off her skin. Slowly it took the form of two swords. She grinned as they slithered like fire before freezing in that shape.

"There. That will do." She lunged at the closest akuma tearing through it. "Not bad. I still like my chain swords better." She jumped to the next one, a level 2 that looked like a giant scorpion. She rolled out of the way of the giant stinger. The stinger flew at her again. It hit her crossed swords sending her skidding away. "Pretty strong." Pushing the stinger back she bolted forward. The stinger reared back and shot towards her again. She dove to the side to avoid it. Jumping from the ground to the stinger she used it as a spring board launching herself into the air. Using the momentum of her fall, she drove her swords into it's head, destroying it. Gambit chirped at her but it was too late. A foot connected with her side. She yelped and crashed through the wall of a building. She would see the green light spreading through her skin from her ribs. "That hurt." she grunts pulling herself from the wreckage. Flicking her swords out, they smoothed into tiger head swords. The level 3 attacked it's gray armor gleaming.

"You're going to die today exorcist." Luca rolled her eyes at the thing.

"Yeah whatever you say. It's not like every single akuma I've ever met has said that to me or anything." It charged with an enraged roar. She met it head on, swords struggling against it's forearms. It was slowly pushing her back. Glaring she darted to the side allowing it's momentum to send it stumbling forward. Hooking it's ankle with her sword she tossed it into a building. She staggered and her swords liquefied back into blood as she grew dizzy. Her head spun. Another kick sent her sprawling.

"Time to die little exorcist." Luca rolled out of the way of the foot smashing down on the place where her head had been only seconds. She pushed herself up to her feet.

"Activate!" The blood lept back into a single sword. She couldn't manifest a second one. Taking a deep breath the sword changed into a halberd. Grabbing it she swung it around at the akuma.

"That puny blade can't hurt me!" Her headache was back with a vengeance. She needed to finish it quickly. She missed on the first swing but the second swing severed an arm. The third took the head off.

"Deactivate."

"Luca!" Allen ran over and managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Al, I don't feel very good." Allen picked her up easily, carrying her away from the carnage. She rested her head against his shoulder in a daze, eyes glazed.

"How so?" He set her down on a bench.

"My body feels heavy, like I could go to sleep right now. My innocence deactivated on it's own. When I didn't tell it to do so." Allen was quiet for a moment.

"Have you had anything since breakfast?" she shook her head in response. "What did you have for breakfast?"

"A couple of pancakes." Allen sighed.

"Your innocence has changed Lu. You need more food to power it now. You used up what little energy the pancakes gave you. You can't eat the way you used to." She sighed at that information. "I'll get you a snack and one for myself too." She nodded and watched him go. Her eyes slowly slid shut. She wasn't sure how she felt about her new diet or lack there of. She wasn't sure she could handle eating the way Allen did. Allen came back and the pair dug into their snack as they wandered the streets. Slowly she looked around once her vision cleared up a bit and everything was no longer spinning.

"Allen," she paused causing him to look at her. "where's Link?" He looked around wildly but was unable to locate the blond man.

"We must have lost him in the chaos." Allen noted to which she nods. Luca popped another cookie into her mouth. The minute Allen had told her that she needed to eat more she realized that he was right and she was starving. If anyone other than Allen was with her she would be embarrassed by the fact that she had already eaten two whole packages by herself. _Maybe instead of eating the way Allen does, maybe I can just snack through the day? That could work. Maybe it won't seem so bad_ , she thought to herself as she looked down at the map. "Well now what do we do Lu?"

"Continue with the mission. Link's a big boy. He can take care of himself." Allen sighed at her shrug but nodded and followed after her. She slowed her pace a bit. Her ribs ached and her leg was killing her again. She winced as she took a breath that was too deep. She was tender. Something wiggled in her pocket. Tossing the empty package Luca handed the map over to Allen and dug around. "Scor! Your wing!" The small silver golem's left wing was bent at an awkward angle. "You must have bent it right before I landed on you. I didn't even know you were in my pocket. I'm so sorry." Luca apologized to the golem and began to gently fix it. Twisting it back into place and straightening out her feathers again. "Hmmm, it won't stay. Since I don't have my tools I'll have to use magic." Luca followed Allen as she fixed her golem's wing. Glancing up she looked around. "Allen, where are we?"

"Uhh," Allen trailed looking around and then down at the map. "I think we're-uhh..." he trailed off again still looking around. Sighing she walked over and took the map from him.

"Allen you had the map backwards." she glanced down at it again. "And upside down. You have no idea where we are do you? We're completely lost." Sighing he nodded.

"You were busy and I didn't want to bother you especially because you were trying to fix Scor and I should have warned you about your new appetite and I thought I knew where I was going." The Hungarian looked around. Clearly they were in the wealthier part of the city if the large grand estates were anything to go by. Sighing she walked up to a random door. It wasn't late so maybe somebody would answer. Just as she raised her hand to knock on the door it opened.

"Oh!" the woman gasped upon seeing Luca and her shocked expression. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." The woman was well dressed in a lovely burgundy dress, she had blonde hair pinned back and a pale sickly tone to her skin. Luca smiled at her.

"Oh, it's no problem. I apologize for bothering you. I just have a question for you if that's alright." The woman nodded.

"Lady Kamelot you must go. I can help them." The butler urged though Luca could see him glaring at her with disdain. Luca ignored him.

"Oh nonsense Fausto. It's just a question and I'm right here." Lady Kamelot as the butler had called her, waved him off. "Now what can I help you with?" Luca kept her smile in place.

"My brother got us lost, and I was wondering if you could give me directions to the church closest to the town square? St. Felix' if I'm remembering correctly." The older woman smiled easily.

"Of course. I don't know how you managed to find yourself all the way out her but it's pretty easy to get back." The woman gave Luca directions to which she smiled brightly.

"Thank you so much, I don't know what we would have done without your help."

"Oh it's no problem! Be safe!" Luca waved and grabbed Allen walking in the direction the lady had told her. Quickly she darted into an alleyway still dragging Allen with her.

"Lu what are we doing?" she sighed.

"You have no idea who we just met do you?" Allen shook his head. He was completely lost. "The butler called her Lady Kamelot. Who else do we know that has that surname? It's not a common one." Allen blinked at her for a moment before it clicked.

"Road!" She grinned.

"Exactly."

"But what of it? We haven't seen a Noah since Lulu Bell attacked and even then Road hasn't shown up." Luca glanced around before picking up a newspaper. It was several months old but had what she was looking for. She handed it to him.

"Read the headline." He looked at it.

"Attempted Assassination of Minister Kamelot."

"Now look at the picture and caption."

"Kamelot family attends funeral of colleague who saved Minister Kamelot's life." Allen's eyes widened as he stared at the picture. "That's Tyki! And Road! And that lady!" Luca grinned.

"That's his wife. She's getting ready to leave. Are there any akuma in there? I sense 20 presences." Allen activated his eye.

"They're all akuma. Why do you ask? Are we going in?" She nodded. "Why?"

"It's the Noah house. We gotta have some fun where we can find it." He opened his mouth to point of that this was a terrible idea just as the woman walked by. "There she goes. Lets go." Grinning she ran back the door and knocked. The butler opened the door again and she smiled. Upon seeing her uniform he attacked. She kicked him in face sending him flying back into the house and followed after. Allen closed the door behind himself darting after the girl. The akuma fell quickly.

"Lu! We shouldn't be here!" Allen hissed running after the girl. The sound of something running towards them caused both to turn just in time to see the large white dog come thundering towards them. Luca lit up and knelt down. The Great Pyrenees ran up to them growling until Luca help out her hand to let him sniff her. "Lu?" Allen asked uncertainly eyeing the large dog. A lot could go wrong. The dog sniffed her hand before he began wagging his tail.

"Yeah you're a good dog aren't you? Yes you are! Yes you are!" Allen just watched completely baffled as his sister easily tamed the dog and began to pet it all the while talking and fawning over it.

"I don't know how you do this. Every animal that's ever met you, loves you even though you are intruding into his house, he'd rather be petted by you." Allen shook his head at a loss.

"Oh Allen, animals can tell. Ghost's a good boy."

"How do you know his name?"

"Duh, it's on his tag. They could have come up with something a bit more creative though it could be worse, like snow or snowball." She sighed at the name. "Anyway," she stood up. "let's get to work." Her brother raised an eyebrow.

"Uh what does that mean?" He followed after her until she was standing by a coffee table.

"Help me." together they lifted it up and moved it. "Stop!"

"Luca we've hardly moved. What are we doing?"

"We're gonna move everything two inches to the left."

"They won't even notice that." Allen pointed out as they shifted a love seat over.

"Duh, that's the point. They won't notice but it's will be enough..." she trailed off waiting for him to wake the connection.

"That they run into things and trip over them." he finished. She nodded.

"Very good little brother." Allen sighed and shook his head. "Also don't pretend like you don't think it's funny. You can play the innocent exorcist all you want around the others but I know you. You're just as sadistic as me you just hide it better." He let the smirk slid onto his face as they moved everything.

"Fine. You're right. I doubt the others would like it but we do share the trait. Do you think they'll ever notice?" Luca thought for a moment.

"Maybe. Not Tyki though. That man is so oblivious that it's not even funny. Well it's sorta funny." She smirked while he shook his head.

"You're a terrible person."

"Well yeah but it sure is a lot of fun." She stood up and looked around. "There I think we're done down here, let's head upstairs."

"What if they come back?" Ghost trotted up the stairs at Luca's heel, ears flopping as they headed up the grand staircase. The first door she tried was locked.

"Well now what?" Allen asked. Luca merely shifted her weight to her right foot, bending her left leg back until she could reached the heel of her boot. Pushing the bottom of it in a small box popped out. "That's where you keep your lock pick set?" She nodded.

"Well yeah, I'm hardly without my boots and nobody has ever thought to look there." Bending down she picked the lock with the ease of many years.

"You're breaking in?" he questioned.

"Well of course." Luca snorted. "The best things are kept behind locked doors." The door swung open and they stepped in. The office was slightly messy showing that somebody was working on something. "Now lets see what the Minister is up to, shall we?" Allen started flicking through the papers on the desk while Luca explored the books on the shelf.

"Lu come look at this. He's restarting a war. This whole list is political figures across all kinds of counties. All of these people are akuma." Luca walked over to look at the list. It was rather lengthy.

"Well that's probably not good." Allen grabbed another one.

"This one's on gang members and it's even longer."

"Well I guess all this money's got to come from somewhere. Well you know the old saying "A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar." It's a saying for a reason." Allen snorted.

"Yeah I know. I don't understand how people can fall for all these lies."

"They all lie. Sometimes you just have to pick the lesser of two evils but I guess this guy is just exceptional at playing the lesser evil." He nodded and began to rummage through again while she moved back to the bookcase. She pulled a thick heavy leather bound book from the shelf.

"Find anything good?" He questioned walking over to her.

"Yeah. This spell book is ancient. It says something about the Noah but I can't fully translate it. I'll need help with it. Maybe Bookman could help me with that. We have to take this with us. We can't leave this in their possession." He nodded. He could already tell that she was enamored with it.

"You and your spell books. I swear." She made a face at him as she closed the book and replaced the belt holding it closed.

"Is there anything else good on or in the desk?" Allen shook his head.

"Nope. Just an enormous picture collection of Road. It's kinda creepy to be honest." She nodded and they left the office and moved to the next door which was down the hall. It was also locked.

"It's just a bedroom." Allen noted as they walked in. Luca walked over to the nightstand and opened the drawer.

"Correction, it's Tyki's room." She held up a familiar silver button.

"So this is what you're really looking for." She nodded.

"Yep. He gave me more flowers. They were on my bed. I found them after the party." Allen frowned at that.

"I wish he'd stop that. You know nothing good will ever come out of all this flirting."

"Oh relax Allen. It's not serious flirting. It's just a game." She walked over to the bed and summoned her magic.

"So how do you know that they won't show up?"

"I left Timcampy outside. If any of the family shows up he'll alert us through Scor." Allen eyed the black wrapped present with a bright green ribbon tied into a bow.

"Just flirting. Right." Allen muttered under his breath. Suddenly voices came through Scor.

"Why do you make me go to these things Sheril? You know I hate them." Tyki grumbled causing Luca to giggle.

"But all the ladies love you!" Road giggled clearly relishing in her uncle's misery.

"Time to go!" Luca spoke to which Allen nodded and darted out the door with Luca hot on his heels. She paused for a moment. Rushing back into the room she grabbed the left shoe before locking the door on her way out. "Down the next left." she called. Taking the back stairs into the servants quarters they darted out of the mansion as Ghost ran to greet his family unaware that the burglars had escaped.

Following the directions that Lady Kamelot had given them was easy and they soon found themselves at the church. There was still no sign of Link but the siblings just shrugged and entered the abandoned church.

"How long has it been like this?" Allen asked, most of the contents were charred black or in ashes.

"Not long. A fire broke out. A lot of people were trapped. Some died from the smoke and some died from the fire itself. It hasn't been used since. Nobody knows how the fire started or even where it started. The body count was at 74 but there were more that were so burned that you couldn't tell if it was human or not." Allen sighed as he looked around, a charred skull sat in the corner.

"So why are we here? It seems like a tragedy, sad but normal."

"A group of finders were sent to see what caused the fire, after people began to report seeing a firey figure wandering around. None of the finders have checked in or returned. No contact has been made in days. We're here to see if it's innocence or an akuma and see if we can find the finders while we're at it." She took a sip of her whiskey.

"There's no need to look any further. I'm right here." Both exorcists whirled around to face the level 4 standing there grinning at them from the large balcony of the church.

"Guess that answers our questions." Luca snorted.

"Activate!" Both innocence jumped to life, both forming swords.

"Lu!" Luca rushed at Allen and jumped up before he launched her at it. He leapt up after her. The tiger head sword sliced a shallow cut on the akuma's arm before it tossed her away. Allen immediately took her place. Jumping to her feet she attacked from behind. One of her swords hooked around her neck allowing her to fling it into the wall. "You okay?" She nodded at her brother.

"Yeah, I'm fine." The akuma attacked. Kicking Allen into the wall. Luca just barely managed to block a punch with her swords which was meant to take her head off. She skidded back several meters.

"You won't be when I'm finished with you. In fact there won't be anything left of you."

Luca snorted rather annoyed, "Same lines, different akuma." It lunged at her, knocking her legs out from under her before kicking her in the stomach which twisted painfully. Her thigh began to ache again. She crashed into the pews, smashing several of them and then hit the ground. A cry of pain that was not her own startled her. It was too young to be Allen who was attacking the akuma. She pushed herself up to her feet and looked behind the last pew that she had hit. A small child cowered behind it. She leapt over the pew to get a better look.

"Please don't hurt me." the little boy begged. She dismissed her swords and knelt down to appear less frightening. Allen would be okay for a moment.

"What are you doing here? It's not safe." The boy looked up at her with wide hazel eyes.

"I have nowhere else to go and the roof is mostly intact." he answered. She eyed his clothes. They were ratty and torn. The child himself had brown greasy hair that was cut unevenly, most likely by himself with one of the shards of glass if the bandage around his hand was anything to go by. He was malnourished too. She could easily see his ribs. This child was unloved and unwanted. Nobody would miss him if he died here. Memories of her own childhood spent on the streets flashed in her head.

"I need you to run. That thing can kill you very easily but once it's dead I promise you that I will find you a place to stay with a roof and food for you to eat but you need to get out while you still can for now."

"How do I know that you'll keep your word?" Allen crashed into the wall causing her to jump up and glanced around wildly for a moment.

"Here." She handed him her ring. "This ring is very important to me. It was given to me by my father. You can hold onto it until I find you a safe place to stay and then you'll give it back to me. That way if I break my word you can sell the ring. Sound fair?" he nodded, looking at the ring curiously. "Now take cover and as soon as I have it's attention run outside and find a safe place to hide!" He did as he told and hid under the pew closet to the door. Nodding she attacked the akuma again as her swords formed. The hooked end caught it's arm and she whirled around and away from her brother.

"Release me you little witch!" Hooking the other sword around the same arm in the opposite direction she yanks, severing the arm from the body. Allen launched his sword through her straight into the akuma.

"Nice shot but it's not enough!" Rushing forward she planted her feet on the handle pushing the sword farther in with her momentum. It fired a blast of dark matter at her. Her swords absorbed it. She could feel the power coursing through them and her body. The level 4 freed itself and kicked her again. She hit the wall with a cry. The kick had broken several of her ribs. She saw the kid make a break for the door just as she had instructed.

"Where do you think you're going?!" The akuma snarled firing a barrage of bullets at him. Allen shoved the blade into the akuma attempting to stop it from firing but it was too late.

"Move!" The kid froze unable to heed her command. She shot forward, not hearing her brother shouting her name. The bullets embedded into her back causing her to cry out in pain. The child cowered bellow her.

"LUCA!" Black stars spread across her skin. Luca swore she could taste the virus on her tongue. She stood up to glare at the akuma. The stars glowed purple for a second before blazing bright green. Her swords melted, climbing up her skin and changed back into her gauntlets.

"Allen, move." she ordered calmly, the power flowing through her veins. Her brother dove out of her way.

"You can't kill me!" The akuma howled trying to dislodge the sword. It moved centimeter by centimeter.

"Cease to exist! Reap, Nightmare's Mark!" The energy erupted from her gauntlet vaporizing the akuma and sending her crashing back and through the wall. Her innocence deactivate immediately. Luca crawled out of the hole. "Yep, still no control. That's gonna hurt in the morning." She rubbed her bruised back and shoulders. Allen reattached his arm and deactivated as well.

"We should get going. The building's gonna-" He was cut off by a loud creak and then a crack.

"Run!" Luca grabbed the kid and the three of them darted out into the street as the church came down. Link stood in the streets glaring at them both. Luca chuckled nervously and set the kid down. "Whoops. My bad."

"Your bad?" Link asked his face growing redder by the minute. Luca sighed and rolled her eyes ignoring whatever he was saying. It probably wasn't anything important. Most likely another lecture. She bent down to face the kid again.

"See? Made it out alive? Now, we'll find you a place to stay..." she trailed off. "I do believe that you haven't given me your name yet. My name's Luca, this is my brother Allen," she motioned to him, "And the angry one is Link. You can just ignore him. So what's your name?" He shuffled his feet uncomfortably, his eyes downcast.

"I don't have a name, or if I did, I don't remember it." Allen winced and Luca sighed sadly.

"Well, can I give you a name?" Immediately the kid brightened up looking at her with big hopeful eyes.

"Really? You'd give me a name?" She nodded. "Okay!" Luca thought for a moment.

"Hmmm, what about Oscar? It means champion warrior." The boy rolled it around on his tongue for a moment.

"Yeah okay! I like it." Oscar smiled up at her brightly.

"Perfect! Now let's go find you a real home." She stood up and offered him her hand.

"Wait." She looked down at him curiously. He placed her ring back in her hand. She smiled and slid it back on.

"Thank you Oscar." Once again she offered her hand. Oscar gladly took it. She looped her arm through Allen's and the three set off with Link following them grumpily. Finding a home for Oscar proved easier than expected. A young couple showed up at the orphanage and the woman immediately fell in love with the boy begging her husband to adopt Oscar. Unable to deny his wife the couple adopted the boy. Luca and Allen waved goodbye to Oscar as he left with his new parents.

"That worked out unusually well for us." Allen noted as they walked back to the train station. Link was oddly quiet but the girl wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Luca winced silently. Her broken ribs ached along with her leg and her back.

* * *

Upon returning to the Order the Walker siblings were whisked away to the infirmary once more. Luca sighed. _We spend far too much time in here. I hate it so much,_ she noted. Allen kept her distracted while the nurse wrapped her broken ribs. There was nothing they could do about the small cuts and large bruises that covered her back other than give her pain meds. As soon as the medical staff wasn't paying attention the pair slipped out heading for the cafeteria. Both were starving even though Luca didn't want to admit it. They were only half way through their meal when Lvellie strutted in with Link, ever the loyal mutt, at his heels.

"Walker!" Both glanced at him with boredom. "In the supervisor's office right now."

"We're eating. After." Luca answered coldly.

"Now." Lvellie growled bending down to get in her face. He was instantaneously attacked by Gambit who felt that the man was in his mistress' space and needed to vacate it. The inspector flailed around as he tried to dislodge the carnivorous golem. Link jumped to try and help with little luck. He couldn't get a hold of it. As he rushed forward, Luca discreetly stuck her foot out allowing him to trip and crash into his superior. She whistled and Gambit released the skin and fluttered back over to her, incredibly proud of the chuck of flesh in his mouth. Luca giggled as the butterfly gobbled it down. Allen snorted in amusement as subtly as he could.

"Well I'm ready to go." Luca stood up from the table and left the room with Allen. The pair sauntered into Komui's office. "What's up chief?" The pair of inspectors stormed into the room. Lvellie now sporting a large bandage on his nose.

"You!" He whirled around to face Luca and began to wave a finger in her face until the teez flew towards it menacingly. He retracted his finger. "Such insubordination! If you were one of my CROWS I would have you shot."

Luca snorted, "If I was one of yours I would shoot myself."

"Lets all just calm down." Komui sighed. "Luca what you did was wrong." She shrugged but didn't argue with him. She didn't actually have any problem with Komui. She knew it wasn't nice, she didn't care, but she knew. "Now what is this all about?"

"Inspector Link informed me that the Walker siblings were missing for several hours and made no attempt to find him. Now would you two like to explain what happened or should you just be punished?"

"We lost the tattletale in the battle. It's not our fault if he can't keep up. We wandered around lost for a bit, asking about the fire and what happened before we got directions and went to the church. We slayed the akuma and then Link found us. No problemo." She shrugged. Lvellie raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth but Komui cut him off.

"Can you prove this?" Luca nodded.

"Tim has footage. Scor had a broken wing so she didn't record while I was fixing it." Tim played the footage of the pair wandering around and then asking for directions. Komui nodded.

"See nothing bad happened. You two may go." The pair nodded and headed for the door.

"I guess there really is no rest for the wicked" The girl snorted at the man and left with Link following though he was glowering at Luca. Whether it was from the nickname or the stunt she pulled in the cafeteria she didn't know nor did she care. The sibling parted ways at their rooms.

"Sleep well Allen." He nodded.

"Sweet dreams Lu." As soon as she was in her room she downed what was left in her flask before pulling the book out from her jacket and returned it to it's normal size. She began to translate.

* * *

Tyki cursed as his shin smacked into the coffee table again. For reason unknown to them, the house was entirely empty expect for Ghost who had immediately rushed up to greet them. Tricia had patted him on the head before retiring to her room to sleep. Sheril, Road and Tyki had found that no matter what they did they kept running into the furniture. This was the sixth time he had done it. Sighing deeply he stalked upstairs to his room. He heard a crash followed by a string of Portuguese curses. _Sheril must have crashed into something else_ , Tyki noted as he phased through his door. It kept the twins out of his room. Road would just use her door to get in but everybody else had to knock. It was a much needed measure to give him his space. His eyes widened at the box that sat on his bed. The Noah walked over and sat down behind it.

He picked up the card and read, "And this maiden she lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me." Carefully he pulled the green ribbon away from the box. He placed it in the drawer with the other one and Allen Walker's button. Tyki ripped the paper away, trying to act like an adult. The present was about the size of a hat box. Pulling the top off he pulled out a pile of books. "Edgar Allen Poe huh? A very interesting choice Butterfly. Well at least I have something to read now." He looked through the books. Every book by the man was in the box. He picked up the first book and walked over to the rocking chair by the fire. After lighting it he sat down and opened it to the first page.

* * *

Allen sat up. Something had woken up. It was coming from Luca's room. Climbing out of bed, he stepped silently around Link careful not to wake him up. He slid out of his room and knocked on her door.

"Lu? Are you okay?" His question was met with silence. "Luca? Luca?" He knocked again. "Luca are you alright? Luca answer me please." Taking a deep breath he opened the door. Her room was dark with a sliver of light coming from the bathroom. "Luca?" He pushed the door open. "Luca!" he rushed in just in time to grab her hair and hold it back as she vomited. "What happened? What's wrong?" She spit the stomach acid out and he quickly offered her a glass of water to rinse with. She fell over into his lap.

"I don't know. I was almost asleep when it started." Her skin was slick with sweat and clammy like a fish. He brushed her soaked bangs back. "I'm freezing." Taking a deep breath he summoned Crown Clown using his cape to drag her blanket from her bed over to them. He draped it over her shaking form. Her teeth chattered causing him to pull her to her feet.

"You need to see Head Nurse." She latched onto him weakly. She was scaring him. He had never seen her like this.

"No! No! Please, no." her speech slurred and she swayed dangerously. His eyes narrowed and he frowned.

"Lu I really think you should go to the infirmary." She shook her head. He sighed, "Fine. Let's just get you to bed." He picked her up easily, not trusting her legs. She curled up in her bed and grabbed his hand.

"Please stay. I..." He sighed.

"Nightmares?" she nodded. "Scooch over." she did as he instructed and he climbed in. It was just like when they were little though normally it was him running to her with nightmares. She curled up with him, their legs entwining with his arm wrapped around. "Get some sleep Lu." He kissed the top of her messy curls and let his eyes slide shut. Neither slept well that night.

* * *

 **Well shit. Luca seems to be having a problem. This chapter we got to explore some of the down sides of Hunter that Luca didn't realize when it first evolved. There's still so much that she doesn't know about it and is having to learn or relearn since it doesn't work the same way Harlequin did. I can't wait to hear your theories on what's going on with her in the that last scene. Anyway, next chapter will be the Christmas special and then after that we will have the New Years special (somebody spiked the punch at the Order party ;D Won't that be fun?) As always please review! It brings me such joy! Cheshire is out~!**


	37. Birthday Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses

**MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas or has/has a wonderful (insert winter holiday of choice)! Later than I said it would be but still on time! I know! I'm as shocked as you are too! Anyway these reviews are from the last bonus chapter and next chapter will be a New Years chapter and then we'll get to a regular chapter, then Yule's special chapter and then it will be regular chapters! Anyway, review time!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, I'm pretty sure Tyki was already insane! XD Luca's not helping but he was already crazy. Joyd however is now in on it and doesn't see the problem. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear HoboHeartLover, It's nice to know that I not only surprised you but exceeded your expectations! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I feel like Joyd grows just like a normal person and thus exposure to Luca as well as Tyki's feelings towards her would at least change him somehow. Her kissing his stigmata certainly opened his eyes though. I picture the inner memories very similar to animals so mate is the closest thing that Joyd can come up with. You're very welcome! Thank you for reviewing! Honestly there are days that I only keep writing and keep trying for all of you so thank you for taking the time to tell me how you feel about the story and what you think of it. It always makes my day and motivates me! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, Here's another chapter and another meeting for you. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, I'm really glad you loved it. It was very interesting to write each meeting from this side of things. Joyd is a challenging write! Enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear Cam, It's lovely to hear that you loved the chapter. It fills me with joy. It was very interesting to write from that side of things. Don't worry about my sleeping Yule's all over me about it. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Kp, It's nice to hear from you. I hope you feel better soon! Vacation is always the best! Apparently everybody loves Joyd. Every chapter he's in people are like "Yay! More Joyd!" and it was what 15 requested. It's fantastic to hear that it was stellar. It took so long to write and was a lot of work. I kept having to delete things and rewrite them. There's so little of him in canon and his lack of vocabulary words certainly made it difficult. Your praise means so much to me. Don't forget to tell me what you thought of your chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Bunny~chan, Don't worry about your timing, you're fine! I never denied that he thought of her that way. I just waited for him to say it. Now if Tyki will ever say it. That would be hilarious. Luca's reaction would be great! Joyd just wanted to kill the exorcist. He didn't care if she was pretty or not. I didn't write that part because you already saw when he was in control. I've actually managed to stay pretty healthy so far I hope you feel better! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, Yep! Joyd is finally the center of attention! I too actually felt bad for him when I wrote that part. Unfortunately I could see both sides of the argument.** **Tyki has zero interest in his opinion** **but that doesn't stop Joyd from giving it! Joyd has the joy ;D of skipping over the etiquette and the whole "she's an exorcist" thing because he doesn't care. Those things don't matter to him. In the end Innocence can be destroyed so she is still theirs. Tyki talks/thinks himself in circles and the man doesn't seem to like commitment while Joyd as a more animal like being is more likely to just pick one mate, some animals don't mate for life but I believe most do and Noah seem to be incredibly loyal so there's that too. I loved you attempt at Tyki explaining Luca's sudden presence. Joyd wouldn't see it as kidnapping because in his mind she already belongs to them. XD I'm so relieved it came through that way. I can write Joyd in small bursts but this time it was all about him so I was a bit nervous. I think writing the part where Cross was about to kill him was the hardest. He didn't understand or know that she was still there and he couldn't stop Cross. It's going to make him seeing her again very interesting. Tyki and Joyd just bicker all the time. They are tired of being stuck with each other so yeah that's always fun. Let's be honest, would you want to live with Sheril? Joyd was being protective but he also just wanted Tyki to shut up and fight. Enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Dear WinterYule, Joyd can think so he has some sort of a mind. What's in there is unknown but it is there. Just like Kanda's! Yeah I'm with you on Joyd's career as a comedian. He's fun to write about but I don't think I want to me him! Good Luck Qin! Run fast! Mellifluous was the best word for it. It's really hard to describe a voice but it was his first real impression of her and the first thing he noticed so yeah. Plus it's a good word for how she talks especially when she's teasing which she normally is. Thank you for the compliment. If Tyki gets in trouble then Joyd is amused. It's the best pay back he can get from his cage and yeah Tyki needs to learn how to communicate with Joyd cuz kicking clearly isn't working. XD I would run away from Sheril especially if I was Tyki. Joyd probably views them like any other human which is unimportant unless he feels like slaughtering something. Joyd knows what Tyki's up to, he's stuck with him. The Noah themselves are rather proud of what they are, Luca calls Lulu Bell out on it, so it seemed reasonable that the memories would be too. I can't imagine a proud creature like Joyd would enjoy being caged, never mind being seen by others like that least of all his siblings who are free to move about. I can only assume that Neah was brutal in his slaying and the fact that Wisely (the memory) reacted in such a way had to be more than just being murdered by a brother. 35 years is a long time. So I figured that it would have a lasting effect on the others as well. Butterbeer makes a comeback! Somebody please get Joyd some butterbeer. He needs it! XD I spent so much time wondering if I had things moving too fast so your praise is soothing. It was a wonderful thing to hear. That's actually pretty much how I pictured Joyd reacting to it too. And yeah, I can't help but wonder what would happen if Joyd had gotten his hands on her. Tyki and Joyd seem to be fanning each other's obsession. Yes they get tangled in the maze in the Halloween bonus chapter. They really aren't good with mazes. Tyki could phase out of it but he's kinda distracted at the moment and is used to tuning Joyd out. I'm glad it made you laugh. That was the intention. Tyki is thinking as a person with feelings for somebody on the other side of the war. Luca's status as an exorcist is unimportant to Joyd. That can be fixed. He doesn't care about that. He knows that he can reason with Adam once the innocence is gone. When he says 'taste' he means he wanted to kiss her or he at least wanted Tyki to kiss her. Well she keeps vanishing on him and is around other males. It seems logical in his warped mind. Sheril's a creep and I don't think he'll ever stop being one. I'm glad I managed to write it so that even you, who doesn't like these kinds of things, like it. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, I'm so glad you like it! It brings me such joy and pleasure (wink wink). Tyki is probably the most oblivious person in the story. He doesn't notice anything. XD It is harder to be Joyd than any other memory. Tyki is a hard host to deal with. To be far, Tyki doesn't want to share her with anybody so it's not just Joyd and he's the closest one to her. Joyd may not like it if he finds out that Allen is actually the center of Luca's attention not Tyki. Your praise is wonderful and simply the best. He and Tyki are a bit different but they do have several similarities and that apparently is taste in woman! XD At the moment she's only Joyd's mate. Tyki hasn't come to the same conclusion as Joyd has. Tyki's gotta stop talking it into a larger mess than it already is. And no you're the best! Deal with it! ;D Thank you for your wishes and I hope you enjoy Christmas and the chapter! Until next time!**

* * *

Luca grinned as she snuck into the kitchen. The clock struck midnight. It was officially Christmas day and Allen's sixteenth birthday. She had work to do. Jerry was still asleep but that was fine, he would also probably tell her that cupcakes were not an acceptable choice for breakfast but what was the point of a birthday if you couldn't bend the rules a bit. She could handle this and wanted to do it all by herself anyway. Pulling down the cookbook she opened it. What kind should she make? Vanilla? Chocolate? Red velvet? _Oooh! I know a vanilla cake filled with a crème pudding with chocolate frosting! It will be like a Boston cream pie but in cupcake form! Too much chocolate reminds him of that time with the whiskey filled chocolates. Too bad Master didn't realize that I had helped Allen eat those_ , she grinned at the thought. It had been her first taste of whiskey. Unlike most kids her age she had liked the taste. Allen still had nightmares about it. She giggled a bit as she began to gather ingredients. She would need to make enough to satisfy his appetite. Baking was fun when she had the time, Lenalee was better at it but that didn't matter at the moment.

"Hey Scor play some music." The golem complied with the order. Luca spent the next several hours listening to music as she danced and flitted around the kitchen. She needed to be out before Jeryy woke up. He'd scold her for it but she knew Allen would love it. _Allen may not see his worth as a person but I do! Master does too! Mana had to have as well. He loved Mana so much but isn't able to see what Mana and the rest of us clearly sees. So I'll remind him that I'm happy he's alive. It's good to have a little brother_ , she hummed. She heard the lights turn on. "Time to go." She could return to her room and frost. Jerry probably wouldn't notice the bowl and piping bag was missing. She'd sneak them back later. "Eternal Hunter activate. Up." Her innocence wrapped around her boots allowing her to jump to the ceiling. Crawling along the ceiling like a spider she slid out and back up to her room. She had just finished the frosting when she heard Allen and Link begin to move around their shared room. She still thought it was ridiculous that Allen even had to share his room but there wasn't anything she could do about it. For Allen's sake she was gonna be nice to Link today. She had even gotten him a small present as a gesture of goodwill. Grabbing the cupcake stand she began stacking the cupcakes. "Hunter! Open the door." It was probably wrong to use her innocence for things like this but hey there had to be perks to having it in her blood.

"Link, please it's too early for your nagging." Allen sighed. Luca jumped out at him thrusting the cupcakes at him.

"Happy Birthday!" Allen jumped back startled, knocking Link over backwards onto his back.

"Jeez Lu you scared me." Allen sighed and then looked up at the cupcakes. "Wait did you makes these for me?" She nodded smiling brightly. "Are they all for me?"

"Well duh! It's your birthday so you get birthday breakfast cupcakes! Are you gonna eat them or not?" Allen nodded excitedly.

"Of course! You're gonna help me though." Luca blinked a couple times.

"I made them for you. I don't wanna eat your-" she paused when he gave her a look. "Fine, I'll have one or two." The pair linked arms and headed to the cafeteria ignoring Link who was still on the ground. He'd be fine, Luca reasoned. Immediately the others showed up and showered him with birthday wishes. He smiled at them and they all sat down to eat the cupcakes. Luca returned the borrowed utensils sheepishly when Jeryy gave her a look. She smiled but he just shook his head and shooed her away. She grinned and ran back to hug her brother. Allen laughed at her, with chocolate smeared on his upper lip.

"Thanks for the cupcakes Luca! They mean a lot to me." She hung off his back.

"Of course. No need to thank me. You're the best Christmas gift I could ever get. I'm glad you came into my life." Allen blushed, his cheeks turning bright red.

"Lu-" Lavi cut him off.

"Yeah! We're happy you were born too!"

"Of course! You're a great person. A part of our world!" Lenalee smile causing Allen to blush even more while Luca rolled her eyes. _God, these two are so obvious to everybody but each other. And Komui. He probably believes that his sweet Lenalee could never betray him like that but that's probably for the best for Allen's sake if nothing else_ , she chuckled. Allen easily grabbed and shifted her farther up his back locking his hands under her.

"You're especially affectionate today eh Beautiful?" Luca glanced at Lavi.

"Christmas is my favorite holiday. It's all about family and friends. What's better than that?" Lavi grinned.

"I didn't know you could be so mushy." She glared at him and proceeded to kicked him hard in the side. He yelped and moved out of her range.

"That hurt! I'm still using my ribs ya know."

"Come back here you coward!" She shouted.

"You'll never take me alive!" She glared at him.

"Allen take me over to Lavi I need to kick him some more."

"Luca it's not nice to kick people." He chided.

"But he's making fun of me. I'm just happy you're alive. Is that really so wrong?" Allen shook his head.

"Of course not. I suppose." He walked towards the red head who gasped.

"Allen how could you betray me so?" Allen just grinned.

"She made me cupcakes for breakfast." Lavi turned on his heel and ran with the siblings chasing him around the cafeteria. The others laughed as the chase continued.

"Well they seem to be in a good mood." Reever noted as he sipped his coffee.

"Yeah it's Allen's birthday. We're throwing him a party later. Luca has entrusted me to keep him busy so he and I are going out shopping. She wants to set up the party and probably chase Lvellie off. She's pretty adamant about Allen enjoying himself. So I better go save Lavi and have him apologize. We are gonna need him to set up." Reever chuckled.

"Yeah she's pretty vicious about Allen. Especially around this time. I thought she was vicious but this is a whole new level but I think it's good for him. He deserves it. I guess I better start rounding the others up for directions then huh?"

"Yeah, Allen and I are about to head out. We need to leave before Komui finds out." She smiled at him, "I'll see you later Reever." and then ran over to pull the siblings away from where they had cornered Lavi and were currently beating him while laughing gleefully. Reever shook his head at them. It wasn't often that they were allowed to be the kids that they actually were. Being soldiers forced them to grow up or at least act grown up even when they shouldn't have to. Luca waved them off. Link came into the room.

"Walker! Where is your brother? It was rude of you to leave me trapped in my room like that. You are going to have to fix that chair later." Luca rolled her eyes at him.

"Is that so?" He glared at her.

"Yes." She smiled at him in a saccharine manner though it reminded him more of a wolf that had cornered it's prey. "Walker," he tried to put some space between them but for every step backwards he took she took one forwards, "what are you planning on doing?"

"Oh nothing much. It is Christmas so I'll be gentle. I promise." Luca lunged for the man who jumped back right into Eternal Hunter's grasp. He struggled helplessly and it picked him up off the floor.

"Release me! Now Walker! Director Lvellie will not stand for this!" She ignored him and just left the cafeteria. Anyone who saw them turned the other way leaving the blond man in the girl's clutches. She probably wouldn't kill him they reasoned. Link struggled the whole time. The innocence thoroughly frisked him of his blades and spell tags before tying him up.

"Relax I'll let you out later, after the party. Also you have no need to worry. You won't be lonely. I'm gonna bring you some company very soon. You can be horrible people together." He tried to glare at her.

"Walk-" she cut him off shoving a gag in his mouth.

"Can't have anybody hearing you. Well I'll be back in a moment. Don't go wandering off on me." she winked and shut the door to the closet that she was apparently leaving him in. Just as she had said she returned not 10 minutes later this time dragging a tied and gagged Lvellie. "See? Company! You two enjoy yourselves now!" The door shut and the lock clicked in place leaving the pair in darkness.

Luca hummed as she walked back to the cafeteria. Now she could start on the party. Lenalee would keep Allen busy and it was almost like a date for them. _Good thing too. Lord knows they need the nudge. Komui is really not helping_ , she sighed as she entered the cafeteria. She was surprised to find everyone already waiting for her there. She blinked a couple times.

"Oh. You're already here." Reever stepped up rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Lenalee filled me in and I thought I would round everybody up while you were dealing with Link and Lvellie. That was it was one less thing for you to do." She smiled at him brightly.

"Wow. Thanks a lot Reever! Now we can dive right in. Let's get to work!"

The entire room was dark. Lenalee had given the heads up that they were on their way back. Everybody was crouched down and hiding just waiting for the door to open. Luca had already checked to make sure that Link and Lvellie were still in their 'safe' place. She had even wedged the door shut as a final precaution. She could hear Lenalee and Allen chatting. Komui hear them too.

"What? My darling Lenalee was out with a boy alone?" He was only muttering but Luca knew what would come next. _Oh hell no! I am not going to put up with this! Not today! I've worked to hard on this for his complex to cause a scene!_ she cursed silently. Komui lept to his feet at the same time that Luca did. Even in the dark she raced across the room and tackled him to the ground just as the lights came on. She jumped up with everybody else.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLEN!" She muffled Komui's sobbing with her foot. Standing on him gave her more height anyway. Allen lit up like the Christmas tree that stood in the corner of the room.

"Wow. Thanks everybody!" Lenalee slid over to Luca as casually as she possibly could as the others gathered around Allen each wishing him a happy birthday, blocking the pair of girls from his view.

"Luca," she paused staring down at her brother, "why are you standing on my brother like a ladder?" Komui jolted up throwing the girl off.

"My dear sweet Lenalee! Say it isn't so! You can't have gone on a date with a boy!" Lenalee's face went red.

"It's not like that brother! I was just keeping Allen preoccupied while everybody else was setting up the party." Lenalee did her best to calm the hysterical man down while the other girl got up from the floor. Luca grumbled as she brushed herself off.

"Then why couldn't she go and keep him busy?!" Luca kicked him in the shins as he wailed. Lavi distracted Allen by shoving a cupcake in his mouth. Allen quickly forgot what had snagged his attention. "Luca that hurt."

"Stop whining. It's unbecoming." He pouted at her.

"She wanted to do the party herself brother. I can understand that. I wouldn't make her do your party." Komui brightened up.

"I'm getting a party?" He asked hopefully. Lenalee sighed.

"When it's your birthday yes. Now it's Allen's birthday which means you have to behave."

"But why did you have to go with him?" His eyes got wide as he realized something. He whirled around on Luca. "You! This was your evil plot the whole time!" Luca kicked him again dropping him down to the floor. "You made up the party to send my sweet innocent Lenalee on a date with your brother." Luca squatted down to glare at him.

"Do you wanna join Link and Lvellie in the closet?" His eyes widened as she hissed at him. He shook his head.

"You have Link and Lvellie in the closet?" Lenalee asked leaning in close to her friend to whisper in her ear.

"Well yeah. I'm not gonna let them ruin the festivities. Allen needs a break. I'll let them out later...probably." she grinned at her friend who giggled into her hand. Anyone else and Lenalee would have demanded that Luca release them immediately. Laughing the pair left the man still lying on the floor and joined in on the party.

The siblings ducked back into Allen's room after the party, abandoning most of the others to sleep in the cafeteria or find their own way back. Luca helped Allen carry his non-edible presents and find safe places for them. She grinned as she slid the last piece in place, a portrait of a clown from Lenalee. His last one having been destroyed in the attack on Headquarters.

"Thanks for the party Lu." His smile was still in place. She began to seriously consider not letting the two party killers out of the closet. Allen looked so happy that she didn't want to ruin it.

"Of course. Do you want your presents from me now?" He looked up at her with wide silver eyes.

"Did you say presents? As in plural?" She nodded.

"Well of course. It's not just your birthday. It's also Christmas. So yes plural. Several plurals." She paused for a moment. "I'm not sure if that's correct but it's true." They laughed as Luca pushed Allen to sit down. "This one you'll obviously see coming." Allen tore the wrapping paper off like a little kid.

"Dango!" He shouted happily. Luca nodded and sat next to him, tucking her feet in under her.

"Yeah I know it's your favorite. Now open the others. They are more creative!" He grinned at her.

"You know I would be happy with the dango. You didn't have to get me anything else." She reached up and ruffled his hair.

"I know. I choose to because I love you and you're the best thing to ever happen to me. So hush and open this one next." She handed him a flat, thin box wrapped in silver paper with a blue bow on top. After carefully removing the bow he tore the paper away and slid the lid of the box off.

"Wow. Luca did you make this dreamcatcher? I love the dark blue and gray and the black feathers."

"It's magic so it actually works. That way you'll stop having nightmares. When all these beads slid to the center you'll have to bring it to me and I'll empty it out."

"It won't make you have the dreams will it?" He asked suddenly concerned. His sister had enough of her own nightmares. She didn't need his on top of it.

"Of course not. I'll use a spell to release them." The next box was small, about the size of a bracelet box. When he opened it he found a octagonal bronze compass. Immediately he started laughing.

"The only problem is I have no idea how to read this thing Lu." she snorted in response.

"I know. That's why this too is magic. All you have to do is think of where you want to go or who you want to go to and it will take you there. I know you well little brother. I figured it was better than a regular one. Hopefully you won't get lost now," she paused, "well as lost." They laughed for a moment before she finally placed one last present in his hands wrapped in gold.

"Please tell me this is the last one. You've spent far too much on me." Allen pleaded causing her to smack him lightly.

"For your information. All of these are made by hand. And even if they weren't you are worth it. Besides it's your birthday and it's Christmas. You shouldn't be neglected just because you were born on Christmas so open your presents and like them." Allen smiled and removed the shiny paper carefully this time. It shone like real gold. He wouldn't have been surprised that she had spun real gold into wrapping paper. He didn't know if that was a thing but his sister made lots of stuff into things. Popping the box open he pulled out a beautiful old wooden box decorated with bronze and gray cogs and and large black metal wind up key in the middle.

"It's beautiful Lu." She smiled softly. This was by far her favorite present. She had spent the most time on it of all the presents she had made.

"Wind it up and then open it up." Slowly Allen did as instructed. Instantly the musician's score began to play while a bronze statue of Mana in his clown costume popped up and began to juggle three small balls in time with the beat of the song. "I hope you don't mind. I stole Tim and found the time that Master had recorded you two together." Tears slid down Allen's cheeks and she immediately began panicked. "I can change it if you don't like it!"

"I love it. It looks just like him. You had to have spent days just on this statue. You even got his smile and he details of his makeup right. Lu it looks just like him." Slowly he set the music box down and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you so much. This is perfect. I couldn't ask for anything more. Really I love it." She smiled and hugged him back.

"If anybody deserves it, you do." She could see the tiredness in his eyes. "Get some sleep. It's been a long day and it's late. Sleep well little brother. Nagyon szeretlek, Öcsikém (I love you very much, my little brother) good night." she kissed him on the forehead and closed the door. Sighing she headed to her room. Sitting on her bed were four wrapped presents. She had a delivery to make. She grabbed her simple red cloak, _No exorcists duties tonight_ , she thought as she threw it around her shoulders. Sliding the hood up over her unruly hair she locked her door behind her. The trip through the ark was quick and easy. The halls had been empty since everyone had been at the party or tied up.

The Kamelots were, of course, having a large party. She rolled her eyes. She didn't understand rich people. She ducked inside, weaving around people with ease. She watched for a moment, leaning against the wall. She snagged a glass of champagne. It was typical and unremarkable. She swirled in around in the glass as she watched the family. Road was dressed cutely playing her part as the minister's daughter. Tyki was doing his best to politely run away from his horde of puppy like girls asking for a dance. A servant came up to her.

"Miss, please allow me to take your coat." she smiled at him. There was something off about them. _Akuma, has to be. He's too robotic. Must have had to use lower levels this time_ , she chuckled to herself. _Eternal Hunter, activate._

"Oh no thank you. I'm leaving very shortly. I was only stopping in to say hello. I really should be going." The innocence slithered along the floor behind him to tap his shoulder. He hissed upon contact. Her smile stayed in place as the innocence speared through his neck before slipping back into place and deactivating. "Oh well. Better do what I came for and then leave before I'm seen." Feeling a pair of eyes on her she looked up. Green met brown causing her to smile coyly before vanishing up the stairs that lead away from the party and towards the rest of the house.

Tyki instantly excused himself from the conversation. He knew that the woman still wearing her cloak was strange, the akuma falling gave rise to suspicions and the green eyes only confirmed who it was. Taking a quick glance at Sheril to make sure he wasn't watching, he ducked out of the large ballroom and up the stairs after the exorcist. His missed Road's knowing gaze. He moved across the carpet as fast as he could without running. He couldn't have her thinking that he would chase her every time she showed up. It was a lie of course. He was chasing her right now. He couldn't seem to catch up to her. Only ever seeing the end of her red cloak vanish around the next corner. He almost called out to her. He turned down a familiar hallway. This one led to his room. His door was slightly ajar. He burst through it. The room was empty. Where had she gone? He had been right behind her? Four boxes sat on his bed. He took several steps towards it. Something tapped his shoulder. He whirled around. Slim arms wound around his neck pulling him down where soft lips connected with his. Her familiar smell drifted to his nose. He kissed her back, pulling her flush against his body arms around her waist. They broke apart when the need for air became to great. They were centimeters apart. Just staring at each other. She smiled softly.

"I have to go. I shouldn't be here."

"Please stay." he begged softly.

"I can't."

"Please." he begged again, unwilling to release her from his grasp. He wanted her to stay. He wanted her to stay forever.

"You have guests to entertain remember?" He moaned sadly at her reminder.

"But I'd rather be here with you."

She ran her fingers through his curls as she spoke, "I know, but you have presents to open. Merry Christmas." he blinked a few times surprised giving her time to unwind her body from his arms and move to the balcony.

"Wait." he rushed over to her, grabbing her hand. She smiled at him, leaning in so her breath brushed along his ear.

"Happy birthday." her voice was barely above a murmur and then she was gone. He sighed and shut the glass doors to his balcony. He no longer felt like going back downstairs. His eyes darted to his desk. Two presents wrapped in black wrapping paper with silver snowflakes on it and a purple bow. His brother had thought he had lost his damn mind when he had bought that paper but he knew she would love it. _Stupid! Give it to her! You don't know when you'll see her again_ , Tyki smacked himself in the forehead and immediately called an akuma.

"You. Go find that woman that was just here. Don't attack her! Give her these." He handed over the two presents. Which the akuma took holding them the way a mother would hold an newborn baby. The akuma vanished. Sighing he ditched his formal clothing. In the comfort of his pants and button down he pulled the smallest present towards him. "Merry Christmas." Her hand writing was kinda messy and slanted but cute none the less. The ink was smooth and purple. He wondered where she had gotten it. The package was cold. He tore the silver paper away. Fudge. It looked homemade. He wasn't big on sweets, not the way Skin had been, still he tried it. His eyes popped open before sliding shut. Nope. Butterfly knew him too well. Whiskey. There was whiskey in the fudge. He grinned. That was his kind of fudge. He popped another piece in his mouth before placing it on his nightstand before he ate all of it. Then he selected the biggest box. It was a hat box. Suddenly he was a bit scared still he opened it. He groaned as he pulled out the top hat. "You're hilarious Butterfly. Truly." he noted dryly. Not only was the hat bright purple with a black cloth wrapped around the base twice it also had a hatband sticking out of it. "In this style 10/6" Tyki snorted reading the band. The hat itself was even soft. It had to be homemade. "You made me the mad hatter's hat. I can't believe you." He contemplated wearing it for a moment. Sheril would have a fit if he saw it. "Might be worth it." he muttered to himself. He couldn't resit and set the hat on his head. It fit perfectly. The third present was shorter but longer. He pulled the paper away with ease.

"Tyki? Are you okay?" Road's voice drifted through his door. He sighed and got up. She glanced up at him before balking. "What are you wearing?" He chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure it's a hat. What don't you like it?" she giggled a bit as she stared at it.

"So how's Luca?" He blinked several times.

"How did you know it was Butterfly?" She giggled some more.

"Two things. A) you would never wear that hat unless it was from her. I couldn't even get you to wear that hat if I had gotten it anywhere else and B) you never leave a party to chase after a girl. You're polite to them because Papa demands it but you aren't really interested in them. Luca is the rare exception." Tyki chuckled.

"Fair enough. I do like her a lot and yes the hat was from her. Was there anything else you needed? I still have two more presents to unwrap." Road pouted.

"Does that mean you aren't coming back to the party." He nodded.

"Yeah I'm done for the night." She sighed sadly but he made a face at her. "Don't do that. It's not nice to guilt trip me." She pouted again.

"Fine. Enjoy your presents. Happy Birthday Tyki." she smiled and then ran back down the hall. Tyki returned to his bed and the half opened present. She was too good at this. All currently published Sherlock Holmes books sat in front of him. Between this and Edgar Allen Poe he'd be busy for at least a while. The last present was small enough to fit in his hand. A pocket watch. It was smooth and silver. He hummed as he clicked it open. The inside of the top was engraved. A rabbit wearing a waist coat with the words "I'm late! I'm late! I'm late for a very important date!" he groaned. Still he loved it. Tyki glanced at the side where there was a small button. Curiously he clicked it. The bottom of the watch clicked up revealing a compass underneath the watch. Again it was engraved. The Cheshire cat grinned back at him with it's words above it's head. "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there." Tyki laughed at it. She sure was a strange girl.

* * *

Luca slipped down the dark snowy road. She hadn't be expecting Tyki to catch her but it was nice to see him. The snow fell silently as she made her way back. Hurried footsteps began to approach her.

"Wait!" She whirled around ready for the attacked but the akuma held out his hands in surrender. "I'm not here to fight. Master Noah just asked me to deliver these to you." Slowly the akuma retrieved two presents. She took them cautiously. The akuma smiled. "Thank you. Good evening Miss." Luca shook her head as Hunter killed it. "I knew you were going to do that." She smiled.

"Rest in peace." The rest of the trip was quick and the warm feeling in her chest, keeping her warm all the way home. She slid into her room after checking on Allen, the dreamcatcher pinned to his wall glowing dimly in the dark. She smiled as she took off her cloak and boots before she could wait no longer. She tore the paper off the first after removing the bow which she stuck to her head. It was a necklace box. A silver choker sat in the box. She gasped and lightly traced intricate designs of the necklace and the opals that were set in it. "Oh this is beautiful. Damn that man. He's got impeccable taste. This is gorgeous." she whispered softly. Gently she set it back in the box and opened the next one sticking the other bow on the other side of her head. She snorted at herself and how ridiculous she must look but giggled anyway. It was fun. Slowly she unwrapped the second present. She hadn't been expecting him to get her one, never mind two but it made her grin. She pulled the box open and gasped. Slowly she pulled the beautiful handcrafted black carousel music box. She wound it up. Haunting music drifted out from it. Sighing she changed into her pajamas and lay on her bed just listening to the music as it played. She wound it up once more and flicked off the lights. As she drifted off she couldn't help but feel that she forgotten something. Oh well, it probably wasn't important.

* * *

 **Alright so one thing to explain, I know that I have stated that the Walker siblings are pagans yet they are celebrating Christmas instead of Winter Solstice. You have to remember where they are. Especially with Lvellie holding the threat of being heretics over their heads. The last thing they should be doing is showing any sign of worship for something else. So even though they are pagans they are also trying to keep their heads on.**

 **I know it's a bit of a short piece but it's Christmas and it's suppose to be fluffy! As always please review! It brings me such joy and inspires me to write more and faster! Next week we will have the New Years chapter where people get drunk and then get out through the ark! Wish them good luck! Merry Christmas/Happy (insert Holiday of choice)! Have a good week! Chesh out~!**


	38. Bad Decisions Everywhere!

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! Yay! *tosses party hat and noise maker over shoulder* well now that's done with let's get down to it. One note before we get into the reviews from the Christmas chapter, the hellhound's size in this chapter is canon! Please note that the racial slur you find in here is not my own opinion merely that of a drunk person making a bad decision. It says nothing of what I think of that person's race. Thank you for understanding.**

 **NOTE 1: For those of you asking about what song Luca's music box plays. At the time I couldn't find the right song and didn't want to settle for one that wasn't perfect so I waited. If you want to hear the song go on youtube and look up "** **Requiem For A Dream Music Box Version" by Lucas King. That is the song her music box plays!**

 **NOTE 2: It's hard to believe that it's been 200 reviews! It means a lot to think that 200 times somebody has written a response to it 200 times. Thank you so much for sticking with me and Luca and this story! Now reviews!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, Thank you and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope you enjoy this one just as much!**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, Your excitement is visible despite the screen between us! The presents were actually a bit hard to come up with. Some I knew for months. I thought she'd get a kick out of making him the mad hatter's hat. Whiskey filled chocolate is always a win (unless you're Allen), Sherlock Holmes has murder which is his favorite and the watch/compass has special meaning ;D. Yule sent me the idea of the necklace for Luca and the music box was my own idea. Anything to do with Mana is a plus for Allen so that one was easy. Allen is known for getting lost and having frequent nightmares so the compass and the dreamcatcher were also pretty easy to come up with. The first one was easy, Allen's favorite food is dango so she went with that. I think my favorite part was her throwing them in the closet and the fact that everybody just ignored it. XD I hope this chapter lives up to your standards!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, It's wonderful to hear that you loved it! I hope you love this one as well!**

 **Dear Kp, You're very welcome. I was nervous but it's good to know that you loved it. I tried to make it everything you wanted and incorporate what you loved about the scarecrow chapter. Mazes are always fun because apparently Luca and Tyki both suck at them. They're both too much of dorks to not get presents for each other. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Bunny~chan, Thank you so much. It's hard to believe that it's been 200 reviews, of course it's more now but still! When it doubt shove them all tied up in a closet. Komui knew that he would be safer out of the closet. Granted Luca gave him the evil eye all through the party but oh well. The music box for Allen was the main present she made him. It took the most time out of all his other ones. He's right in the fact that it took her days to get the statue perfect. Tyki's trying to hang onto a bit of his pride. I think it's cute. The answers to what the compass does is in this chapter! Yes they have a problem, I can't wait until one of them goes overboard and other people start to notice. Luca made her gifts because they were important and she wanted it to be exactly right and nobody else could make what she pictured in her head. It is sad that it isn't canon. Unfortunately Christmas in canon is bittersweet and happens at the worst possible time. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, Yeah gifts for everyone. Several gifts for everyone. Luca is always the one to go above and beyond for her friends and family. The music box for Allen was my favorite gift I think. She did say "well, less lost" there's only so much magic can do but she's making an attempt at it. I will totally admit to laughing at the image of Tyki's best attempt to hide from them all. He doesn't seem to be all that interested in most woman and has plainly stated that those kind of events are boring and wear him out yet Sheril doesn't care and Tyki must play by the rules so his best option is to hide and then chase after Luca, or rather "investigate" the exorcist at the party. Joyd telling Tyki that he's an idiot is not anything new but he is. Tyki's just tuning him out in favor of "investigating" Luca's appearance at the house. It's far harder to remain indifferent when she's already leaving when she just got there. He has to suddenly face the fact that he's missed her and now she's going to be gone again. In that moment his pride doesn't matter. As always you crack me up! Poor Allen. His sister is a hard one to deal with. Honestly the issues these two have about emotional attachment is as long as your arm. Opals are lovely but they are also her birthstone so that's why he picked them and she'll definitely find a place to wear them ;) And yes Luca majorly loves shiny things XD Music is one of Luca's favorite things. She will take it wherever she can get it and the music box was gorgeous. Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter and I can't wait to hear from you again! And yeah they'll be fine...probably and if not. Oh well! XD**

The party was in full swing. Luca wandered around avoiding certain groups of people. Another year that they had survived and another year to fight in a war for the world. She snorted and sipped at the punch in her cup. She could still feel Lvellie's glare burning into her back. She had gotten into a world of trouble for not only locking him and Link in the closet but then forgetting about them, leaving them trapped until Peck had gone into the closet looking for something. Still it had been worth it. Allen had enjoyed his birthday without his shadow and the angry glare of the Inspector. So it was fine. Komui had snickered and given her a high five behind the pair's back. She couldn't help but smile, it was all good, the choker around her neck glistened in the light. The new necklace was beautiful. Her friends has all commented on it. She only smiled when they ask where she had got it. All of the Black Order's employees were here. Even the finders had been called home to celebrate the New Year. It didn't mean much to Luca. It was just another year. Still the others looked like they were having fun. Luca downed the rest of her punch and drifted back over to the food table. She was, as usual, hungry. Filling her plate with food and then refilling her drink she gravitated to a small table in the back. Her food was gone before she was full but that wasn't anything new. She took another drink of the punch and then stopped. That wasn't right. Slowly she took another drink this time holding the liquid in her mouth allowing the taste to settle on her tongue. She glanced around as she swallowed. Somebody had spiked the punch. She could taste the whiskey. Getting up she walked over and filled another cup with water. She needed to balance it out. Luckily she hadn't had much of the punch just a cup. Some of the others were beginning she show signs of drunkenness. Lavi and Lenalee were high on the list along with Daisya and Komui. Miranda and Krory looked a bit tipsy but not drunk, yet. It was at this point that she noticed that Johnny and Reever were passed out in the corner. Getting up she walked over to Allen.

"I think we have a problem." He glanced at her. Her voice despite it being a whisper told him that it was urgent.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Somebody's spiked the punch. I can taste the whiskey." Allen looked down at his cup.

"Well that would explain why I didn't like it and why it reminded me of master." She smiled ruefully at his comment. God she missed her master.

"Past trauma aside look at the others. I don't think they've noticed. Lenalee and Lavi are down right drunk. Daisya and Komui aren't far behind. Reever and Johnny have already passed out." Allen glanced around attempting to locate the people mentioned.

"Lu, I can't find Lenalee or Lavi or Daisya or Miranda or Krory." Luca's head snapped around.

"Al, is the ark still open?" she asked after she too could not find the people mentioned. His silver eyes grew wide and the Walker siblings shot out of the room. A slightly tipsy Link stumbled after them yelling to slow down and not leave him behind again. Rushing to the ark Luca reached out with her ki. "They're already through. Which doors are open?" Allen ran through them in his head.

"Only one! The one in Portugal! Where we were on our last mission!" Link struggled to keep up with them as the darted out the gate. It was quiet with most people at parties or in the bars drinking away their worries and celebrating.

"Okay they couldn't have gotten far! So where would our drunk friends go? They know nothing about Portugal except for Lavi."

"Can't you just sense them?" Allen asked panicked.

"Allen there are far too many people in Portugal for me to do that. To pick a couple of people out of an entire country would be impossible. If we get close enough I'll be about to pick up on their aura but until then we have to hunt for them they old fashioned way." Allen sighed.

"But we don't even know where to start?" Luca glanced around. She didn't have much of an idea. No more than Allen did anyway.

"Um, uh," she paused to think. "What about my hellhounds? Maybe they could sniff them out?" She offered. It was the best idea she had.

"I don't have a better idea so lets go for it."

"Do you have anything of theirs?" Allen paused to think for a minute.

"I got nothing." Luca glanced around.

"Hmmm. We can't track them if the hounds have nothing to smell. Without a scent there's no way for them to know who we're searching for."

"I'll go grab something from Lavi's room. His is closer." Allen ran back through. Luca poked around for a bit while she waited for him. She found nothing.

"Ugh where are they? Where did they go? How could they have gotten so far?"

"Lu? Where did you go?" Upon hearing Allen calling for her she headed back the way she came.

"I'm right here." Allen handed her the headband.

"Where's the hellhound?" He looked around but couldn't locate the glowing green wolf.

"I haven't summoned it yet. I'm still not used to my new diet or lack there off. So I'm trying to conserve energy." He nodded.

"That makes sense. I'll help you figure out how to eat properly for your innocence tomorrow. Does that work?" she nodded. "Alright lets go find our drunk friends before they get themselves in trouble or hurt or worse."

"Invoke! Eternal Hunter! Reap, Summoner's mark: Hellhounds!" A single wolf made of mist appeared by her side, shoulder to shoulder with it's mistress. Allen handed her the headband to which she let the wolf smell. The siblings watched as the wolf sniffed around for a moment before it took off running down the lane. "Guess he found Lavi's scent. Let's go!" Luca ran after the hound with Allen hot on her heels. The twist and turns of the streets kept them on their toes till the large creature leapt over one of the buildings. A scream came from the other side. Both jumped up and over after it. They found the wolf standing in an alleyway with one foot pinning Lavi down. "Well I guess that's one way to do it." Allen just started laughing as their friend flailed and screamed some more trying to free himself from the innocence.

"I don't think he's happy about his current predicament." Luca snorted clearly highly amused by her friend's pointless struggle. They hopped down and Luca whistled for the wolf to move. Allen offered the older exorcist his hand. Lavi latched onto him like a baby koala. Luca raised an eyebrow and watched in enjoyment as Allen struggled to remove the taller boy with little luck. Instead they both tumbled over backwards. Luca winced as they hit the ground.

"Well that looked like it hurt. You okay Al?"

"Sorta." came the answer followed by a moan of pain. "Can you get him off he's heavy. I need my lungs." Luca laughed and walked over prying the drunk off her brother. Instead he latched onto her sobbing about the big bad wolf and something about himself being little red riding hood and how he didn't want to be eaten. God she needed a drink. Luca reached back to her belt and pulled her flask free. Three sips and then she put it back. She was gonna need more whiskey if she wanted to make it through the night.

Tyki glanced around the large ballroom in boredom. The party his brother was hosting had to be one of the most boring he had ever been to and that was saying something. He pulled out the pocket watch that Butterfly had given him. He normally didn't carry one around but somehow it managed to smell like her. Joyd whined in the back of his head. She hadn't been with them for very long. The length between seeing her was far too long. The last time it had been October. The last day of October. Now it was the last day of December and they had only seen her for a few minutes on the 25 which didn't feel long enough to count. How she knew it was his birthday he had yet to figure out. But that wasn't anything new. Butterfly would forever be a mystery to him. Just a good one that he enjoyed unraveling. His clock read 11:30. God, it was still half an hour away and the party probably wouldn't end until 3 in the morning. He grabbed another glass of champagne and downed it in one go. Sheril had found his whiskey reserve and confiscated it before the party saying that it was rude to be drunk in the company of guests. Like he cared about that or most anything else his brother said. So champagne would have to do. He'd lost count of how many glasses he had but it wasn't nearly enough. He was still far too sober. _I don't think the champagne is gonna cut it_ , he sighed.

 _Butterfly,_ Joyd bemoaned still missing the absent girl. _Where...Butt...er...fly?_

 _She's not here Stupid. If she was you'd know. You're just going to have to wait. I miss her too you know. So quit whining_ , he huffed irritably at the memory. Said memory retreated to the back of his mind to pout. Tyki leaned against the wall hiding out in the shadows. He could see Madame lurking around looking for him, her daughter in tow. He was doing his best to avoid another dance. He had been dancing all evening and he was was done and ready to go to bed. Unfortunately Madame spotted him. He sighed before she got close enough to see and pasted a smile on.

"There you are Lord Mikk! I was worried that you were sick again. Lord Kamelot had said that you were dreadfully ill for a while. Most of spring if I remember correctly." He nodded.

"Yes I caught something rather nasty during one of my travels. It was a while before the doctor cleared me." Tyki smiled easily. If only he had caught what he had actually wanted. He couldn't help but wonder if Joyd would have taken Butterfly with them when they left the old ark or not. The memory didn't answer him, still sulking at the fact that their girl was currently elsewhere and out of reach.

"That's terrible. I'm so glad that you're all better now." _Yeah I'm sure. You can't force your daughter onto me if I'm not here_ , Tyki snorted in his mind. He knew he couldn't say it out loud but it was true. _3, 2, 1_ , he counted down. "I would oh so appreciate if you would grace my daughter with another dance."

"Of course. I'd be honored." He wasn't actually honored he was annoyed but he knew Sheril would kill him if he turned her down. Keeping a sigh in he took the girl, who's name he still did not know, by the hand and led her to the dance floor. The song began and so did Joyd's tirade. The memory had taken to throwing a fit rather loudly every time he was with a girl that wasn't Butterfly, Lulu Bell and Road didn't count as they were family. He only wanted their Butterfly. None of these other girls were good enough or would even suffice. Of course the memory didn't understand the mechanics of living with those of high society and that he couldn't just ignore them or be rude to them or that Desires, as he knew Sheril to be, would be angry with them or the fact, which the memory kept ignoring was that they didn't know where Butterfly was! The Order had moved after Lulu Bell's attack. He had even checked to see if he could sneak in and steal her away but the building was empty and partially destroyed. He didn't know what had happened there but whatever it was had been exciting. The song ended and Tyki once again disappeared into the crowd. It was too hot in the room, he felt like he couldn't breathe. He was also hoping that it would quiet Joyd down a bit. The garden was quiet and safe. He sat down on a bench.

"What are you doing Tyki?" Said man jumped when Road's voice came from above him. He looked up to find her hanging over the railing of the balcony. Clearly he needed to go deeper into the garden to get some peace.

"Taking a break. I'm tired of dancing and dealing with these ladies." Road grinned.

"Do you miss her?" He made a face at her. Road was the only one privy to the depth of his feelings or even the full extent of the relationship he had with Luca. She clearly enjoyed lording this over his head.

"Yes. Joyd's throwing a fit about her absence." Road chuckled.

"Joyd's always been one of the more possessive memories. Her short visit on Christmas probably did little to satisfy him." Tyki chocked on the glass of champagne he was drinking.

"How do you know that it was short? You didn't know until I opened the door." Road giggled.

"I saw her when she slipped in. You're not the only one who recognizes her smell. She smells good and it lingers around her. It's also a rather distinct smell which was what really gave her away. Red looks good on her." she noted licking her lollipop. He sighed.

"Yeah it wasn't long enough but apparently she wanted to deliver the presents in person."

Road grinned before asking, "Presents? As in several?" He nodded.

"Yeah, speaking of which did you tell her when my birthday was?" Road shook her head.

"Nope! I couldn't have. I was never alone with her. I didn't meet her until she showed up in the ark and it didn't really seem like the place to tell her random trivia about you. I kinda thought she was gonna die or that we'd take her with us when we left so it wouldn't matter. I wasn't expecting the bookman to beat me or for that general to show up. I wonder how she knew it."

"Yeah me too but she did. Even gave me presents for it." He stood as he finished the champagne. He flicked the pocket watch open to look at the time. 11: 37.

"I didn't know you kept a watch. It's beautiful where did you get it?"

"It's from Butterfly. One of my presents. I think she made it."

"Ooooh. Wonderful craftsmanship. I wonder if she'd make something for me." Tyki clicked the clock open to look at the compass.

"I think I'm done for the night. Time to find out where this leads."

"It's a compass it leads to the north."

"Nope. I checked it. Doesn't lead to the north."

"There where does it point to?"

"Time to find out." he handed her the empty glass and left following the needle which was pointing north.

Luca collapsed in the booth with Allen across from her. They had their drunk friends boxed in between them and the wall which allowed them to rest for a moment after chasing them all over town. Lavi started to climb up over the booth but the girl merely grabbed him and yanked him back into his seat.

"Okay do we have everyone?" Allen looked up from where he was resting his head at his sister's question.

"Lavi, Krory, Lenalee, and Miranda. Yep All four of the escapees accounted for."

"Excellent. Let's never do that ever again. I do have to wonder who spiked the punch though." Allen shrugged. It hadn't been him.

"I'm not sure. I didn't see anything so I don't know who did it." Luca sighed in response to her brother's answer.

"Well let's just get home before anybody notices we're missing." Allen nodded. Grabbed Lavi she pulled him from the booth. "Come on Krory let's go." The man obediently got up and followed after her while Lavi tugged and whined trying to free himself from her grasp. Lenalee was the first to escape sliding her hand out of Allen grasp and then running down the street.

"Aaahhh! Lenalee come back!" Allen shouted running after her.

"You'll never take me alive!" the girl called back over her shoulder at him. Miranda followed after them yelling and crying which spooked Krory into running away in the opposite direction. Luca whirled around to grab him before he could wander off and get lost but it caused her to lose her grip on Lavi.

" Kurva életbe (God damn it)!" Grabbing Krory by the back of his cloak she chased after the red head who was laughing uproariously as he ran from the fuming girl. "Lavi! Get back here right now! I'm not joking! The game is really old!"

"Nah nah nah nah nah! You're it!" He taunted over his shoulder as he darted around the corner with Luca hot on his heels.

"This isn't the time to be playing tag!" She snapped.

"You're only saying that because you're it! And cuz you'll never catch me!" Just as he shouted this he crashed into a tree. Luca skid to a stop as Lavi jumped up. Instead of running away and continuing their 'game' the junior bookman began to yell at the tree. "Get out of my way you son of a bitch."

"Lavi," Luca sighed before continuing, "why are you yelling at the tree?" he turned to look at her in shock.

"But Beautiful," his whine grated on her ears. "he crashed into me cuz he wasn't watching where he was going!"

Luca raised an eyebrow before questioning, "He?"

"This son of a bitch! This fucker! This asshole!" Lavi motioned at the tree with each nickname he gave it.

"Lavi, that's a tree." Her eyes narrowed as she noticed something. "Are you...are you taller?"

"Yeah, I lost a bet to a guy in a chiffon skirt," he grinned at her here and motioned to his body, "but I make these high heels work." Luca's eyes drifted down to his feet which were indeed sporting high heels. Rather familiar red high heel pumps. Her left eye twitched.

"Lavi take Lenalee's shoes off right now."

"No."

"Lavi those aren't yours. How did you even get into them? There's no way those actually fit you."

"Of course they fit me. I have the dainty little feet of a ballerina." Luca stared at him unable to comprehend what her friend had just told her who turned back to the tree and began to yell at it again.

"Having some trouble Butterfly?" A voice purred in her ear. Luca sighed at the familiar voice. She turned to face the Noah who was clearly enjoying her problem.

"Gee what was your first clue?" Tyki chuckled and his brown eyes flicked over to the exorcist still cursing and yelling at the tree.

"Is he..." he trailed off for a moment before continuing, "is he yelling at the tree?"

"Yep." She reached for her flask only to find it empty. She slid it back into place and sighed. She was far too sober for this. "Not sure who he thinks it is but he's really mad at them, apparently." Tyki burst out laughing to the annoyance of the girl next to him. "It's not funny!" She smacked him in the stomach but he just kept laughing.

"That's where you're wrong Butterfly. This is hilarious. You could sell this as entertainment." Anything the Hungarian was gonna say was cut off by Lavi's shouting increasing in volume.

"That's right you stupid Noah I think your hair looks stupid along with your feet!" Both glanced over at the teen who was still bellowing at the tree.

"Huh. I guess he's talking to one of you." she snorted. Tyki raised eyebrow. The list of Noah this kid had met was rather short. Road, Devit, Jasdero, Lulu Bell, Skin, and himself. Granted the twins did look stupid and the state of the hair was atrocious. Still he couldn't help but think that it wasn't them. He wasn't using a plural so that took the twins out of the running. The rest of them didn't look that bad. So maybe it was Skin. He, Road, and Lulu Bell all fit into society easily and were considered attractive. So who was it? The clock in the town square struck quarter to midnight.

"Is he wearing high heels?" Tyki asked upon noticing that at the moment the boy was actually taller than him.

"Yeah. Apparently he lost a bet. Speaking of which you wouldn't have happened to see my other escapee have you? He's a few centimeters taller than you, kinda looks like a vampire you met him on the train and tried to swindle him before Allen handed you your Segg (ass) on a silver platter," she smirked at him still proud of her brother before sighing. She couldn't believe the words that were about to come out of her mouth, "wearing a bright green chiffon skirt?" Tyki blinked at her a few times.

"Can't say as I have Butterfly. That's a very interesting description."

"Yeah I know." he started laughing upon seeing the expression she wore. "I'm not even sure where he got the damn thing. It also means that he's left his pants somewhere." Luca glared as the man next to her continued to laugh at her plight.

"Aw don't make that face at me Butterfly. It's a funny situation no matter how you look at it." she huffed but did smile. His laugh, when it wasn't psychotic, was infectious. Her heart thundered in her chest and she shook her head as he laughed.

"Well you've been absolutely no help and I need to go find Krory so," she turned away from him much to his disappointment and shouted to her friend still yelling at the tree, "Lavi leave the tree alone and let's go!"

"Beautiful this is not a tree. I'm clearly talking to somebody here. I'm not as think as you drunk I am." Luca just sighed as Tyki started laughing again.

"Yeah."

"I think he wants to finish his conversation first." Tyki made air quotes around the word conversation while she pouted at him and glared through her eyelashes. He grinned when he saw his necklace around her throat. It looked good on her. The opals went well with her eyes.

"Yeah I'm talking to you, you Portugee scum!" Luca's head snapped over to where Lavi was still yelling at the tree. He did not just say that! Her temper flared and she had to remind herself that the idiot was drunk. Still she didn't know how the Noah standing next to her would take it.

"Lavi! Knock it off!" The other teen ignored her.

"Don't worry about it Butterfly. It's not that big of a deal." Tyki shrugged it off. He was yelling at the tree technically.

"Still doesn't make it right. I've heard my fair share of slurs and it's never right." there was a moment of silence between the pair for a moment before she spoke again. "So I guess he's yelling at you."

"I guess so. I wonder why." Luca raised an eyebrow at the comment.

"You weren't exactly friendly or very nice in Edo ya know? I was actually pretty impressed by how well you got under his skin." Tyki glanced at her.

"I thought you missed that part."

"Oh I did. Lenalee filled me in on it afterwards. Wanted to know why I was so friendly with you when you were such a dick so I asked her what you had done while Allen and I were gone."

"What did she tell you?" He prodded ignoring that apparently her friend had called him a dick. Her friends were a tentative subject. He had to be careful how he approached it or he could end up on thin ice.

"Just that when Lavi saw you he knew that you were the one that had attacked Allen and I. Then you attacked her and held her hostage, you're lucky I wasn't there for that part." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and wondered how she would have handled it. The bookman junior had been at a disadvantage with his weapon. A hammer didn't have the means to hurt him and was easily deflected. "And that you said a bunch of things about Allen being his friend and your friends."

"So answer a question for me while you wait for him to finish."

She gave him a look before retorting, "Ask nicely." He deflated, a pout forming on his lips.

"Please."

"What do you need?" she asked with a smile. To her delight he pulled the pocket watch she gave him for Christmas out. He clicked it open and then clicked the clock up so the compass was showing.

"This compass. North doesn't actually point north. So why?" Luca grinned.

"Any old compass will tell you where north is. This one is magic. Each direction leads you somewhere special. South will lead you to a physical destination that you desire to go. West will take you in the direction you need to go if you're trying to run away from something or someone." she added in with a grin and a wink. He chuckled. An excellent way to avoid Sheril. Especially with his powers there was no such thing as a dead end for him. "East will take you where you need to go and North will lead you to your heart's deepest desire. There will always be beauty to the north." She smiled while he stared at her.

"I followed it to..." he trailed off. Slowly he put the compass away and slid the watch back into his pocket. Luca winced as Lavi increased in volume again.

"It's almost midnight and here I am in the middle of Portugal with my drunk friend yelling at a tree." Luca sighed dejectedly, "This is not how I wanted to spend new years eve." Tyki's eyes flicked up to the clock she was right. It was only a minute away. She ran her fingers through her loose curls. Her ribbon, not her favorite one thankfully, had fallen out during her scuffle with Lavi. "And I still have to find the other one and then find Allen and hope that he found Lenalee and Miranda." Tyki made a snap decision. Grabbing her arm he pulled Luca into a kiss wrapping her small body up in his arms. Her arms instantly wound around his neck with her lithe fingers threading into his hair. The bells rang signally midnight and the new year but it was missed by the couple lost in each other's embrace. He tugged on her bottom lip as he pulled away. It made a popping sound as it snapped back into place. They stayed in place merely centimeters away from each other, foreheads pressed together. She noticed how his eyes weren't just brown but the exact color of milk chocolate.

"Happy new year Butterfly." she smiled at him.

"Happy new year My Love."

 **I hope you all enjoyed these last two fun little chapters! Once again HAPPY NEW YEAR! Next week we will return to our regularly scheduled program of pain. Next chapter has some funny parts though! Instead of the chapter name I'm merely going to give you a hint about the next chapter which is: rubber ducks. Enjoy your week! Please review! Chesh is out!**


	39. Quackers: Three Days of Duckness!

**Yeah I don't know how I managed to be on time for a third week in a row. Which one of you is casting dark magic? Seriously I only got like 4 hours of sleep because I had to finish writing it last night. No idea why but I couldn't stop writing. This chapter was definitely one of the more fun ones to write. A new mystery begins and Luca harasses the Noah because she doesn't do that enough XD Anyhoo next week's chapter will be the much anticipated demon Luca chapter! After that we'll return to our regular program. Next canon chapter we'll get into the phantom G arc. You'll have to forgive the rather lackluster AN I'm dead tired. Now in the chapter with the 14** **th** **melody I forgot to put where I got the lyrics so it's here! I used AmaLee's version of it. It is beautiful and I would definitely recommend give it a listen. Onto the reviews!**

 **Dear Skiescloud, You didn't read it wrong. Kanda did put his blood into her coffee. It's a plot point. It's also from canon. ;) Enjoy the chapter.**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, We're still a few chapters off of Tyki and Luca's reunion but it is coming. I'm interested to hear how you think it's going to go! Luca can't go without at least one problem. This is her newest one. I can't wait to see if you figure it out! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Adripadher, XD I was damned a long time ago but cliffhanger, what cliffhanger? I see no cliffhanger. There will be some interesting reactions to Luca's magic abilities. You'll just have to wait for it. Road is actually doing it too but it doesn't hurt because it's not her true body so she just pretends that she didn't trip or hit anything. It's all in the way that you play it. The shoe is A) she has kleptomania and the one of the things that it drives her to steal even though it has no use to her is things from Tyki and B) as Destiny Gem said he will spend the rest of his life looking for that shoe.**

 **Dear Alexc1209, Yes your long awaited chapter with Tricia has come to be. I'm also excited to tell you that she will be playing a bigger part in Veil of Ink and Gold. So be on the look out for those chapters. I look forward to hearing what you think her role will be. Yes Luca tamed the dog rather quickly because she likes dogs and all animals love her. Allen just doesn't know anymore. Both siblings were scared of the picture collection and yeah Luca's got some new information to work with. Yes they took the book with them. It's the book she opens at the end of that chapter. Tyki does know that she was in the house. He doesn't realize that she went snooping around. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, Luca will never pass up a chance to mess with the Noah. Especially Tyki. Poor man. He has no idea what he's gotten himself into. I can't say anything else but know that another clue to your question is in this chapter. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Cam, Thanks for your support. You not having an theories is fine. I was just asking. I really like the scene between the siblings too. They're so different with each other than others but will the way they grew up I can understand it. Nope, luckily Oscar avoids the Order and the war. Tyki tries but he's not very good at it especially when it comes to Luca. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Zon Yokai Blade of the Spirits, I enjoyed writing those chapters a lot. Joyd is a very interesting, and hard, character to write. We don't know much about him so it's hard to keep him in character. Joyd did smell her but he didn't need to say anything because Tyki knew it was her because of the books. So that's why he didn't say that she was there. Since she had been in the house Joyd wasn't able to pin down where she was or that she was still there. Just that she had been in the house at some point. I hope this makes sense. I don't think that Yule and I will be doing a crossover any time soon. It would require a lot of information that she has not made public yet and I'd hate to ruin her story. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Kp, I don't think that the exorcists ever knew where the Noah lived or that Sheril was a Noah until the Alma Karma arc. Unfortunately for them Luca reads the news and made a connection. As for your questions about Hunter, all will be revealed in time but you're welcome to theorize all you want. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Bunny~chan, Tyki won't find out about the tattoo if Luca has anything to say about it. She would die of embarrassment. She's embarrassed by it now and only Allen knows about it. She really can't believe she did that. Link ruins a lot of things. I can't say anything about the spell. You'll learn more soon. I'm glad you like Daisya, he's a great character that I don't get to use much. Everything Cross gives/leaves Luca is important. Luca didn't really care at the moment. She was more worried about Allen. She's got an excuse anyway. Allen getting them lost is a pretty good cover for not finding Link so it all worked out, plus she got to screw with the Noah. Drinking is not good for anyone. Whether or not it effects her innocence is up for debate. Luca's a twit and she thoroughly enjoyed moving things, she's just sad she didn't get to watch it happen. The shoe is actually just a weird quirk of Luca's. It goes with all his top hats. Luca being sick has something to do with the plot and will be answered later. It does mean something. Luca has her reasons for not telling Komui about the information she has. Edgar Allen Poe is a classic and a fabulous writer. I felt like it fit him and her. Tyki never wants to share his butterfly. She's his. This seems obvious to him. Road's the only one who knows as far as he knows. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, Maybe he will and maybe he won't. You'll just have to read to find out. It is a pretty tattoo and Allen is trying to comfort himself with the fact that she was drunk when she did it and people do a lot of stupid things when drunk. Coffee is a strong taste and Luca doses it with creamer so she didn't taste it and even if she did she wouldn't know what it is anyway. Your theories are appreciated as well as interesting to hear and you seriously crack me up. You have great one liners. Luca and Tricia will see each other again so I can't answer your questions right now. Luca's favorite pass time is messing with the Noah. It's the best and they make the most wonderful faces. She really does. Tyki probably won't even noticed that the furniture moved at all. You'll see more of Luca's habit of collecting spell books as we move farther into the series and yes you are completely right it has nothing to do with the fact that she really wanted the book and has been looking for it for a long time. It was completely for the purpose of preventing the Noah from using it for nefarious purposes. I am impressed by your knowledge. Annabel Lee is a wonderful poem and that happens to be my line in it. It may or may not reflect on how things are going to go with Tyki and Luca. Yes Luca is sick and yes it has something to do with Eternal Hunter. You are completely right about Luca taking Tyki's shoe. She needed to take something so she chose the shoe for that reason. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear WinterYule, You're late! You're late! You're late! You're late for a very important date! Okay I'm done. Don't worry about timing. I'm always happy to receive a review. Yeah Luca is about the last person who should be a hero. She'd get along with Deadpool though. Regardless that's probably a really bad combination. You are right, Luca should watch how much she drinks. She should. She's not going to but she should. Tyki's response to the tattoo is much anticipated but it's gonna be a while and he would tease her endlessly until she retaliates. I wonder if Noah can get tattoos or if they just heal over it? Thoughts? Kanda wasn't really thinking about being practical at the time. He just had to get it done. Yes I love Luca and Daisya but I don't get to write them together very often. It's sad. Allen is really the last thing Luca has. If he dies or is erased by Neah then she loses everything. Allen is the only constant in her life so he's who she goes to in times of need. Allen already knows that she's embarrassed by the tattoo, yelling wouldn't solve anything and anyone who didn't know Tyki would think that it's just butterflies so it's not really a bad thing he just doesn't like that his sister is in love with a Noah. It is. Crows also have a meaning to Luca. The ring comes into play later. Yeah Luca should have thought about it but it a was heat of the moment decision but she's got it covered. Luca's** **metabolism** **works too well now and Luca was able to fix Scor. Tricia will be making a return and Luca lives for harassing the Noah. It's her favorite thing to do. Luca is well aware that "Black Allen" is closer to real Allen and not his mask of Mana. She knows him to well and like Cross she is trying to push him to be the real Allen. She's just more subtle about it than their guardian but that's not hard. XD Luca has reasons for keeping that information to herself and Allen trusts her. Tyki's shoe is gonna go with his top hats. Not sure how she'll hang the shoe up but she'll try. Edgar Allen Poe just seemed to fit their taste and they're good books. You're right that when she looked at Oscar she saw herself ten years ago and it was hard for her. Her past is not something she wants to look back on. Your theory on why she's sick isn't correct. Sorry, Love. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"Smile through your tears, laugh through your pain, act confident through all of your insecurities. Never let people see you hurt, because they will think they won."

* * *

Luca's eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated. She could do this. She just had to focus. If she focused she could do this. She pictured the gun in her mind and it's pieces as vividly as she could. A revolver should be easy to make. Slowly her blood formed the weapon and then exploded sending her flying back. She hit the wall with a thud and slid down, her ears ringing and her head pounding.

"Kurva életbe (god damn it)!" Allen rushed over upon hearing his sister start swearing. The dent in the wall did not bode well.

"Lu! Are you alright?" Luca grumbled at his question and rubbed the back of her head.

"Yeah I'm fine. It just blew up at me again."

"Again? How many times has it done that?" the blood lay upon on the ground. It would come alive again when she called for it.

"Uh, several. I've lost count. I can't get this thing to work. I don't know why either! I've read the book. I've read the book so many freaking times! Why can't I get it right?!" Allen glanced over at the book in question.

"Still can't make a gun without it exploding?" she nodded dejectedly as she pulled her knees up to her chest. He knew that it was her way of trying to feel close to their master. She missed him. That much was obvious. There was nothing he could do to help her. He didn't understand Hunter at all. Or guns for that matter.

"I don't get it. I've picked other things up so quickly. Why can't I get this right?"

"Maybe you should try something else for now. Or take a break. You've been at this for at least an hour." Allen looked around noticed all of the dents in the wall. "Okay seriously how long have you been doing this?"

"I dunno. A couple of hours maybe?" The girl shrugged, rubbing her left arm along her elbow. Allen groaned.

"Yep. Definitely break time."

"But I can keep going! I'm not tired."

"Fine. Call it snack time. You still aren't used to the amount of food you need to be able to use Eternal Hunter. So we're gonna have a snack. You were hungry while we were in Portugal which proves you aren't eating right."

"It wasn't that bad!" she protested only to receive his stink eye.

"Your innocence deactivated and you almost passed out. Luca your body doesn't have the reserve to power your innocence. In a pinch it can power it up for a moment but you lose that energy and body fat." Luca deflated as her brother lectured her. She could tell that he was worried and felt bad about it but, _I don't have time for this._ _I don't feel hungry not to mention that people were always looking at me. How could I eat like that? How could anyone eat like that? I see the way people look at Allen when he eats. I don't want to be that!_ Luca kept her thoughts to herself and let him tug her along to the cafeteria. Her elbow still hurt from the backlash. She sighed and started in on her snack. About 20 minutes in she noticed that despite eating she hadn't made a dent in her food at all. Glancing over she caught Allen in the act of sliding more food onto her plate.

"You little cheat." she hissed. He grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"It's for your own good?" he shrugged. "Besides you know I cheat." She huffed at him but still ate the food. _Okay maybe Allen is right I am hungry_ , she noted. She dug into the food with a bit more gusto. She paused feeling eyes burning into her back. She glanced around with her eyes, being careful to not move her head and alert her observer to the fact that she was onto them. They had to be behind her. _Or to my left,_ she sighed. _God I hate this._ Picking up Allen's spoon she cleaned it of the soup and glanced around using it as a mirror. She glared when she found the person. Chaoji sat on the other side of the cafeteria glaring at her brother. He had given them the stink eye ever since they had returned home despite Allen saving his life!

"Ungrateful little köcsög (bastard)." Luca bit out. Link looked up.

"Walker. Don't even think about it." Luca put down the orange she had been clutching in a death grip, her intentions were clear. Allen glanced over his shoulder at the Chinese man.

"He's not worth it Lu. Don't start anything with him." None of the three noticed the small butterfly which flew towards the problem with a mission in mind.

"That doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve to get his ass kicked. He's being a major fasz (dick)." Allen sighed.

"You know I don't know what that means Lu."

"I'll tell you later." Link raised an eyebrow.

"I too would like to know what that word means."

"I'm not gonna tell you. Only cool people get to learn Hungarian. You don't make the cut!" Luca stuck her tongue out at him, the silver stud flashing. Allen sighed again as the German man twitched, restraining himself from strangling the teen. It wouldn't help the situation, or that's what he kept telling himself over and over again. How did she manage to get under his skin the way she did? He opened his mouth to retort when a cry of pain brought their attention to a table on the other side of the room behind them. Chaoji was flailing around with a small black and white teez attached to his nose, hanging on like a determinded bullrider. The group was silent for a moment, all just staring at the scene before them. Slowly Allen leaned over to Luca.

"Uh, Lu?"

"Hmm?" she hummed back in response.

"Did you, uh, did you tell him to do that?" he asked hoping to whatever god would listen to him that his sister's deranged carnivorous pet wasn't actually getting a mind of it's own.

"Nope!" Ah well, the gods hated him anyway so what did he really expect? "I thought he was eating his breakfast," she glanced over at the abandoned steak, "but it looks like he decided to do something else." she grinned as she watched the chaos. "Can't say that I mind it though. He's so cute and now he just does what he wants. They grow up so fast." Luca giggled playing the part of adoring parent. Chaoji continued to thrash around trying to dislodge the golem. The little butterfly lost his grip and flew off, bouncing down the table a couple times before getting up and flying back in for another attack at top speed. Luca fell into a fit of laughter. God she loved that little butterfly.

"Invoke! Arms of Baptisim!" Luca's head snapped up just in time to see the large gloves appear over the Chinese man's hand. Gambit was made of dark matter so just like the akuma if he was hit with innocence he would be destroyed. Allen and Link just blinked at the spot where the Hungarian exorcist had been merely seconds ago. Just as Chaoji brought his hand down his wrist was caught in a vice like grip, her face dark and stormy.

"Don't even think about it te mocskos fasz (you dirty fuck)." Gambit chirped happily at the appearance of his mistress and fluttered up to perch on her head.

"Keep your little monster to yourself then." he snapped back glaring at her. Her face didn't change.

"I suggest you learn your place you whiny little szuka (bitch)." He grew furious. He had no idea what she had called him but he knew it haden't been kind. He tried to pull his wrist free but she tightened her grip until it was painful.

"My place? My place is here! My place is on the battlefield! Fighting against evil to save the world." Luca snorted and rolled her eyes, dropping his wrist.

"Yeah whatever you say, moron." she turned to walk away.

"Unlike you and that traitorous Noah you call a brother."

"Nyelt volna le inkább anyád (Your mother should've swallowed you)!" Nobody could move fast enough to stop the girl. She whirled around and punched him. The older exorcist flew back and went straight through the wall and tumbled backwards several times before skidding to a stop laying face down.

"Walker!" Link shouted as he and Allen rushed over along with a numerous other people.

"Húzzon a faszára a retkes sírásó te mocskos geci (The dirty gravedigger pull you on his dick you filthy fucker)!" Allen grabbed Luca holding her back before she could continue to pound the man into the dirt as she shrieked savagely.

"Take a walk!" Link yelled at her. Allen nodded and dragged the livid girl away. It wasn't until they were several halls away from the commotion that he let go of her.

"That wasn't a good idea Lu. You're gonna get in trouble for that."

"I don't care. It was worth it. I feel a lot better." she smirked remembering the feeling of her fist connecting with his face. She knew that his nose was at least broken. She hoped it was more than that. "Better than I've felt since we got home." Allen sighed. The pair had been at each other's throats since Allen had been discovered as the fourteenth. The man had been hostile to them before that but it got worse after.

"Let's go into town Luca, there's a large flea market in town. Maybe you'll find something there." She sighed and nodded, allowing her brother to lead her to the ark and into town. The pair wandered the grounds of the large market. She came to stop at one of the stands.

"Can I help you miss? Is there something in particular that you're looking for?" Luca shook her head.

"No not really. Just looking for something to cheer myself up." He grinned.

"Do you like cute things?"

"Yeah I guess." She shrugged.

"Then I have the perfect thing for you." She raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. "Would you look at this?" In his hand he held a tiny bright yellow rubber duck.

"Aw, you're right it is cute." An evil idea drifted into her head causing a large smile to spread across her face. "How many of these do you have?"

"246." She grinned at him.

"I'll take them all." he blinked at her in surprise.

"Are you sure about that Miss?" She nodded.

"Oh yes. I'm positive."

"Alright then. Let me box these all up for you." She grinned and payed the man.

"Allen! Come help me carry these!" Her brother jogged over to her with Link in tow. He must have followed them, not that it was anything new.

"Find something?" she nodded and started stacking boxes into their arms.

"I am not your mule Walker. It's not my job to lug your things around."

"Link, I don't care. It wouldn't kill you to make yourself useful once in a while." The man grumbled but carried the boxes as instructed. The three flitted around the market for a while with Luca buying a few more things. Mostly cogs, wires, gears, and old pocket watches for her clockwork creatures. She was getting low on supplies. It was getting dark by the time they headed back. Luca was in the middle of sorting through her new things when there was a knock at the door. That had to be Komui. She opened the door, leaning against the frame.

"I'd like to speak to you in my office." She nodded.

"Yeah I figured." The walk was silent. Neither in the mood to speak to the other. Luca made herself comfortable on the couch across from his desk.

"Did you really have to punch him?" She almost laughed at his words.

"Yeah I kinda did. He should know better. You can say whatever you want about me but leave my brother out of it." Komui sighed.

"So he said something about Allen?" she nodded.

"While I understand your feelings about it, this behavor is unacceptable Luca." she raised an eyebrow at him.

"So what you're telling me is that next time I should build a giant robot to chase him around and eliminate him instead?" Komui opened his mouth to argue but closed it when he realized what she was talking about and that she had a point.

"Fair enough. I can't really throw any stones there. You are very lucky that Lvellie isn't here this week. I have no doubt that Link will report it but I will tell him that you were punished. Consider this a warning Luca. Don't do it again." She nodded as she stood up.

"Of course. I wouldn't dream of it." He snorted.

"Now why don't I believe that for a second?" she grinned at him and waved as she left the office. As she walked back to her room she allowed her thoughts to wander. She considered going to see Head Nurse. At first she had thought in was just her imagination or her getting her hopes up but now she was sure of it. Her vision on her left side wasn't as dark. It was far lighter since she had first notice it the day she found her tattoo. She rubbed her leg out of habit and rolled her eyes. Luca switched her thoughts to today she had picked up one more thing at the flea market. She just needed to make a few adjustments to it before she could deal with it but that could happen tomorrow. She had something else in mind for the night. Grabbing the first box of ducks she snuck into the ark. Portugal was quiet in the dead of the night. Silently she broke into the house. All the occupants were asleep. For a moment she considered drawing on their faces but decided against. If one of them was a light sleeper than she would surely get caught. So she settled for her original plan. Box in hand she found the main bathroom. This was going to be good.

* * *

Sheril stumbled into the bathroom and flicked the light on. Why did he think it was a good idea to wake up at 5 in the morning? The rest of the house was quiet. Tricia was still asleep in their bed, Tyki and Road asleep in their own beds. He stepped up to the sink and began to wash his face as his thoughts drifted. While he had been furious that his brother had been harmed as well as the scars that marred his beautiful skin he did enjoy the fact that it meant Tyki was around now instead of hanging out with those hobo friends of his. Now if only he could convince his brother to get married and settle down that would be perfect. Of course there was still the issue of Allen Walker but the boy would die soon enough. Road's infatuation with him was bad enough but the damage he had done to Tyki was inexcusable. Simply inexcusable. Sheril planned on personally tearing the boy limb from limb as slowly and as painfully as possible. The mere though brought a smile to his face. He leaned against the sink as he stared at his own face. The smile dropped as he examined his features. While he was handsome he would freely admit that Tyki was far better looking than himself. It truly was a crime to destroy someone of his beauty with ghastly scars. The Earl had done all he could to help but the scars were unavoidable. He said they were lucky Tyki wasn't completely swallowed by the memory in the first place.

Sighing he rid himself of the thoughts of his younger brother who had been acting weird. He had things to do and being distracted was not in his best interest. Tyki would still be here when he returned home. He stripped himself of his clothing and turned to get in the bath only to stop. He blinked once, twice, thrice. He rubbed his eyes. Maybe he was still asleep? He reached down and touched one. Nope. It was real. Maybe he was dreaming and his darling daughter was just playing a harmless little prank? Yeah that had to be it.

"Okay Road, very funny. I need to get ready for work so it's time to let me out now." He got no response. He tried again. "Why don't you go and play with Tyki and his dreams?" This offer was also ignored. "Road I'm not joking anymore. Release me." Still nothing. Slowly he bent down and picked up one of the rubber ducks. There was nothing special about it. It was just a regular old rubber duck. Sighing he began to gather up the ducks and move them out of the bath. Why they were there he didn't know nor did he have the time to question it. He would have to deal with it later.

* * *

Luca tossed and turned in her bed. Despite the joy her little late night adventure had brought her she still couldn't sleep. So many thoughts swirled around in her head keeping sleep just out of reach. She rolled over again and tried to get comfortable but it was almost impossible.

"It doesn't matter how you struggle. You will never escape. All of your efforts are futile. You was die in vain just as all of those before you have." A voice, she hadn't heard in several years, echoed in her head. She sighed and sat up cradling her head in her hands. She had hoped that the voice would have been gone for good. "You're such a pretty girl, you'll grow up to be a beautiful woman if you live that long." Luca slowly reached back with her right hand to rub the back of her left shoulder. She could feel the thick scar tissue through the thin fabric of her shirt.

"Yeah, if you say so." Throwing the blanket off she got up. Walking across the room she grabbed her book from her desk and sat back down. Gambit chirped sleepily from his special pillow in the corner of the bed that he shared with Scor. "Don't worry about it Gambit. She opened the book to the section on revolvers. She had read it so many times that she swore she could remember every detail yet she was clearly still missing something. After reading the chapter she got up and left her room. She didn't care that her shorts and loose tee shirt that wasn't hers, probably one of Lavi's she concluded, weren't considered appropriate to be out in but they were her pajamas and nobody was awake at this time so it didn't matter. Her golems sat on her shoulders both still tired. She flicked the lights on in the training room. "Eternal Hunter activate." the innocence slithered out of her stigmata at the command. She took the time to picture each part in her head as she built the gun from the inside out. She grinned as it took shape. "Yes I did it!" As if to prove her wrong the gun exploded and she flew back and hit the ground hard before rolling to a stop. "Francba (fuck)!" She got up and stalked over to the book. "What did I miss?" she read through the list of parts again. There were so many parts that she wasn't even sure which one she was missing. "Why can't I get this right?"

"Your fate is sealed. Get out while you still can. Quitting is the only way you'll make it out alive." Luca shook the scornful voice away. How was it possible that the woman's words were still haunting her. Would she ever get away? She didn't want away from the war; she wanted away from the voice. She dismissed the thought and flipped to a different page. Perhaps a shot gun would be easier? Again it exploded. She tried again. Another explosion, another dent in the wall. Again she got up. Again it failed. Taking a deep breath to calm her anger she decided to try something else. A sniper rifle. She had always wanted one. This too exploded. Over and over she ordered her innocence to take the shape of a gun and every time it rejected the form. Finally she collapsed against the wall. She couldn't find the energy to get up and try again.

"Deactivate." the innocence returned to her veins while she laid her head in her hands. She sighed and closed her eyes. She just needed to rest them for a minute then she would start training again. She had to get this right. It was so easy, she just wasn't doing it right. That had to be it. Her mind slowly turned off and darkness consumed her. She woke up in her bed.

Deciding that the early morning had been terrible enough she decided to do something fun and torture Komui a bit. She still owed him for sending her to the Himalayas when she distinctly told him what would happen if he ever sent her somewhere cold ever the white bundle she made her way to her friend's room. Lenalee blinked in surprise when she found Luca standing at her door.

"Luca? What's up? Are you okay? You weren't at breakfast."

"I had a hard time falling asleep so I slept later than I normally do. I didn't mean to worry you." Lenalee wasn't sure she really believed her friend but decided not to push it. If she did her friend would close down. If it got really bad Allen would tell them, at least she hoped. The boy's words still rang in her head. The Walker siblings were so closed off from the rest of the world, even those that they considered their friends.

"Well at least you managed to get to sleep." Luca smiled in a way that concerned Lenalee greatly. "So what do you have there?" she gestured to the white bundle. Luca's smile only brightened at the question and Lenalee couldn't help but feel as if she had made a terrible mistake.

"Oh this? It's a dress I bought for you. I was hoping you would try it on that way I can see if it needs to be tailored at all. It's really pretty." she smiled. Lenalee was at war with herself. On the one hand she knew that smile meant the younger girl was up to no good but on the other one she wanted to believe that her friend was just trying to be nice. "Please." Luca begged upon seeing the conflicted look. Finally Lenalee smiled.

"Of course. You were nice enough to buy me a dress of course I'll try it on."

"Perfect!" Luca chirped enthusiastically.

Lavi wandered down the hall. Nothing interesting had happened recently and he was bored. He paused when he heard Lenalee and Luca chatting in the former's room. He leaned in to listen to the conversation. It sounded like they were talking about a dress which was weird because he knew for a fact that Luca had never worn a dress in her life and was very proud of that particular fact. He couldn't help it and knocked on the door. His curiosity got the better of him. Lenalee's voice drifted in.

"Come in!" Lavi opened the door and blinked several times. Lenalee stood in the middle of her room decked completely in white. Luca was moving around her fixing different aspects of the dress. "Oh hey Lavi." Lenalee waved cheerfully while Luca turned around and waved at him too. He noted the evil gleam in Luca's eye. This was going to be trouble which usually meant that it was going to be fun.

"Hey Lena, Beautiful. What are you two doing?"

"Luca bought me this dress. She hasn't let me see it yet. Says it's a surprise for when she's done fixing it. Does it look good?" He nodded.

"Yeah you look fantastic." Oh yeah Luca was up to something alright. "So Beautiful what made you decide on this particular dress?" She looked at him over Lenalee's shoulder and pressed a finger to lips. Ahh, it was a secret. He grinned. This was definitely going to be fun.

"I think so too but maybe we should have a third opinion?" Luca grinned ignoring the question. "Lavi, I'm almost done adjusting it, would you be so kind as to go find Komui and ask him to meet us in the cafeteria please? I think we should show the dress off don't you?" she batted her eyelashes at the older teen who nodded.

"Yeah sure. Others should see this. You look really beautiful Lena. The others are gonna love this. Komui will lose it when he sees how gorgeous you look." Lavi winked at Luca and left the room. Oh yeah he knew what she was up to now. Hopefully nobody would die.

"Don't I get to see it first?" Lenalee questioned. Luca just shook her head.

"I want to see what Komui thinks of it first. He is your brother after all. I always ask Allen his opinion when I try something on. Don't you trust Komui's judgement?" Lenalee was quiet for a moment.

"Okay. Let's go." Grinning Luca offered the girl her hand and they left together. They looks they were getting wonderful but Luca managed to keep the older girl engulfed in conversation to the point that she didn't notice the other people who followed them. Luca grinned as they walked up to the cafeteria. She could already feel both Komui and Lavi's presences in the room. She released her friend's hand and threw the doors open with a flourish before stepping to the side. Immediately the entire room went silent. "Well? How do I look?" Lenalee asked giving a slow turn. Every jaw dropped. Allen recovered first.

"You look great! It's really beautiful. You look stunning." Though he quickly turned to his sister who wasn't even bothering to hide her Cheshire grin.

"Yeah real great!" Lavi grinned and gave her a thumbs up. "Like a princess right out of a fairy tale." The words seemed to snap Komui out of it.

"LENALEE WHY ARE YOU WEARING A WEDDING DRESS?!" He shrieked at the top of his lungs sobbing completely. "You're not allowed to get married without telling me!"

"What? It's a wedding dress?" Lenalee asked looking down at the dress. "Luca!" she immediately turned on her friend.

"I said it was a dress. I never said it wasn't a wedding dress." she shrugged still grinning. "Well I'm off to find the groom." she hummed, heading for the door. The final piece clicked in place for Komui and he attacked Lenalee, wrapping her up in a hug.

"NO! I won't allow you to marry my dear sweet Lenalee to that foul monster! She's too pure! She's too innocent! I won't allow it! I simply won't allow it! I'll fight you if I have to!" Luca turned to look at him as he continued his rant.

"Oh? I think I wanna see this? I know for a fact that you still haven't gotten the next Komlin up and running so what are you going to do to me anyway?" He ignored her retort.

"Hey that's enough. Alright Luca you've had your fun. He's going to have an aneurysm at this rate. Please stop antagonizing him."

Luca pouted but sighed anyway, "I don't really know where the Earl is anyway so I guess I'll stop." The entire room blanched causing her to laugh along with Lavi.

"Beautiful that is sick and wrong." The girl shrugged in response.

"How dare you try to marry my dear Lenalee to that evil octopus!" Komui charged.

"Eeep!" Luca ran for her life with the Chinese man hot on her tail. Lenalee just sighed watching them leave.

"The only problem is now I can't get out of the dress."

It was late into the night by the time Komui had stopped his hunt for the Hungarian who had ditched him not long after he started chasing her. She ducked back into her room and grabbed another box. Avoiding people she snuck back onto the ark and out into Portugal. She vaguely wondered how long she could keep doing this? Would she get caught or would she get bored first. So many things could go wrong yet the bolts of electricity shooting up her spine was undeniable. She patted Ghost on the head as she entered the dark house and climbed the stares to the bathroom. The ducks from the night were still there which meant she didn't need all of the ones she had brought this time.

* * *

Sheril groaned as the alarm went off. He needed a vacation. This he knew. He slid out from under Tricia and out of bed. He flipped the light to the bathroom on and began his morning routine. He wasn't plagued by the same thoughts as he had been before. The Earl had visited that day and brought Lulu Bell with him. She had grown closer to Tyki since she had failed to retrieve the egg. Tyki seemed to enjoy being near her. If he couldn't get his younger brother to marry at least Lulu Bell was better company than anything he would find without ruining reputations. Sheril paused for a moment to wonder how his thoughts, especially in the morning, always drifted to his younger brother. _Perhaps it's this whole business with the memory and his injuries_ , he mused. _He's had us all very worried for a while now. It's good to see that he seems to be getting better._ The Portuguese man moved to turn the bath on and immediately his eye began to twitch.

"What the hell?" There was nobody to answer his question. They were back. Sitting in his bathtub was a large group of rubber ducks. Again. There were more ducks than there had been yesterday morning. It looked like they were marching out from the drain. Could ducks march? He didn't know. _Wait why is this what I'm wondering about? Where the hell did all these ducks come from? Ugh, I don't have time for this_ , he sighed. Now he had to remove the ducks again. He tossed them over his shoulder grumbling, "This is getting old. Who the hell is even doing this? I don't have time for this."

* * *

"Luca," Turning her head, green eyes landed on the tall form of her teacher. Luca turned to face him even though he was facing away from her. It was common for him, an attempt to distance himself from the pair of children who depended on him so he didn't get attached to them. "How many times do I have to tell you?" he didn't pause long enough for her to answer him. "Don't get attached to Allen."

"Why Master?" she took a couple steps towards him through the tall grass of the field. "You keep saying that but you never give me a reason. If you think that he's going to die then train us more. What's so bad about having a family, I don't care if he's not my blood. Real family is the people who are there for you." Cross sighed letting a stream of smoke past his lips.

"Just do as I say brat."

"That's not an answer Master." Luca protested ignoring the nickname, having long since been used to it.

"Brat-" He was cut off by a silver blade being driven into his back. Luca screamed.

"MASTER!" The man fell to the ground unmoving, his blood dyeing the golden field a deep crimson.

"It doesn't matter how you struggle. You will never escape. All of your efforts are futile. You will die in vain just as all of those before you have. Just as he has done." The tall blonde woman looked at the body in boredom. "What did I tell you, Liebling? None of them survive. I can save you. Come with me."

"Luca!" Allen's voice calling out to her distracted her from the woman and her Master's corpse. Spinning towards her brother 's voice Luca found him standing right in front of her.

"Ahh!" Involuntarily shrieking Luca couldn't stop her fist in time before in connected with her brother's face. "Allen! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit you." She offered her hand to pull him back to his feet.

"It's fine. I should know better than to be so close without you knowing." Accepting her hand Allen let's her pull him to his feet.

"So what was it that you needed? Was it Master?" Allen didn't even look over her shoulder at their master.

"It's time to go. Lenalee and Lavi are waiting for us." Luca blinked once, twice, and again.

"Wait what?" Allen raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are you okay?"

"What about-" she turned around slowly only to find the field and their master gone, as if neither had ever been there. There was just darkness, a moonless night even the stars were missing. "-Master...?" she trailed slowly.

"Maybe you should sit this mission out. I could talk to Komui about it." Luca looked down and found herself wearing her exorcist coat. Which hadn't been there moments ago.

"No, no, no, I'm fine. Let's go."

"Great! We're heading to Paris." Allen led the way.

"Remember what I said Luca." Upon hearing her master's voice again, she looked behind her again for him. Still there was nothing behind her.

"I think I'm losing my mind." Luca sighed. When Allen didn't respond she whirled around to find him several feet ahead of her. "Allen?" she called jogging to catch up. When he didn't stop or slow down she tried again. "Allen?" Instead of gaining she was actually losing distance. "Allen!" Picking up her pace Luca started to run after him. "Allen!" Luca came to a complete stop when the darkness consumed Allen. "Allen! Come back! Allen!" Looking around Luca found herself completely and utterly alone. Allen and Master were both gone. Suddenly she could no long breathe. The darkness was closing in on her. She sank to her knees and covered her face. There was no escape. She was trapped. Her family was gone. She was alone. All alone.

"Why are you crying Butterfly?" Luca looked up to find Tyki standing in front of her. What was he doing here?

"What are, what are you doing here?" She spoke slowly. She didn't understand. Where did he come from?

"Why are you crying Butterfly?" he repeated his question as he knelt down in front of her.

"My brother. He's gone. Master is dead! And now Allen is gone too." He wrapped her up in his arms. She rested her forehead against his shoulder. His presence, ironically, was comforting. She wasn't alone in the darkness. Not anymore. He was there with her.

"Of course he's gone. He's not going to make it. Not with that hole in his heart."

"What?" she asked pulling away from him.

"No the hole is gone. His innocence patched it up."

"Oh Butterfly, he's gone because you failed. The fourteenth has consumed him whole and now he's gone. You didn't save him. Your futile attempts were disastrous. All you did was speed up the process. You've made everything worse. As usual." Luca bit her lip, she wanted him to stop talking. His words, they stung.

"What? No, I haven't tried anything on him yet. How could it have sped up?" She was confused and scared. "No, that's not possible. Stop it. Don't lie! Stop it!" Tyki snorted and glared at her in a way she had never seen before.

"You couldn't rescue him and you couldn't even save me." She opened her mouth to question him but it was too late. The fourteenth's shadow appeared behind the Portuguese man and swallowed him.

"NO!" Luca shot up in bed, flailing as she tried to untangle her limbs from her blankets. It was too hot. She needed out! Everything was closing in on her. She was suffocating. There was no way out! She fell off her bed and onto the ground. She winced at her tailbone which had landed on the floor. She tried her best to calm the tremors that wracked her body. She'd had this nightmare too many times. The bit with Tyki was new she noted. It didn't help much. _It's probably because I keep breaking into his house. I have to resist checking on him_ , she laughed humorously in her head. Her clock read 2:12. She had only gotten an hour and a half of sleep yet she knew she would get no more. Getting up she left her room. Both golems had gone back to sleep after their mistress and stopped flailing and shrieking. Three cups of coffee later and she headed up to take her bath.

A knock at her door broke her out of her concentration. She got up from her desk and the notebook filled with half finished spells and symbols scripped in smooth blue ink. She opened the door, surprised to see Allen waiting for her.

"Hey Al. What's up?"

"It's breakfast time. Are you coming?" She opened her mouth to say no but he didn't let her. "You need to eat to keep up your energy." She soured at the reminder.

"That's your nice way of telling me that I have to come eat breakfast isn't it?" He nodded and she sighed and shut the door as she followed him down. She felt like hell and was still tired.

"Are you okay? You don't look so well." Luca forced a smile onto her lips.

"I'm just a little tired. It's no big deal." Allen frowned but didn't say anything. It wasn't like he really could. He didn't really sleep well either. _The joys of being an exorcist_ , she noted sardonically as they entered the cafeteria. Luca glanced at the hole that was smaller than it was but still not completely gone.

"Feeling bad about that?" Allen asked when he saw what she was looking at.

"A bit. It wasn't fair." They joined their friends at the table.

"What wasn't fair?" Lenalee asked looking up at them.

"Luca punching Chaoji through the wall." Lenalee gave Luca a disapproving look but Lavi's question stopped her from commenting.

"Beautiful? Really? You feel bad about punching Chaoji?" Luca grinned.

"Oh no of course not. That arse had it coming. It's not fair to the people who have to patch the wall up." She started in on her breakfast while the others just sighed. "You really should have seen that coming." Luca sipped at her cup of coffee. God she need at least 8 more of these before she would feel human; but then again was she human? Or was she some creepy innocence-human hybrid now? She wasn't sure anymore. Luca shook her head and went back to eating. The thoughts were a bit much for her before her caffeine intake was at a sufficient level.

"Careful Liebling, you don't want others to know what you are do you?" The voice spoke so clearly, as if the woman was in the room with her. Luca glared down at her food and pushed it away, towards her brother. She knew he would eat it and she had lost her appetite anyway.

"I'm gonna go train. I still can't get the gun down. I'll see you guys later." Luca trudged down the hall. She didn't feel like training. She didn't feel like doing much of anything. Painful words rang in her head. She didn't know what to do anymore. Everything was so tangled up and confusing. Her nightmare haunted her still. She had similar nightmares before but **SHE** hadn't been in them. Slowly Luca reached up for the tooth necklace, running her fingers along the cool surface. "Oh Mom, what am I even doing? What am I suppose to do?" she received no answer even though she knew there wouldn't be one. "The dead can't help you. All you can do is look forward." she sighed. It was true no matter how painful it was. "Maybe I should work on the spell some more? I still don't have anything useable. Granted I don't know what usable is or even what I'm really looking for." she groaned and headed for the library. Whatever book she found first would be what she would work on. Still the words continued to haunt her. She couldn't get away. The Hungarian teen stalked back to her room intent on sleeping the day away when she noticed the unopened box of rubber ducks. It was her last box. Slowly a smile slid onto her features. There was no reason to sleep the day away when you could be having fun. It was all in the spin of things. Whirling back around on her heels she ran to Komui's office and burst through the doors causing him to shriek.

"Luca! Is there something you need?" Komui asked after he had restarted his heart, the girl having scared the hell out of him when she came thundering in like a charging rhino.

She grinned in a way that frightened him greatly, "I need a legion of finders!"

* * *

Tyki sat at the table trying to fall asleep with his eyes open. Family meals were always terrible. It was just a mess. His head rested in his hand propped up on the table. Finally the loudness ceased as Sheril stood up. Tyki glanced at his brother and raised his eyebrow. The older man had been off lately. Mainly the last two days. Like something was bothering him. He had no idea why though he had noticed the rather large pile of bright yellow rubber ducks sitting in the bathroom corner. He hadn't even know that they had them but they were there. He had shrugged them off as Road's. The girl was weird and liked cute things. What she needed with 200 ducks he didn't know. Nor was he sure he wanted to know.

"I don't care who's doing it. I won't be angry about it." Tyki raised his eyebrow again. That was an unusual start for Sheril. "So whoever is filling my bathroom with rubber ducks, knock it off!" Tyki knew he was gonna regret this but he asked anyway.

"You mean you didn't buy those for Road?" Road gave him a funny look.

"Tyki what would I do with 200 ducks?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't wanna know but you collect weird things all the time. You tried to keep an exorcist at one point." he pointed out. She huffed at him. She was still sad that Lenalee had gotten away. She made such a pretty doll.

"A pity she woke up. Such a beautiful doll. Oh well! Also no I don't need rubber ducks. Never mind 200 of them." she rolled her eyes at him as if he was stupid.

"I don't see the point of them. Where does one find joy in a brightly colored piece of rubber that floats? No matter what shape it is in." Lulu Bell inquired. Tyki shrugged.

"Yeah! Rubber ducks are stupid!" Devit shouted.

"Hee! Stupid! Stupid! Ducks stupid! Hee hee! Hee!" Jasdero shouted with his twin. Tyki glared at them.

"I don't know!" he snapped back. He didn't understand why they were all acting like they were his or he did something. "I didn't say I liked them or used them just that they might be Road's! Jeez!" The Earl sighed.

"Now, now, let's not fight. The others promise not to put anymore rubber ducks in your bathroom or any other part of your house, right?" The Earl prompted.

"Yes Master." The rest of the Noah chorused in sync. He was kind to them but it was best not to upset their patriarch. He had been a little unstable since the exorcists had stolen the ark and the akuma egg.

"Good. Now let's move on to dessert." he smiled and that was the end of the conversation.

Or so they thought.

Sheril woke well rested which put him in a good mood. He knew that he could walk into his bathroom and take his shower in confidence that there wouldn't be any more rubber ducks other than the ones in the corner which he had yet to get rid of. He had no idea how he was gonna do that. He couldn't be seen or have anyone who was affiliated with him seen dumping 200 rubber ducks. The rumors that would fly would be merciless. He got of bed, for once, he was going to enjoy his warm shower in peace. He opened the door and walked in. He stepped on something. It gave under his foot and he staggered trying to regain his balance but whatever it was, the stuff was everywhere. Everywhere he stepped it was under his feet. It felt like rubber. His eyes widened and he threw the lights on. His face contorted in rage. He bent down to rip them up only to find that he couldn't. No matter how he pulled he couldn't remove the ducks. He threw open the cabinets only for it to rain ducks on him. He protected his head while trying to grab the doors to shut them. He only succeeded in pulling the others open causing more ducks to fall. Buried in ducks he shrieked.

Tyki woke with a start. Somebody was screaming. Loudly. Blurrily he grabbed his alarm clock. Who the hell was yelling profanities at 5:07 in the morning. Angrily he got up fully intent on tearing whoever it was's vocal cords from their throat. He didn't care why they were yelling or who the hell it was. The Portuguese Noah stalked out of his room and to the bathroom where he met Road, Tricia, and the Earl who had stayed the night.

"The hell is going on?" Road shrugged at his demand and knocked on the door.

"Papa? Are you alright?" She got no response.

"Dear? Is everything okay?" Tricia's question wasn't answered either. Tyki took a deep breath and glanced and the Earl. The man shrugged, not wearing his suit for once. Sighing Tyki walked over and grabbed the handle.

"Sheril if you don't answer us I'm gonna open the door." The warning received no reply he opened the door. Immediately the four of them were washed away by a sea of yellow. The Portuguese man managed to break through to the surface half way down the stairs.

"Is everybody okay?" The Earl asked pulling Road out. Tyki looked around. Rubber ducks. There were rubber ducks everywhere. Tyki began to wade through them looking for Tricia who had yet to reappear. He pulled her from the depths of the rubber toys.

"Sheril?" Tyki called.

"Everywhere I go, everywhere I turned, there they are! They're everywhere!" Sheril came out of the bathroom, hair and eyes wild with fury.

"Dear?" Tricia asked tentatively.

"Everywhere! They're everywhere! They're in the sink! They're in the bathtub! They're in all of the cabinets! They completely cover the floor! I can't get them up either!" He grabbed Tyki and began to shake his younger brother by the shoulders. "They're glued to the floor! Nothing I do works!" Tyki was starting to get dizzy with the way his brother was shaking him.

"What?" Road asked.

"Duuuuuuccccckkkksss!" Sheril was howling at this point. The rest of the family watched as the minister processed to have a meltdown all the while yelling about ducks.

"Now let's all just calm down." The Earl said laying a hand on the man's shoulder. "I'm sure we can remove the ducks." Sheril looked at him.

"I tried. They won't come up." he sounded so pitiful. Tyki didn't even know Sheril could manage that tone or look. It was one Road did well as did Butterfly. Come to think of it, she would find this all completely hysterical. He could almost hear her laughing now. He shrugged the thought off.

"I bet Tyki could use his powers to get them off." Road supplied sweetly. Tyki glared at her. It was far too early for this.

"Tyki will help you Sheril. It's gonna be okay." The Earl calmed the man down. While the youngest glared at them. He didn't offer this! Why did he have to spend all morning phasing rubber duck up out of the floor? He didn't care that they were there! It didn't bother nor affect him! Still the Earl had said he'd do it so now he had to do it! Yay. _God, I'm turning into Butterfly. That sounded just like her_ , he sighed. Tyki turned to Tricia.

"Perhaps you should go back to sleep. It looks like the excitement is getting to you." She nodded.

"Yes I think that's a good idea. Thank you for helping him." Tyki nodded and she left. Tyki spent the next three hours phasing every single duck out of the bathroom before he was allowed to go back to his own room at which point he was awake and it didn't matter anymore.

"Papa! Tyki!" Both turned towards the foyer where Road's voice was coming from.

"Road close the door. It's cold out." Tyki shouted.

"I don't have the door open. The front door is made of rubber ducks." Both men went running. Sure enough instead of the elaborate wooden doors that Sheril has specifically picked out there now stood a wall of bright yellow rubber ducks glued together creating a door. How the door was latched closed none of them knew.

"How am I suppose to go to work with all of these ducks everywhere?!" Sheril demanded his eye twitching as he glared at the new door. He hated ducks! He hated rubber! He especially hated rubber ducks! Sheril stalked over to get his shoes. "All of my left shoes are gone! Instead I have a shoe made of rubber ducks!"

"There are rubber ducks in this vase." Tyki noted vaguely surprised looking down at one of his brother's expensive antique vases that he had paid good money for. It was meant for decoration yet here it was teeming with tiny rubber ducks.

"This one too." Road was looking at a different vase. She turned to the vase next to it. "This one doesn't have ducks but the flowers in it are made of ducks instead." Tyki sauntered over to look at it while Sheril beat at the door with his new rubber shoe angrily.

"Sir!" Sheril turned towards the maid that ran up to him with wild eyes. Tyki almost felt bad for the girl who flinched. "We have no food!" He blinked at her once, twice, thrice.

"What?" he asked as if he didn't believe her.

"There's no food in the house! Everything has been replaced with rubber ducks!" Sheril's eye began to twitch again. This time he couldn't get it under control. "The cupboards are filled with ducks! The pantry! The fridge! Even the freezer! It's all filled with rubber ducks!"

Sheril lost it, "Aaarrrfgghhhhhhh! I hate ducks! Burn them! Burn them all!" He began to tear and claw at his hair.

"This picture frame's made of them too." Road pointed to one that held a portrait of the whole family. Even Tyki had been forced into the picture. Tyki looked around. Everywhere he turned he saw bright yellow. The entire house was full of them. He paused by the window and slowly turned to look outside.

"You have got to be kidding me." He walked over to the door and stepped outside.

"What is it Tyki?" Road asked following after him. "Oh my." the entire front law was covered in rubber ducks. Tyki made his way over to his favorite koi pond only to find it too was full of rubber ducks.

"Outside sounds like a good idea." Sheril sighed, exhausted from his meltdown.

"Daddy don't!"

"That's not a good idea!" Road and Tyki shouted at the same time but it was too late. The man had stepped out onto the porch. His eyes grew wide as he saw the sheer number of ducks spread across his lawn. He stood still in shook for a moment before he flew into another fit of rage. This one was unintelligible. No actual words were spoken in either English or Portuguese. He continued for several minutes and then he fainted on the porch. Tyki sighed and facepalmed. None of the Noah noticed the figure watching the chaos from the other side of the street in the safety of the shadows. Laughter shook their form and rang out. A large grin spread across her full lips as the golem floating by her side recorded the scene before her and the other chirped from it's place on her head.

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"The body heals with play, the mind heals with laughter and the spirit heals with joy."

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 **Okay guys I'm dead tired so I'm gonna go collapse in bed and sleep like the dead for as long as I can. As always read and review. It only takes a few minutes but it means the world to me and can prompt better and longer chapters as they inspire and give me motivation to work. Tune in next week for Run Devil Run! Cheshire is out!**


	40. Yule's Bonus Chapter: Run Devil Run!

**Yeah I know I'm late. Honestly my head is pounding too much for me to make an excuse. As always I work as fast as I can but things come up in life and sometimes certain chapters are just harder. I haven't been in the best of moods this week, probably because my birthday's this Saturday and I'm so not ready to be 21. Bleh. I'll try to get the next chapter out on time but I make no promises. Anyway this chapter is the last bonus chapter and a gift to the lovely WinterYule for all her love and support. She gives me ideas, tells me when mine are bad, and listens to me all week as I freak out about the chapter as I write it. It's all just a really big mess but she puts up with it and me while I panic about the chapter. So thank you Yule. You're such a good friend. I hope this is everything you've hoped for. Now onto the reviews from the New Years chapter.**

 **Dear Alexc1209, I do know who spiked the punch but it wouldn't be any fun to tell you. You'll just have to guess! I will tell you that it's not somebody you would think of initially and that that person can't get drunk. I look forward to your guesses. Yeah balls seem to be the only form of entertainment the nobility seems to have. I will admit that I knew about the dance card thing but chose to ignore it. Had the chapter been a regular one I wouldn't have reused her but because it wasn't an important part only meant to annoy Tyki and push him to find Luca I figured it was okay. Normally you're right and she wouldn't have done that. Plus I also liked the idea of her trying to push them together. A lot of people would want Tyki to marry their daughter. Sheril would love it if Tyki had a wife that was easy to control and even more if she could expand their connections. Unfortunately for him the girl Tyki wants is the exact opposite of that. He'd probably cry if he knew how much Tyki liked Luca. Might be fun to watch though. Road can't really throw stones at Tyki when she likes Allen. I'm glad you liked the chapter. Enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, I wonder if what I did with the rubber ducks was what you thought would happen? I thought it might be fun if for once Luca was the one who had to deal with somebody else's "fun" as she's normally the one laughing while others deal with it. Yeah I don't remember where I got the idea of Lavi yelling at the tree but I liked it too. I wonder if Sheril realizes that the more he pushes the farther Tyki runs away? Or that it doesn't matter? He and Joyd have already set their sight on somebody and there's nothing he can do about it. Joyd basically complains all the time unless Luca is with them. He's a brat. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Cam, Don't worry about being late. I'm suppose to post on Tuesday and it's now Thursday. So I'm always late. My mom is always complaining about it. I do my best trying to keep them all in character and the idea of Lavi yelling at a tree was not only funny but plausible. I'm glad you liked the music box for Allen. It took me a few days to come up with something, due to the time period the internet was not helpful at all. As for Luca and Tyki and how it's going to end, well you'll just have to wait and see, for now please enjoy this bonus chapter!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, I'm glad you loved it. I did my best to make it cute. A little fluffy piece was a nice change of pace before we fall down the rabbit hole into hell! Enjoy this new chapter!**

 **Dear Kp, The P!ATD song was actually the inspiration for that chapter. When I first heard the song I immediately thought of Lavi wearing Lenalee's high heels and saying that to Luca who is just so done with Lavi and his shit. I had that song on repeat while I wrote the chapter to keep me in the mood. I was a bit worried that the compass leading him to her was a bit sickly sweet but I was going for fluffy. Though he had a great time laughing at her trying to deal with drunk Lavi. I thought the traditional New Years kiss would be important and that you guys would love it. Love and happiness *glances at outline* yeah love and happiness. Sure, yeah lets go with that! Enjoy this chapter!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, Yeah that seems to be a theme in the bonus chapters. I think he really just wants Joyd to shut up. The memory won't stop pestering the poor man. Though I'd be lying if I said he didn't miss her too. I agree with you. I don't think Tyki realizes just how destructive she is or the sheer amount of chaos she can and does cause. Luca has her ways of doing things and finding the information she needs one way or another. Honestly I think he would have kept following it. I mean if it led away from Sheril I would too. Jokes aside, if it was from anybody else he would chalk it up to the compass being broken but it's Butterfly A) he knows that there's more than meets the eye with her and B) the quote that she put with it implies that there's something special about it. He knows her well, she wouldn't just choose a random quote to engrave on it when that takes more money or more time (which it did as she made the watch/compass herself. She didn't just use magic to enchant one) to do it. And yes the compass knows what he truly wants even if he doesn't. Lavi's shown a bit of a grudge against Tyki for maiming Allen and it has become far more apparent due to his drunkenness but Tyki doesn't care. Lavi doesn't really present anything of interest to Tyki. Allen has beaten him in battle and cards and Luca is Butterfly so they are really the only two exorcists he cares about. You're absolutely right about his and Joyd's thoughts towards Lavi though. Joyd can tell through body language and the way they smell that Luca and Allen are siblings and thus Allen is not deemed competition for Luca in that way. He does still want more of her attention though. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, Happy New Year! I missed you! I hope you enjoyed your holidays. You flatter me really you do. Luca locking the dreadful duo in the closet, though fun it was, was more about it being Allen's birthday and her being determined that he was going to enjoy it because of his issues and how he sees himself. She's a stubborn girl. She only sorta crashed the party though Sheril did notice that Tyki left and didn't come back. He also absolutely forbid Tyki to ever wear that hat outside of his room. I'm glad to hear that you liked the gifts and that they seemed sweet. I've been plotting them for a while. Luca will always abandon the Order's parties for a chance to mess with Tyki, especially lately, but hey wouldn't you? ;D I'm not sure the Order ever stood a chance in that war. I'm glad you liked Joyd. I put him in there just for you! I did actually draw inspiration from Jack's compass when I made Tyki's. I really liked the idea, especially the part, I don't remember which movie, where he thought he wanted one thing but the compass kept telling him where Will was because that's what he really wanted. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **THE REVIEWS ON THIS CHAPTER WILL GET ANSWERED!**

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"Science never solves a problem without creating ten more." - George Bernard Shaw

* * *

Crammed into a small closet with two other exorcists, a scientist, and a finder wasn't really how Luca pictured this day going but since when did anything in her life go the way she thought it was going to go. She shifted as best as she could. There wasn't a lot of room. Hell the closet wasn't really big enough for 5 people and three golems never mind with room to move around.

"Why is it always like this?" Allen moaned as he pulled his legs out from under Reever who, now unbalanced, tipped over sending Luca into Daisya's lap. Scor hissed as she was knocked into Timcampy who was sitting on his master's head. Gambit fluttered closer to Daisya, eyeing his ear hungrily.

"Gambit no." Luca ordered much to the Turkish exorcist's relief. Missions had kept him from seeing much of the girl. The carnivorous golem had been new. It gave him the creeps but she absolutely adored the thing so he didn't say anything about it. It had attacked him when he first saw her again but she had called it off him quickly.

"We really can't seem to go a week without Curly losing it." Reever sighed. As the oldest he should have taken charge but there wasn't much to do other than hide from their supervisor.

"What's he even trying to do?" Daisya whispered back.

"Hush!" Gregory hissed from his place crouched by the door being the lookout as the sound of feet approaching having been appointed the lookout of the group.

"Oh Luca! Come out come out where ever you are~! You can't hide from me forever. Sooner or later I will find you." Komui's voice rang in the empty halls and he skipped down them looking for the Hungarian teen. The hidden group froze not daring to make a sound or even breathe. "Let's just make it easier on everyone. It won't hurt. I promise! It won't even sting! I just wanna know what will happen. Come on now, it's all in the name of science. It could be a new discovery. You're being very selfish by not helping me." Not finding anyone in the hall the Chinese man continued his hunt for the girl.

"Okay, I think we're all good." Gregory whispered.

"How did we even end up here anyway?" Daisya asked trying untangle himself from Luca. "Hell, how did we all manage to fit in the closet?"

"Komui wants to use me in an experiment." Luca huffed irritably. She wasn't claustrophobic but the closet was a bit tight for her especially with seven other beings. Five of them, including herself, having long limbs with nowhere to put them.

"Correction, Komui wants to turn her into a demon again." Allen sighed.

"Again?!" Daisya asked. "Where was I when this happened the first time?!"

"It was during zombie incident when we were packing up headquarters." the group fell out of a closet into a tangle piled as Reever tried to fill the Turkish exorcist in. "A lot of the chief's weird and wacky potions got spilled. One dropped on Luca."

Luca cut in, "One dropped on basically everyone! Allen and Tim had long hair, Kanda and Lavi got shrunk, Bookman had rabbit ears instead of hair. Then Miranda tripped and spilled one on Bookman and Lenalee which caused them to meow instead of speak."

"Anyway the one that fell on Luca turned her into a demon, like the ones from the bible. Complete with horns and tail and bad temper." Reever finished explaining.

"I think that the bad temper was a result of the incidents that happened before." Allen explained as he tried to untangle himself from Gregory and the long coat he wore. Reever was still under the pile grumbling about the weight on his back. Luca herself was trying to pull her legs free of Daisya's legs and coat.

"Your coat is tangled in my laces Dai. Can you reach them?"

"Yeah hold on, I'm gonna have to untie them." Daisya reached over and untied the ribbons while pulling his jacket away gently allowing the girl to roll out of the mess.

"So why does he want to turn you into a demon again?" Daisya asked as the girl pulled her brother to his feet while he pulled the scientist to his feet. Gregory dusted himself off.

"He wants to inspect more and how it affects her body." Reever sighed. His supervisor didn't seem to care that the girl didn't want to be a part of the experiment.

"Why does it have to be Luca? Can't he just find some other victim, I mean test subject?" Luca snorted at her Turkish friend.

"There is no difference between test subject and victim, especially where Komui is concerned."

"True enough." he conceded. "So why Luca specifically?" Reever sighed.

"Luca was the person who it hit. He wants to study it on her before he tries it with somebody. There may be something about Luca's body chemistry that caused it to manifest the way it did, so trying it on somebody may not yield the same results." Reever answered as he dusted his white jacket off. It was filthy now. The closet was filled with dust bunnies and spider webs, spiders included, clearly it needed to be cleaned thoroughly. The coat would need to be washed he noted with a sigh.

"There you are!" Luca screamed as Komui's voice sounded from behind her. Reever jumped Komui trying to hold him back.

"Run Luca!" She bolted down the hall with Scor and Gambit flying after her as fast as they could. She swerved and zigzagged as potions were thrown at her.

"Left! Right! Left! Left! Right!" Allen was shouting directions allowing her to dodging the potions even though she couldn't see where they were coming from. She needed to find another place to hide and quickly. It felt like the scientist was everywhere she turned. Dashing through the halls she ran into several people but the deranged scientist was still on her tail hurling potions at her. She crashed into Kanda taking him down with her before jumping back up, a potion just barely missing his legs.

"Sorry Kanda! Gotta run! Love you! Bye!" she bolted away leaving the Japanese man cursing up a storm. She just barely pivoted on one foot to avoid crashing into Miranda who screamed at the sudden appearance of the girl and jumped into Marie's arms.

"Good catch Marie! Sorry Miranda!" Luca swung around the corner, her boots skidding searching for traction. "Fenébe (damn it) where's Lenalee when you need her?" she asked running down a different hallway. Her eyes widened as she saw Bookman talking to Johnny and Cash standing right in her way. There was no time or place to dodge. Taking a deep breath she picked up speed and leapt over the old man's head. "Sorry, can't talk gotta run!" she called over her shoulder as the three just stared at her.

"Outta the way!" Komui shouted as he came around the corner after her. Johnny lept into Cash's arms with a yelp of fear as his superior went thundering by almost trampling him."Luca you can't run forever! I will catch you and you will test this potion for me!"

"Get over yourself! Dump it on somebody else or even yourself. Then you'll know first hand!"

"What if something happens? I could die."

Her eyes bulged as her anger grew, "So it's okay if it happens to me?! It's okay if your potion kills me?!"

"But it won't kill you! We already know it won't! That's why we're trying it on you instead of somebody else now stop being so selfish!"

"Baszódj meg (Get fucked)!" she shouted over her shoulder. She turned around another corner and saw General Tiedoll and Chaoji. Grinning she grabbed the Chinese exorcist and flung him into the scientist. "Sorry General Tiedoll!" She called and shot around a left corner only to skid to a stop. A dead end. She had lost track and was now trapped. There was nowhere to go. She whirled around to run back out only to find the Chinese man standing in the way.

"Luca," he cooed drawing out her name, "there's no place to run. Now are you going to hold still or do I have to sit on you?" she backed away until her back pressed against the wall.

"Let's be reasonable here Komui. This is silly and there's no reason for it. It won't help the war at all." He stalked closer to her. "Don't you do it. I'm serious Komui. Don't do it." The green potion crashed into her head causing her to cough as she tried to expel the smoke from her lungs. She stomped out of the mist green eyes now glowing as her newly acquired tail lashed back and forth. He stepped back upon seeing the look in her eyes. She wasn't happy. The Chinese man wasn't sure he liked how her eyes were glaring at him. The slitted pupils only served to scare him more. "Change me back. Change me back right now."

The man chuckled nervously, "I can't."

"What did you say?" she demanded through clenched teeth. "I swear to whatever god is listening Komui if you just said what I think you said I'm going to kill you." he backed away at the threat.

"I can't. I didn't create an antidote because I don't know anything about it." And with that answer the tables turned and they were off like a shot.

"That's it! You're dead!" Komui ran as fast as his legs would carry him as the girl thundered after him. He had no idea how she intended to kill him but he was pretty sure he didn't want to stick around to find out. Immediately running back the way he came he ran shoving Chaoji out of the way who was just starting to get back up. The only chance he had was to barricade himself in his office until the potion, hopefully, wore off. Uncaring Luca merely ran over the Chinese exorcist. Tiedoll watch the pair run before leaning down to pull his new apprentice up off the ground and brush off the footprints. He was pretty sure that it had been the other way around when they had gone by the first time. Komui darted this way and that trying to lose the furious, literal, demon who was hot on his heels. Every place he thought of didn't matter because he couldn't get far enough away that she wouldn't see where he went. He needed something to distract her. Seeing Daisya he formulated a plan quickly. Grabbing the younger man he spun around and threw him at the demon.

Luca let out a yelp as Daisya crashed into her and unable to keep their balance they crashed down to the ground. Green eyes met dark as a blush crept over both of their faces as their lips were still connected. The older exorcist immediately lept off the girl and offered her a hand up.

"Sorry about that Luca." She took his hand and let him pull her to her feet.

"Don't worry about it. There was nothing you could do about it." she huffed. "Now if you will excuse me I've got a supervisor to hunt down and strangle." He grinned and waved as she left.

"Have fun storming the castle!" Luca wandered around the large building.

"If I was a cowardly scientist who just pissed off a murderous demon where would I hide?" She tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully. Slowly a grin spread across her face. She knew just where to look for him. There where few places that would be strong enough to keep her out. She ran all the way to the man's office. She started to beat the door. "Komui! I know you're in there! Open the door! Now you deranged lunatic!" she could feel the door starting to give under her ferocious pounding. It creaked and groaned loudly causing a manic grin to spread over her face. She'd have him in a minute maybe two.

"Lu?" She ceased her hammering on the door and turned to find Allen standing behind her. "What are you..." he trailed off as his eyes found her horns, then they drifted down to her eyes with the slit pupils then finally to her tail which was cutting a groove into the floor as it lashed about. "He caught you huh?" She nodded.

"Yeah and now," she turned and started yelling through the door, "he's gonna fix it! Aren't you Komui?" There was silence. "Aren't you?!" Still she got no answer.

"So you going to break down his office door and force him to fix it?" She nodded.

"That's the plan, yeah."

"Have you considered a less violent and maybe more peaceful approach?" She glanced at the dented door that was slowly caving in and then gave Allen a dull look. He sighed. He knew what that look meant.

"I think we're a little past that at the moment." She turned to glare at the door. "Somebody's not gonna be alive much longer if he doesn't fix this!" she returned to beating her fist against the door with each word spoken for emphasis. Allen sighed.

"Well it will wear off eventually won't it?" Luca turned to give him a dry look.

"Maybe but eventually? That could be months away! I can't kill akuma like this! Hell I'd die of embarrassment if any of the Noah saw me like this! Never mind HIM!" Allen sighed at the mention of the Portuguese man. The Noah was more of a pain in his butt than the Millennium Earl himself. Luca and his little 'game' was starting to make him sick. The constant worrying was getting to him.

"Is that they only reason?" he prodded.

"Allen look at me! I have demon horns on my head and a freaking tail! A tail! Do you want these? No! Nobody does!" She whirled around a kicked the door in sending it crashing into the opposite wall along with several chucks of the door frame and wall. "Come out come out wherever you are! Come on Komui if you fix it right now I promise I won't hurt you. She stalked over to the desk that he was no doubt hiding under. Grabbing the edge she flung it away, vaguely noting the sound of it hitting the wall to her right and splintering into pieces. "Found you!" She shouted as she looked down at the cowering man. She raised a clawed hand to strike the scientist only for Allen to grab her from behind.

"Luca no! You can't hurt him!" His arms wrapped around her pinning hers down.

"Let me go!" she shrieked as she flailed and fought against her restraints. Komui seeing his chance ran out the gaping hole where his door used to be. "Allen he's getting away! You're letting him escape! No! He has to fix this!"

"This isn't the way to get that to happen! He can't fix it if he's dead. You have claws right now! You would have taken his face off!"

"Good! Maybe he'd think next time!" Luca's thrashing sent the siblings crashing to the ground. Allen lost his grip and she was off like a shot tearing after Komui almost falling over as she rounded the corner.

"Luca!" Allen shouted as he chased after her. He couldn't let her catch the man and if she did he certainly couldn't let her kill him. They needed him!

"You can't hide!" Luca shouted. Komui yelped and ran faster. It was one of the few times that he wished he was wearing shoes. His slippers didn't have nearly the traction her boots did. Actually his slippers didn't have any traction. That was probably why they were called slippers. He could hear her boots pounding against the floor as she gained ground on him. He wasn't sure how. His legs were longer. He glanced back over his shoulder only to be frightened by the wicked grin spread across her face. It almost reminded him of the level 4. He really had turned her into a demon. His eyes widened as he saw himself sprinting at full speed directly at Link who was giving his report to Lvellie.

"Watch out!" He just barely slid by them. He didn't pause to see if they were okay. Luca would catch him if he did. He needed to get out of the order. She didn't want to be seen so town was the best place to hide plus there were more places and she didn't know every inch of town. At least he didn't think she did.

"What the hell was that about?" Lvellie asked watching the Chinese man run. He turned and gaped as he saw Luca come barreling after the man and straight towards them. She wasn't slowing down.

"Walker! Don't you-" Link is cut off as she blatantly ignores the warning and runs them over smashing them both into the walls.

Luca grinned to herself. It felt good to do that but she had to focus and keep up her speed. She saw the end of Komui's coat vanish into the ark. Like he could lose her in there she snorted. She knew the ark inside and out like the back of her hand. At the moment there was only one door open. She took the short cut and arrived just as he stepped through.

"Fenébe (damn it)!" She paused at the door. She didn't want to go out. People would see her! Here they just chalked it up to Komui but out there? In the real world? She took a hesitant step towards the door as she ran her hand up and down her left arm in a rather telling jitter. Her tail twitching with indecision. "How can I get him to fix this without going into town?" She questioned. Every minute she spent thinking, he got farther away. She whined pathetically and ran through the door and after the man. Her nose twitched. She could smell his coffee. She could find him with her nose. "I guess being a demon has it's upsides though I wouldn't have to find him if he didn't do this so I guess he's back to square one." She could feel the eyes on her as she ran. She picked up speed. Maybe if they couldn't see her as well it would work better.

* * *

Tyki groaned as he was dragged into yet another store. Why was this happening to him? What had he ever done to deserve this? Actually that was probably a bad question to ask. His crimes against Butterfly alone were enough to condemn him to eternal torment though shopping with Road was a close second to that. He was already holding 12 bags and she didn't even need a second wind yet. He was going to be here forever. He slumped into a chair as Road began pulling things off the shelves and racks. He wasn't even sure what they were buying or if she even needed it. God, Sheril and the Earl spoiled her too much. So why did he have to go with her? He knew that Sheril was working but the Earl hadn't been doing anything. He huffed as his fingers twitched. He wanted a cigarette so badly.

"Okay next store!" Road said cheerfully as she shoved three more bags into his hands.

"Road, can't we go home now? What more could you possibly need?" The smaller Noah giggled at her uncle's whining. They both looked up as a tall man ran by them at full speed causing other people to dive out of his way. Tyki blinked. "Was, was he wearing a rose crest?" Road nodded.

"Yeah but his coat was white. It means he's not an exorcist. He also can't be a finder. Those coats don't have the crest." Road answered.

"So who was he?" Road shrugged at the next question.

"Maybe a scientist? Don't know what he's doing out here then. He shouldn't be in the field if he is. Maybe something went wrong and he's abandoning ship?" Neither had a real answer.

"So do we chase him or ignore him?" While Road thought about it Tyki glanced around. It seemed normal. Nothing out of place that should have had a man running through the streets like a lunatic. He couldn't have been much older than Tyki and was only a few centimeters taller. His eyes wandered from face to face. None of them were anything interesting. Several woman tried to hold his gaze but he passed them over rather quickly. A familiar smell drifted into his nose. Something moved in the corner of his eye. His head snapped over to the direction that the strange man had come from. Horns. He was seeing horns. He rubbed his eyes to make sure. Nope they were still there. Dark horns curling up out of the crowd. They moved out into the open. He blinked several times. Luca. It was Luca. She had horns. Her head whipped back and forth as she looked for something. She tilted her head to the sky and sniffed a couple of times. _Was she looking for the man? Had she been sent to hunt him down? More importantly why did she have horns?_ Something moved along the ground distracting him from his thoughts. _Correction why did she have horns and a tail?_ he questioned in his head. Long and thin the tail was black in color with a spaded tip. It flicked back and forth just above the ground. She was hunting something. Her head swung around. Green met brown. Slowly as she realized what or rather who she was seeing her eyes grew large. Without another thought she whirled around on her heels and took off in the other direction.

"Why do I smell Luca? Is she here?" Road asked as she peered around looking for the exorcist girl. When she received no answer she looked back at her uncle. He was gone. Her shopping bags lay on the ground, abandoned.

Luca ran as fast as her legs would carry her without invoking her innocence. She couldn't believe that he was here. What the hell was he doing here? She needed to get out of here now. Oh god he had seen her! She was going to murder Komui! Nothing could save him now. Or maybe she'd just bed Lenalee. That might be fun and could be even better. She could feel his presence. Oh hell he was pursuing her! She need to lose him so she could go back to the ark and hide in her room for eternity until she died. She was never coming out of her room. Never again. Nothing and nobody could make her. God she just wanted to die. She no longer cared about what other people though when they saw her but she needed to get away from him. Her heart pounded in her chest as her boots slapped the ground. She wove in and out of the people who didn't jump out of the way fast enough. This was bad. She was going the wrong way.

"Fenébe (damn it)! This isn't where I should be but I can't lead him back to the ark. If he got in we'd be screwed. So many people would die." Another thought occurred to her. "And then we'd have to move again and that took forever. I definitely don't want to do that again. How did the science division have so much freaking junk?" She skidded to a stop almost running into a wall. "Why does this keep happening to me? Ugh! Walls!" she whirled around and took off again.

"Hey! Watch out!" A woman yelled after Luca almost ran into her and splashed mud onto the hideous dress she was wearing when the Hungarian went through a puddle.

"Oh go get a real hairstyle!" Luca shouted back at her not bothering to stop and really deal with the woman. The hairstyle was bad enough on it's own. She didn't need to to anything nor did she have the time for it. If she hadn't been so worried about ditching the Noah she would have cringed at the terrible comeback but she didn't have the time so she didn't groan just ran. She ran for her life.

Tyki grinned as he chased the girl through the city. She wasn't getting away from him. There was no way in hell he would let this opportunity pass! Quickly he shifted into his Noah form and ran after her. Finding his path blocked he ducked into an ally. Butterfly was at a disadvantage here. She had to weave and dodge people. He allowed his body to pass through the wall. He ignored the people's startled cries as he passed through the buildings. Nobody would believe them and he was moving too fast for anyone to identify him and even if they did manage to do it. Anyone who tried to say that the brother of the Minister of Foreign Affairs had vanished through a wall they'd be thrown in an asylum or shot by an akuma. Either worked for him. He had a Butterfly to ensnare. He vaguely noted that he had abandoned Road in the middle of the street but she would be fine. She was older than him and could take care of herself anyway. Sheril would probably yell at him for it but this was far too good. He kept her in his sight as he ran through the buildings. He chuckled as she yelled at the woman before running. He ran past the same woman without another glance. She wasn't interesting. Not in the least. He needed to cut the exorcist off. Her tail flew after her.

"There's an idea."

Luca kept running. She was getting to the outer part of the city. Much farther and she'd be completely out of the city.

"I need to double back. I have to go home." she sighed. "Maybe Allen was right and I should have just let this all go. My own stupidity was how he saw me. If I had just done what Allen had said I wouldn't be here." she ruffled her hair which was an absolute mess now. She cringed at the thought of untangling it. "Well come on you two," she looked up at the golems who flew by her head, "time to go home. I'm just gonna sleep this off. With any luck I can ditch him and then pretend that he dreamed the situation up." The teen turned on her heels and started home. Why was she so tired? She didn't know and she no longer cared. Sleep was what she wanted now. A hand wrapped around her tail and yanked. She cried out as her back hit a wall. Her head rung and she knew she'd have a headache for the rest of the day at the least, if not for the next day as well.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here." A voice purred above her head causing her to struggle. She screwed her eyes shut as a whimper broke free from her lips as her wrists were pinned to the wall by his hands. _Oh God please, somebody just kill me now! Please! I'll do anything_ , she begged silently as her whole face went red. "Come now Butterfly, aren't you going to greet me? I've missed you. You keep running off on me. Never staying long enough. You were hardly there on my birthday and then you ran off looking for your friend in the green chiffon skirt on New Years. It's not nice to lead somebody on like that." She refused to look up or open her eyes. He chuckled. She was so cute. The blush that spread across her face was adorable. He made a mental note to make her blush more. "It's also not considered polite to ignore somebody when they're talking to you." Still he got silence. "Come now aren't you at least going to look at me?" She shook her head. He sighed. "Fine." His fingers curled around her right horn, the warmth seeping in and her eyes shot open wide. Again strange sensations ran up her spine.

"Don't touch those!" she snapped. He chuckled again.

"So now you'll talk to me." She pouted but still refused to meet his gaze. "Well that's close. Now look at me. Your eyes are my favorite. It's cruel to deprive me of their beautiful color." She cried out and he pulled her head back by her horn. It didn't hurt. If anything she would have preferred that it hurt. It would have been less embarrassing. His grip tightened and she moaned.

"Okay! Just stop that." Slowly her eyes slid up to meet his. His grip loosened partially because he said he would and partially because he was taken aback by her eyes. They were the same shade of green but even brighter than they had been before. Her pupils were also slitted now. "There, now let go." she demanded.

"You said stop not let go. I stopped putting pressure on them. I don't know why though. You can feel that can't you?" She pouted. He raised an eyebrow and flexed his fingers.

"Yes." He laughed at the expression on her face, her bottom lip sticking out.

"What does it feel like? Does it feel good?" She nodded. "So what does it feel like when I do this?" He allowed his hand to slide down the contour of the bone like material and into her soft locks. They were still as soft as he remembered no matter how messy they were at the moment. Tyki was surprised to find that the horns grew right out of her head. He had been shocked when he had grabbed it and realized that it was real. He prodded at the base and she groaned. "That feels even better it seems." The Portuguese man started massaging her scalp in the same way he would pet Lulu Bell not that he would ever tell either of them that. Luca seemed to be bored by the French woman and the Noah had never forgiven her for what happened in the ark and it was only made worse by the teen and her brother destroying the egg. Applying light pressure to the area and he had the girl purring, practically melting into the wall. Her eyes rolled back into her head. He grinned. Her tail thumped on the ground languidly. She no longer fought against him.

"I hate you." she mumbled almost breathlessly. He pressed a bit harder and she slumped down the wall with a moan.

"Is that so? I can't say that I feel like you hate me. You seem to be enjoying yourself."

"Stop it." she whined though he noted that she didn't argue with him on her feelings towards him.

"Absolutely not." He was enjoying watching bolts of pleasure run down her spine. The faces she made told him exactly what she was feeling. "You're purring like a cat."

"Not a cat."

"I didn't know demons could purr. It's cute though."

"Not cute." she protested weakly. She could barely string together a coherent thought. Her brain was practically switched off the moment he touched her horn.

"Very cute." he corrected. _Maybe I should take her home with me? She counts as demon now right? She's got the horns, tail and eyes for it. Can she count as an akuma? Would that work?_ while he was trying to figure out if he could swing it that she was a demon and thus an akuma which would mean that he could keep her, Luca finally managed to get thoughts flowing in her head again as he had momentarily stopped petting her while he was thinking.

Her tail brushed against her legs reminding her that it was there. Now if she could actually control it for a moment. Reaching for the foreign appendage as she would her arms she moved it slightly. _Okay I can do this. He's clearly thinking of something else so I need to do this while he's distracted. All I need to do is focus. Yeah focus. Just focus. You got this_ , she took a deep breath as those thoughts and cleared her mind of all thoughts other than moving her tail. She reached around him with it and tapped his shoulder.

"What?" Tyki asked turning to see who was touching him. He didn't see anything. His eyebrows furrowed. That was weird. Then he felt it on his other shoulder. He whirled around to face the entrance to the alleyway. Still there was nobody there. "Who's doing that?" he questioned more to himself than anybody else. Slowly the tail curled around his ankle. She watched his face to make sure he didn't notice. _Okay, now I can do this_ , with that thought the tail tightened. "Huh?!" he exclaimed only to be flung into the wall. He didn't have time to phase through the wall, instead just crashed into the bricks. He pulled himself from the wreckage coughing and trying to dispel the dust cloud as she ran off. "Shit, I forgot about her tail. I didn't know she could move it like that. That's kinda intriguing." He raced after her. He couldn't believe that she had just pulled that but it seemed to be the main part of his relationship with Butterfly. He never knew what she was gonna do next. He chased her through the crowed, people jumping and diving out of their way. The exorcist wasn't even trying to avoid them this time merely shoving anyone who didn't move fast enough out of her way. She just didn't care or she was just that desperate to get away he concluded.

Luca crashed into a woman in a large fancy dress taking both of them to the ground. The woman, who must have been very rich, shrieked as they fell. Immediately people rushed over to help her up. Luca rolled off and back onto her feet running for her life again. She really needed to ditch Tyki.

"Get her! My dress is ruined! She needs to pay for it! A reward for anyone who catches her!" the woman's wailing caused Luca to roll her eyes. Why this was happening she didn't know. Honestly the woman could clearly afford another heinously ugly dress just like the one that now had mud on it. Personally the teen believed that it looked better covered in mud. You couldn't see the hideous pattern that covered the dress. She didn't understand how that was in fashion at all. She could hear other people running after her now. _Because I didn't have enough chasing me. The Noah wasn't bad enough now I have a mob too?!_ she demanded. _I'll just have to lose them. I bet I can do just that in the alleyways. Those are like a maze._ She grinned and darted down the first one she saw. A wooden wall blocked the end cutting it off from the backstreet that opened out to the other street, which just made everything easier for the girl. _That will do_ , she jumped up to the wall and then to the other one before leaping over the wooden blockade. The girl landed gracefully on her feet. She could the large pack of people grumbling that she had gotten away and the loss of the money they could have earned with her capture. _Now the only one left is My Love_ , she was distracted from her thoughts by a familiar man in a white coat. Instantly hot fury bubbled up in her chest again. _This whole thing is his fault!_

"KOMUI! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" The man's head snapped over, eyes wide as he saw her. He turned and ran while shouting over her shoulder.

"Now Luca let's remember that murder is a sin! You wouldn't want to disappoint God now would you?" She rolled her eyes at his lame attempt as she barreled after him.

"Franc (Fuck) you and your God te fasz (you dick)!" They thundered down the road before the man made a hard right into the church which housed the ark gate. The priest just barely made it out of the way as they went crashing through and into the Order. He knew he was suppose to stop them and ask for their identification numbers before he let them through but he valued his own life thank you very much. He was also pretty sure that the man had an actual demon chasing him. He wasn't an exorcist and thus not qualified to deal with it. Besides the taller of the two had fled into the Order so he would live. Probably.

* * *

Tyki grumbled as he looked around, "Damn that woman! Her stupid dress was horrid and revolting even before Butterfly crashed into her and she hit the ground. The mud was actually an improvement." He couldn't see the girl or even her horns in the thick of the crowed. "I think I lost her. She's already long gone. I wouldn't have lost her if I wasn't trying to weave through that damn mob. People will do anything for money! She probably would have only given them a single guinea anyway. Fools! All of them!" He sighed letting his anger drain out of his body. He wasn't going to find her and he couldn't kill them all. He didn't even know all of the people that had been chasing her. "I guess I better head back and find Road. Hopefully she's done shopping by now and we can go home." Walking back to where he had left his niece he found that she and her shopping bags were gone. "Well where did she go?" He wandered around checking all of her favorite stores, cursing the girl at the fact that he actually knew the names of the stores and where to find them, and searched for her. Sitting down on a bench he sighed. "She must have already gone home. I've got no idea how long I've been chasing Butterfly so that would make sense." Pushing himself up he walked down a deserted alleyway.

"Gimme all your money and anything valuable you have on you." Tyki turned to glance at the man who was threatening him with a knife.

"And if I refuse?" Tyki asked entirely bored. It's not like the guy could actually hurt him.

"Then I'm gonna kill you." The guy eyed him suspiciously. The man was surprisingly calm for somebody who was getting mugged. The thief's beady eyes saw the pocket watch chain. "Gimme that watch!" He lunged for it as he spoke. Tyki's eyes went wide before he snarled at the man. He grabbed the wrist and snapped it like a twig.

"That was your last mistake!" His hand shot through the ragged chest and ripped the heart out. He tossed it over his shoulder as he called the ark to him. "As if I'd give you the watch I got from Butterfly. Even the others aren't allowed to touch it. Filth." He spit venomous words at the corpse before then sighed at the blood seeping and staining his white gloves. Sheril was gonna complain that he had ruined another pair. "Oh well. Couldn't be helped." He stepped through the gate as he pulled them off. He looked up to find Sheril glaring at him, arms crossed over his chest and tapping one foot on the floor impatiently.

"You've got some explaining to do Tyki."

"Whoops. I'm think I'm in trouble."

* * *

"Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak." - Alan Dundes

* * *

 **Alright, well I hope everyone survives. Hopefully Komui has learned his lesson about dumping random potions on Luca...yeah that's probably not gonna happen but he'll be too scarred for a while to even think of doing something like that. For a while. Looks like Tyki's in trouble too. I guess boys aren't suppose to chase girls with devil tails. Anyway really gonna try and get next chapter out on time, there will be an important announcement in it so look for that. As always please review after you finish reading. It really does bring me great joy! Cheshire is out.**


	41. Run Devil Run! Reviews Answered

**Alright this is just my answers to the reviews of the last bonus chapter Run Devil Run. The next chapter will be up shortly. So let's get right into it!**

 **Dear SheuOgama, I'm so glad you loved these chapters. I haven't heard from you in a while. It's nice to hear from you. As for your question, at the moment I don't have anymore planned. They're harder to write than a regular chapter because I don't know what's gonna happen or how it's gonna go because I haven't gone over it in my head or in drafts thousands of times. Why do you ask?**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, Thanks Arky. I do feel better. I just needed to let it pass. Well Komui ran and hid behind Lenalee who forced him to make a cure in exchange for his life. XD Yeah Tyki needs a lot of luck. I'm not sure he's got it. It's wonderful to hear that you loved it.**

 **Dear Alexc1209, I don't think Komui will ever learn his lesson. How many times has he built a Sir Komlin only to have Lenalee destroy it when it gets out of hand? It's good to know you found it as funny as I did. What I loved was that Luca wasn't even fazed by the mob. She's used to it glares at Cross* for reasons that are best left unsaid. Tyki does and he's trying but she's not being the most cooperative. Who knew?**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, While we loved it I'm pretty sure Luca is regretting following Komui into town. Tyki's would never let her live it down. Poor girl. She just can't catch a break. Road did make it home and immediately tattled on Tyki to Sheril hence why he was mad when Tyki came home. If it were a regular chapter then he'd be forced to come up with some lie to cover it. He's not ready to share Butterfly. I'm glad you enjoyed the bonus chapter.**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, Yep and he immediately loses her because he looked away for a moment. You would think that by now he'd now that she does this and be better prepared for her tricks but he's busy trying to rationalize kidnapping her instead. Tyki doesn't know that it was a potion so he would have been pretty surprised when it wore off. Oh yes Lulu Bell would have just been thrilled. Yeah he did say that but when it comes to Luca his mouth/mind says one thing but his actions say another thing. Yeah Road will be fine. It's not like she looks like a little girl or anything. Or that people might recognize her as the Minister's daughter. Oh yes his** **priorities** **are completely in order. XD Also it's not just that it's from Luca though that's the major part but it also smells like her. It would depend on which family members are trying to touch it. The twins might find themselves phases into a wall or something. I think the priest was one of my favorite things to write.**

 ** **Dear WinterYule, Okay so hates you! XD It keeps moving your reviews and then I can't find them. Like seriously I had posted these and then I was so confused because how could I already have a review on a chapter that's not even really a chapter and it's your review for the bonus chapter. I don't understand how this is happening but it is. Anyway, I don't want to but I have to. I can't change the fact that I'm 21 now. =.= Just gonna have to live with it. I really wanted to start the chapter off with something different. What better way than a bunch of people crammed in a closet that's really too small for two people never mind 3 others and 3 golems one of who has decided that a person is too close to his Mistress and thus must be removed. I feel like maybe somebody should tell Gambit that he's a butterfly. I believe at one point she was wishing for Lenalee to come save her. Yeah he would luckily for him Luca's a good friend and showed him the footage Scor has of the event and he got to bring it up later! It was less fun with Kanda being his normal height but he still got a kick out of it. Kanda did not appreciate this fact. Allen's trying to help his sister while trying to save his own skin from being the next subject as he's somehow always at least one of them. Kanda and Luca's relationship is so odd that it's completely normal for her to run him over and just shout things like that at him and both know that it's meant as a weird brother sister thing that nobody really knows how to classify. She probably would expect that Marie couldn't see her do it so it kinda defeats the purpose. Well it's not like she has any other use for Chaoji. "Good luck storming the castle" is a line from a movie called Princess Bride. It's a fantastic movie and I highly suggest that you give it a try. I doubt that Komui will ever learn or he just doesn't care. Either way it's a good way to keep the exorcists on their toes. I put Luca running Link and Lvellie in there just for you. She wouldn't care when she was normal but the potion effected her psychologically as well so she cares even less now! XD Tyki is always missing Luca and Joyd is certainly not helping and yeah Tyki gets in trouble at the end for abandoning Road like that. Komui has the luck of the devil. If she hadn't been so busy trying to outrun people she would have just blasted her way though the walls but she kinda forgot. I don't think there's etiquette on how to behave around a woman with a tail but it's a funny image. Luca just can't get a break and at the point in time with the lady in the dress she no longer cares enough about it. You don't want to even know how many things they broke in the ark as they went thundering through. She would do more than kick him. Especially after Tyki catching her like that. They may never find Komui's body.****

 **Dear 15** **th** **, I don't think I wanna know goes on it Komui's head. I don't have much sanity left. I don't think he's at all sane. I don't think he has a death wish he doesn't seem to get that Luca will actually kill him for this. He doesn't think before he does things. Especially these kind of thing. As for Luca bedding Lenalee Komui would probably have a heart attack and die. And no Tyki would not be happy about it and Joyd even less so. I don't think that Tyki even really thought it through when he ran off to chase Luca. I think he's just gotten used to chasing Luca when he sees her that he kinda forgot about society's standards and that Road shouldn't be left alone in public. No he doesn't even question it. I think that he's just used to weird and crazy things happening around Luca. After all she mentioned robots at one point. Tyki really just wants to take Luca home with him and is trying to figure out a way to do it without her getting killed or him getting in trouble. So far he hasn't come up with anything. I'd apologize for making you laugh so hard you scared the other passengers but I'm not sorry. Yeah holidays are never long enough but there's not much you can do about it.**

 **Okay so I answered everybody who reviewed at this point in time. As I said the next chapter will be up soon. Should be before midnight. Well midnight for me. Translation a couple of hours.**


	42. Winter is Coming

**Welcome back to another chapter of Veil of Ink and Gold! Before we get started I have a big announcement! This story will now only be updated every other Tuesday. Since I'm updating today that means that next Tuesday there will be no new chapter. As much as this sucks it's something that has to be done. I need to work, I'm trying to take some classes, I need time to work on my original writing, and I need time to just relax. I love writing but it can be a lot of stress trying to get it out on time. Alright I think that's it and it's time to get on with the reviews!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, I'm glad you liked Luca's little prank on the Noah. You think this one was funny, just wait until you see the next one she pulls! I was thinking of Will** **Herondales duck phobia from the infernal devices trilogy** **as I was writing it. It was one of the inspirations for the chapter. I don't think anybody really like Chaoji. I too wish that krama catches up to him in the manga and if not it will happen in VIG because Luca hates him! Yes I have a much larger role planned for Tricia but it will be a few chapter for now enjoy her showing up in this chapter. ;D**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, Yes Komui and Sheril have both learned that they shouldn't annoy Luca or be in her way when she's bored. It's causes bad things to happen to them. I too feel bad for Tyki. I feel bad that he's related to Sheril. XD I hope I get this up for you in time to read it before you go to sleep! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Zon Yokai Blade of the Spirits, I'm glad you laughed. I laughed while I was writing it. I don't know about a career in comedy though. It was nice to write a, mostly, lighthearted chapter before everything comes crashing down. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Dear Cam, I'm pretty sure that everyone enjoyed Luca punching Chaoji and I love hearing it. It was very satisfying to write. As for what's going on with her mind, well you'll just have to read to find out. Do we really want Sheril to rest in peace? I mean he is Sheril. Thanks for the well wishes about my attempts to get some sleep. I hope you enjoy that chapter!**

 **Dear Bunny~chan, There will be more presents but no ducks. They will find out who put the ducks there just not yet. I had so much fun writing Sheril's rant about ducks. He doesn't even like real ducks now. Luca kinda broke him. She didn't actually use magic she just spent all afternoon in the ark gluing ducks together. She did it all by hand. The only magic she used was to put the door up and make it stay closed. She did tell him that she'd marry Lenalee to the Earl. Luckily for Lenalee she couldn't find the Earl so she went back to harassing Sheril and Tyki instead. I think that you're right about Chaoji and if he keeps doing it Luca's really gonna beat the hell out of him. Tyki is already annoyed as he's the one stuck picking them all up. She glued them to the floor for a reason. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, Yep! She's feeling down no other cure than to sneak into the house of your worst enemy and glue ducks to their floor. Yes her frustration does correlate with her pranks on the Noah. The worse her mood at the beginning the more she has to do to bring it up again. Luca's unable to create the gun because there are too many different parts and she doesn't understand how they all work. For Hunter to recreate it she must understand how things work otherwise Hunter doesn't know how they work and thus it won't work. She also doesn't know a lot about guns either and she's being stubborn about it. It is someone new and the woman is saying dear/darling in German. I'm very impressed Destiny. You really don't give yourself enough credit. Honestly Luca would have gotten rid of Chaoji a long time ago but anyone who knows Luca and the expressions she makes knows better than to leave the two of them alone. Nobody got there in time to stop her from putting him through a wall though. Allen just barely stopped her from continuing. She's far stronger than she looks. Yes Gambit is** **developing more autonomy. You would think that Komui would know better by now but he doesn't as for Tricia I have absolutely no idea. The poor woman needs to be saved from his clutches. Maybe she will and maybe she won't. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear WinterYule, Your reviews are all over the place. I can't find them when I'm trying to write my response to you! I think it was make up on Jasdevi but I'm not sure. Oh well. As for the epigraphs I found them on google but there weren't any names with them. I should have added Unknown. I'll fix it...later. XD Guns are very complicated especially with the moving parts and such. Luca's dislike about eating the amount she needs is there for a reason that will slowly unfurl. Apparently I don't know how to write without at least one mystery in the story. XD Chaoji isn't liked by anybody and I totally agree with your views on him. Luca didn't like him before but she's extremely protective of Gambit. Allen, Scor, and Gambit are her main priorities. I've been saving that insult specifically for Chaoji. I've also got one saved for Lvellie. Link isn't cool enough to learn Hungarian and she has no problem telling him that. Yes Luca would have embarrassed Link in public until he agreed to help. She enjoys it. All I will say on your questions about the woman is that she's not a spirit. She's from Luca's past but you know what they say about it. Luca would have gone through with it but she couldn't find the Earl. The woman is not Gazella and Liebling is Darling/Dear both work. Luca certainly has left her mark on Sheril. He'll never look at ducks the same way again. As for all of your questions well this Grinning Cat's not saying anything else ;D**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, Allen does love Luca a lot. He's also very worried about the fact that she's not eating properly. There are still things he doesn't know about her because she's still running from them not ready to admit to them or what's going on. As for the ducks I don't really understand them either but they make a good weapon as Luca has just demonstrated. About Link's pun I didn't actually mean it like that. He was just telling her to cool her head and never uses her first name though he still hasn't figured out how to address her and her brother differently. It's gotten to the point where he says "Walker" and they both answer him. Don't worry Chaoji will have an unfortunate accident. You just have to be patient. Until next time my friend!**

* * *

"Brother and sister, together as friends, ready to face whatever life sends. Joy and laughter or tears and strife, holding hands tightly as we dance through life."

– Suzie Huitt

* * *

Luca sat in the train car, the mission she was currently on the farthest thing from her thoughts. Her mind focused on her brother. She couldn't stop the nervous jitters in her leg. It bounced no matter how she shifted or tried to calm her thoughts and rein in her emotions. She settled for crossing her leg over the other so that it bounced in the air, making no noise despite the fast paced movement. Why? Why had he done it? She drifted back to the briefing that Komui had given them.

"Alright we're stretched thin, I know. I need you all to bear with me." The group of exorcists nodded at the supervisor. He was just as stressed as they were. "Alright, Kanda, Allen, and Marie you three are going to Paris to investigate why we've lost contact with our finders and scientists there." The three nodded and Luca's stomach dropped. Why of all the cities in the world did he have to go to Paris? Her nightmares were coming true! She didn't want him to go to Paris! _Please anywhere but Paris! Please_ , she begged softly even though she know that there was nothing she could do about it. Komui had told him to go and go he would. Her stupidly loyal and obedient brother and his never ending faith. Her heart pounded in her chest and she did her best to keep her breathing under control. They were leaving.

"Allen," the boy turned at his sister's call and hummed. "please be careful." He grinned at her, smiling bright enough to outshine the sun.

"Of course! I'll see you when I get home." her heart melted. She would gladly move the Earth for him with a smile on her face. He waved and the three exorcists left to pack. She couldn't help herself, she drank a large gulp of whiskey. She ignored the looks she got. It did nothing to calm her nerves.

"Luca you, Lenalee, and Krory will be going to Bulgaria. There are enormous numbers of akuma. We can't allow it to grow even more. Poke around a bit. They gather for a reason. See if there's any innocence. If there is pick it up. Jim will rendezvous with you there." They nodded leaving Lavi with Chaoji and Bookman. Lenalee kept a firm grip on Luca's hand not allowing her to punch the Chinese exorcist again. The wall still wasn't fixed. She could feel her friend's fingers just itching to attack. The teez hissed at him from where it sat in the girl's hair. Scor stuck her tongue out at him. Luca merely chuckled though it was hollow.

"-Ca? Luca? Luca?" The girl tuned in to Lenalee who was calling her name over and over again.

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright?" Krory asked.

"Yeah you've been spacing out a lot. You almost missed the train earlier. Is something wrong? Do you wanna talk about it?" Lenalee asked looking at her friend with worry evident in her eyes.

"I'm just tired. Having a hard time sleeping, that's all. It's not a big deal." It wasn't a lie. She was having a hard time sleeping. You stop wanting to sleep when all you do is have nightmares of losing your brother or your Master, who may or may not already be, murdered right before your eyes by a ghost you'd rather forget. She was sick of waking up screaming. She was amazed that Link hadn't strangled her in her sleep. She had woken him countless times. Sometimes he or Allen had to wake her from it. She rarely went back to sleep after that. How could she? It was too much. The voice was still there. Maybe she was going crazy? Granted with everything that was going on you couldn't really blame her if she did. Why was she being haunted? God, she'd give anything to trade places with Allen she didn't want him to be in Paris. She'd been having nightmares about him disappearing in Paris for months. It might have actually been over a year now. No matter what she said or did she couldn't shake the feeling. It was there to stay. _I'll call him to check in; he might get annoyed but I'll feel better knowing he's at least well enough to pick up. I suppose it could be worse. Chaoji could be with him,_ she snorted at that thought. _For all their bickering and fighting Kanda wouldn't actually let anything happen to Allen. Even if it's just to pacify me. Plus Marie is with them and he can keep them under control. He's like the big brother of the Order. He won't let anything happen to Allen. Still..._ , she sighed and looked out the window trying to ignore the worried gazes of her friends as she took a sip of whiskey. Instead she chose to focus on something else. Her vision. Something was happening. As she had last observed, it was no longer dark, no it was gray now. She could see shadows and movement now. Somehow it was getting better. She hadn't told anybody yet. She didn't want to get their hopes up, or hers for that matter. Yet deep in the darkest part of her heart a small flame of hope flickered. Could she have her full vision back? Was it possible? She sunk into her seat for once just letting her mind wander.

The train whistle blew loudly jolting the youngest exorcist out of her thoughts. She sighed and got up. It was time to get to work. The three got off the train with the attendant bowing and thanking them for their patronage. Lenalee said something to him but the Hungarian didn't hear it. Instead she walked out onto the platform. She could see the carriage waiting for them along with a group of finders. Scor sat on her shoulder while Gambit fluttered by her head. Reaching back she pulled her flask from it's pouch on her belt. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Lenalee frowning as she drank. The whiskey slid down her throat burning the whole way. She closed her eyes and sighed at the trail of warmth the alcohol left. Somehow it reminded her of home. She was no longer sure where home was, _Was it the Order? No. That had stopped being home a long time ago. Was it the house she had once shared with her mother? No._ She shook her head. _It stopped being home the minute it was stained in our blood_ , she cast her gaze down to her left hand. The invisible white line across her palm hidden by her gloves. _So where was home then?_ She didn't know anymore. Maybe it was just the feeling of having a home she remembered that she was reminded of. She sighed and glanced down at the flask. It was her Master's. Found in his exorcist coat. She had stolen all of them when the Central dogs were cleaning out his room. Letting out another sigh she slid the flask back into it's spot and walked over to the carriage before the sorrow could creep back in. He was gone and that was that. She hoped with all her being that he was alive and just hiding but she truly didn't know.

"Lady exorcist are you feeling alright?" Luca looked up at the finder who had spoken to her. It was Jim. She gave him a weak smile.

"Yeah. I've just got a lot on my mind." He offered her his hand which she accepted using it to climb into the carriage.

"I don't know if it means anything to you or not but I don't think Allen's a traitor." She stopped half way in, turned and smiled.

"It means a lot. Thank you Jim." She sat down next to Lenalee, resting her head against the window. Outside she could still hear the finders talk. One of the younger one's slung his arm around Jim's shoulder.

"Nice move Jimmy! She is cute! I'm partial to Miss Lee myself though." Luca rolled her eyes. Men were disgusting. But not all of them, Allen, Kanda, Cross, Krory, Marie, Daisya, and HIM came to her mind. They weren't like that. Lavi could be a bit crass but he wasn't bad either.

"It's not like that. Not all of us think about getting into their pants besides you know better than to say things like that. If the chief finds out the next Komlin will be coming after you. Beside either of those ladies could kick your ass. Knock it off, Dan." A thump was heard. Probably Jim hitting the newly named Dan upside the head. _Good, if he hadn't then I would have. Despite what the world may think women are not objects_ , she rolled her eyes but thought more on the matter. _Still, Jim's not bad. He's nice enough, polite, a bit quiet, too soft spoken and timid for me though._ His brown hair was short and messily cut, probably by himself she noted, but his blue eyes were soft. Her thoughts drifted away from the finder as the couch began moving taking them into town. They were just outside of town when bullets began to rain down on them.

"Akuma!" one of the finders, sounded like Dan, yelled causing the exorcists to leap out.

"They're everywhere!" Lenalee shouted looking around at the massive horde spread out before them.

"Komui did say it was getting out of hand. Spread out! Don't let them scatter. We can't let them escape." Luca started barking orders. She didn't know why it was always her but it was. Maybe she was just defiant to let anybody else do it. She shrugged it wasn't the time for this kind of thoughts now. Nodding Lenalee Shot to the far left and Krory in the opposite direction. She turned to the finders. "Take cover. We'll deal with this. Don't come out until we say so. Don't worry about the coach for now." Nodding they ran for the forested that lined the road. Jumping up onto the roof of said coach she took a deep breath. I guess it was a good thing that we ate on the train, she hummed. "Activate!" The blood spilled from her stigmata.

"Luca will you be okay here by yourself?" Lenalee called from her edge. Luca nodded and sent her a grin.

"Let's get to work Hunter." Akuma were all around her, level 1s, 2s, and 3s.

"Stupid exorcist! We have you surrounded!" Luca merely smirked at the particular demon talking to her.

"Nah, you've merely put me in a target rich environment."

"Do you really think that there are more akuma here? That was a huge horde back there!" Lenalee asked as the three exorcists walked into town.

"We have to be sure Lena, besides Komui said that we have to make sure that their isn't any innocence. He doesn't think so but said to check anyway. Akuma don't just gather in large groups for no reason." Luca answered back with ease.

"Besides," Krory added in, "the finders said that it would be a couple hours before they could fix the coach anyway. Might as well look around." Lenalee sighed.

"Yeah I guess, this town just gives me the creeps." Luca glanced around at the town as she thought about her friends words. It was true the town was pretty empty, _No doubt because of the akuma. It kind of reminds me of that town where I met Tyki, almost the entire town was made up of akuma_ , she thought. She sighed at the thought of the Portuguese man. There had still been no movement from the Noah which had been setting everybody on edge. More suspicious glances and hostile glares were sent the Walkers' way. It had been over six months since she had seen him. The only reason she knew he was okay was the flowers that showed up periodically. She still didn't know how he knew her birthday. Yeah she knew about his brother and family but that wasn't hard to figure out. It was in the newspaper. She also hadn't figured out what to do with that list. If she could get Allen away from Link she'd say they should do a sweep and take them all out but Link would never leave them alone for that long and they couldn't take him along. He'd want to know where they got it and why they didn't report where the Noah were hiding out. She herself didn't know why they hadn't. It didn't feel right to her and that in and of itself didn't make sense. Maybe she was going soft. _Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that junk_ , she sighed pulling out her flask for a drink. _Maybe Allen is right. Maybe I should crush these feelings. They're messing with my head. Affecting my decisions. After all I needed Hyde to kill him and that was in the spring. Perhaps it's time to let go. I shouldn't be distracted right now. Allen needs me and I have to focus on helping him. Ugh! Why is this so hard?_ She shook her head and sipped at the alcohol. She'd have to put some real thought to it when she got home. Her eyes darted around taking everything in. The houses were falling apart and the ones that weren't had the shutters and doors shut and locked. Whoever lived here lived in fear. She took another sip.

"You have that feeling for a reason. Let's look around a bit. Stay in contact with your golems." They nodded and split up. Luca wandered down the road, Scor and Gambit fluttering by her head, pulling her hood up as she went. The road was dark and the air cold. The battle had been long and hard, lasting deep into the night. There were lampposts and barely half of them worked. It was one of these moments that Luca was thankful for her Master's neglect. As Allen had explained to Johnny, that very thing allowed them to have exceptional eyesight in both light and dark though Luca herself had a dislike for bright lights because of it. Or perhaps it was the fact that she spent most of her life in the dark; facing shadows and monsters so her brother could live in the light. Or maybe it was nothing in her control at all she was just naturally a child of the night born into darkness, for darkness, and to love darkness. The moon was the only light she needed. During her musing she had walked all the way through town and now stood at the in the center staring up at the large statue standing in the middle of the town square. Ironically enough the stone angel, had it's head in it's hands; it was weeping. It almost seemed as if the sorrow it held was for the dying town and it's people. She stared up at it. "It looks old. I wonder how long it's been here."

"It's been here since the town itself." Luca looked over at the old man that had walked over to her. She hadn't seen where he had come from. She hadn't even see his shadow move. She must have been so deep in thoughts, she hadn't even felt his presence. That was vaguely concerning. She was lucky he wasn't an akuma. "Actually before that. We built the town around it."

"I wonder who put it up then if it wasn't the town." The man chuckled at her comment.

"Many do as well. We have found some ruins that suggests that perhaps there were people here before us."

"That sounds very interesting. Do you know anything about them?"

"Unfortunately no. The only thing we do know was that the land was cursed. It will suck away any and all life. Why we stay none of us can answer. We all just feel like we can't leave. It took my wife from me. I only have my son left." He motioned to a boy standing not far away. The kid was rather normal. Brown hair brushed and parted down the middle. Semi-fancy noble clothes yet Luca knew there was something wrong with the kid. He just stared at her, unblinking.

"That's terrible. I'm so sorry for your loss." Luca spoke softly.

"It was several years ago. I still have Aleksandur." He paused and then laughed. "Oh where are my manners? My name is Stefan. I'm the mayor here. Though many people have died. Or so we think." Luca raised an eyebrow.

"You think?"

"Yes. All we find is their clothing and ash."

"That's rather strange." she agreed. She glanced over at Aleksandur who was still staring at her or maybe it was her uniform. If he was an akuma he had to be at least a level 2. The level 1s didn't have the control to see an exorcist and not attack. Though the kid wasn't doing very well to hide what he, _or was it? Great now she was questioned what to call an akuma_ , was. She was on to him.

"If you don't mind me asking sir when did your wife die? Was it before or after this started happening?"

"Before. It was almost years ago." Luca nodded.

"Would you like to come in? It's drafty out here." Luca glanced around.

"I have some friends that are looking around the other parts of town. I should find them first but if you could direct us to the nearest hotel I'd love to continue our discussion tomorrow." He nodded.

"Yes that's fine. That right there," he pointed at the building behind her, "is the only hotel in the town. We don't get many visitors. You'll find the innkeeper to be very pleasant and wonderful. Just tell Greta that Stefan sent you. You'll get top notch treatment." She smiled at him.

"Thank you for your kindness." she waved and walked away. She could feel Aleksandur's eyes burning holes into her back. She drank from her flask to rid herself of the urge to shiver.

"Lu? Who were you talking to?" Lenalee's voice drifted through Scor.

"The mayor. Where are you guys? It's too late to leave. I found a hotel, well the only one."

"The west side I think. I'm on the outskirts anyway." Krory answered.

"I'm to the south by the gate that we came through on our way in." Lenalee spoke.

"Can you make it to the town square?"

"Yep." Lenalee said.

"Um..." Krory trailed.

"I see you Krory," she started heading his way sipping from her flask as she went, "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Luca."

"No problem." she laughed. "I'm used to it. Allen's sense of direction is terrible."

"So I've heard."

"Didn't he get you lost on your last mission?" Lenalee asked.

"Yep. We lost Link and wandered around for a while before I finally just knocked on a random door to ask for directions. It's hard to use a map when you can't read the language it's written in."

"Well at least it's not only me." Krory answered. "Oh! I see you Luca!" No sooner had the Romanian said it he was by her side, blowing her hair around and in her face with his speed despite the fact that it was tied back in a purple ribbon, which was her favorite as it was decorated with small silver butterflies sewn into the ends of it, it didn't go with the red on her uniform but she didn't care."

"Well then, we can head to the square." Luca's voice was a bit muffled as she tried to fight her way out of her unruly locks. _God why do I keep my hair long?_ Allen's voice answered her question in the back of her head, _Because you say it looks worse short._ She made a face but finally managed to push it back.

"Whoops. My apologies Luca." She smiled at the man.

"Oh it happens. My hair is just a pain to deal with. No worries." He nodded and they made their way towards the square, their comrade, and the warmth that the inn would provide. Soon the three were entering the inn. A blonde woman with brown eyes met them. "Hi are you the innkeeper?"

"Yes that's me." The woman spoke in an odd tone but it was probably the mood of the town. Luca couldn't blame her for the wary look in her eyes. "My name is Greta. You must be the travelers Stefan mentioned. Luca nodded. "I'll get your rooms ready."

"Thank you." The three exorcists gathered in the girls room.

"I didn't find anything. Most people closed their shutters and doors. The ones who did talk to me all said the same thing."

"The town is cursed." Lenalee finished for him. "That's all I got too."

Luca sighed, "I got slightly better results. I spoke with the mayor. The rumor come from the fact that at some point other people lived here. They've found ruins here and there. What they call a curse we call akuma. That large hoard had to come from somewhere. The mayor said that a lot of people have vanished. All they find is ash and empty clothing. There's at least one more akuma here."

"You mean that massive group weren't the only ones?" Lenalee asked exasperated. Luca shook her head.

"Not from where I stand."

"So how do you know?" Krory got back on topic.

"While I was talking to the mayor his son was with him. The kid just stared at me unblinking. It was incredibly creepy."

"You think he's an akuma?" Luca nodded answering Lenalee's question.

"The mayor has invited me to his house tomorrow to continue our discussion."

"Then maybe you can draw the akuma out." Krory added.

"Maybe. We'll see." The Romanian man stood up.

"Well we should all get some sleep. I'll see you two in the morning." They waved at the man as he headed to his room next door.

"So what were you discussing with the mayor yesterday?" Lenalee asked as the three exorcists walked to the mayor's house. It was early but Greta had informed them that Stefan had invited them all to breakfast.

"Oh I was wandering around town and I came to the square and I was looking at the weeping angel statue in the middle of it," she waved her hand in the direction of the statue not really looking at it, "and he started telling me about it."

Lenalee looked confused before questioning, "What statue?" Green eyes grew wide and her head snapped over. It was gone. She ran over to where she had stood the night before.

"It was there! I swear there was an angel statue right there."

"We believe you. We know you aren't crazy Luca. Now we just have to figure out what the statue is and where it went and how it went somewhere else." Krory answered. Luca groaned but nodded.

"It's nice to meet you." Stefan shook Krory's hand and then turned to Lenalee as Luca introduced her.

"This is Lenalee my other comrade."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss." He kissed her hand gently. "Well come in. It's cold this time of year. I have breakfast all prepared." Luca smiled. He was kind. She could already feel the sorrow creeping up. They were gonna take this man's son, well what he thought was his son, away from him. It didn't sit right with her but an akuma was an akuma.

"So Luca tells us that you said that angel statue has been there before the town itself." Lenalee started as they all sat down.

"Oh yes we built the town around it." Aleksandur's footsteps sounded as he came down the stairs. "Ah there you are. This is my son Aleksandur. Aleksandur can you say hello?" The boy just stared at them. "I apologize. He's shy. Hasn't been the same since my wife passed away."

"We're very sorry for your loss." Lenalee speaks softly, no doubt having the same thoughts the Hungarian had been having only moments earlier.

"It was several years ago and I still have my boy." They nodded and sat down to eat. All of the exorcists were unnerved with the way the boy stared at them all though his eyes flicked to Scor and Gambit several times. The conversation was easy and Stefan was knowledgeable about the town and very helpful. Krory stood up along with the other two while Lenalee spoke.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality but I'm afraid that I've left something in my hotel room."

"Oh not at all. It's been a pleasure to talk to you. We don't get very many visitors and even less of them are interesting in our little town.

"We really must be getting ready to leave. Our carriage should be repaired by now. I'll go check on it." Krory added in. Stefan walked them to the door.

"Have a safe trip!" He and Aleksandur waved to them. Once the door closed Luca leaned in closer.

"Krory you check on the carriage. Lena you see if you can find that statue. I'll keep an eye on Aleksandur. He can't resist us for much longer. Be quick though." They nodded and left both using their innocence to speed away. Luca glanced at the empty space where the statue had been before jumping up to a rooftop. It was best if she stayed out of sight. She sat there shifting her weight every once in a while. She was almost out of whiskey again. She'd have to restock when got back to the Order. She could feel Krory's presence coming back. Several loud explosions in the town rocked the house Luca was sitting on. None of them were coming from the house in front of her. "Francba (shit)!" She bolted towards the largest one. It was the inn. "Activate!" Lenalee came flying out of the smoke with Luca just barely catching her before they crashed into the ground, Luca's back taking the brunt of the impact.

"Luca!" Lenalee cried as she rolled off her friend. Akuma surrounded them. Slowly Greta walked out of the wreckage a deranged smile spread across her face.

"Oh are you still alive? Though that means I get to play with you more." She shook for a moment before a level 4 exploded out of her skin.

"Kurva életbe (god damn it)!" Luca cursed upon seeing it.

"Oh boy. Three exorcists to kill! I'm giddy! I can't wait to spill your blood and dye the town red with it before I finish off the rest of them." She could see Krory a ways away fighting a large group. Luca pushed Lenalee to her feet.

"Go help Krory. There's to many over there from him to handle by himself." Lenalee gaped at the order.

"What? You can't fight that thing all by yourself?" The akuma giggled.

"Oh? You think you're good enough to fight me single handedly?"

Luca cracked her knuckles, "Yeah, I'm more than enough for your baby faced ass." She turned to Lenalee. "Go. No arguments." The Chinese teen pouted for a moment but when the younger didn't budge she sighed and ran over kicking an akuma in the face who was sneaking up on the Romanian.

"My my you exorcists sure are getting cocky. Oh well. I'll put you back in your place." Luca patiently waited for the akuma to attack. They stared at each other for a moment, a calm expression on the girl's face. The akuma would break it was just a matter of time. It attacked. She swayed out of the way. Lunging the akuma missed again going straight past the Hungarian. Luca smiled and kicked it into a house.

"What's the matter? I thought you were gonna put me in my place. Have you forgotten where it is?" The akuma shrieked at her again. All three exorcists grabbed their heads trying to protect from themselves from the pain. "Hunter!" Luca gestured to the akuma, clenching her eyes closed in pain. The blood launched out of her stigmata and into the akuma's mouth. It choked, coughing and sputtering trying to expel the innocence that was burning through it. The innocence tore through the akuma's skin shearing off one of it's arms in the process.

"You little bitch!" It howled, oil spilling form the new hole.

"Well that's rude." It kicked her in the stomach, sending her crashing into the still burning inn. It flew in after her.

"Come out come out wherever you are!" It sang kicking rubble out of the way. Luca leapt out of the flames flax swords in hand. It blocked them with it's good arm. "There you are!" She just barely deflected the blast of dark matter shot at her face.

"Oof!" A hard punch to the stomach sent her back into the flames. Her back banging on the one of the few walls still standing. She coughed, the smoke was starting to suffocate her. She needed to get out. She lept up jumping from fallen pieces of wood to whatever footing she could find. The akuma quickly realized what she was doing.

"Sorry!" It kicked her back into the fire. Smoke constricted her airwaves causing tears to cloud her vision. The akuma grabbed her by the hair and flung her into the other wall. She had burns on her arms and soot on her face. She struggled to push her sword out from under her, ignoring the new cut in her arm which was pinned between her and the wall, pointing it at the akuma.

"Reap! Nightmare's Mark!" The green energy flowed from her body into the sword and fired at the akuma throwing it off her. She found an untouched pocket of air. She gasped for breath greedily taking in the clean air. She just barely rolled out of the way as the akuma came flying back it's feet splintering the wood where her spine had just been moments before.

"Aw you moved." it whined at her.

"Obviously." she rolled her eyes at it. Her cavity of untarnished air was almost gone and the fire was beginning to lick at her boots burning them black. She made a face at it. She really liked these boots.

"Oh well." It attacked again and she leapt up out of it's way only for it to grab her ankle and fling her through the wall. She rolled along the cobblestone. She coughed dryly as she pushed herself up onto her hands and feet.

"Well I'm out of the fire." She climbed to her feet, brushing the soot from her pants and coat.

"Yes but now you are without your weapon. Burned away in the fire." It grinned. Luca snorted at it.

"You're behind the times. You've spent too long here picking on innocent defenseless people." The akuma glared and snarled.

"You think these people are innocent? I've been here for years! The baker is sleeping with the wife of the cobbler. They sneak to the inn every weekend to have sex! The candle maker murdered his son and molested his daughter! The son turned the mother into an akuma and nobody noticed! These people like all the rest of them are wicked! They deserve to die!"

"Regardless of what these people have done you've spent to much time here." She held out her hand. "Hunter, come!" The deep red liquid shot out of the flames shaving a bit of skin from the akuma's head.

"How interesting. It melted but you can still use it." The akuma regarded her for a moment.

"Eternal Hunter has no set form. I shape it to my own liking." she shrugged grabbing the liquid fashioning it into a bow. The akuma watched was she held it in one hand while the other reached for her hand. She pulled it back towards the string, an arrow made of green energy left in her hand's wake. She pulled the string back to her cheek.

"You really think you can hit me with an arrow."

"It's a new thing. I've always been told to expand my arsenal." She released the arrow as the akuma lunged. She fired one after the other as it continued to get closer. She flipped backwards out of the way firing an arrow into it's eye. It screamed and flailed around.

"You bitch! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" Luca stretched the bow into a halberd.

"While I like the bow I think it's better as a long range weapon. I'll keep that in mind." she hummed more to herself than the akuma who was still shrieking. She swung her weapon down leaving a diagonal cut through it's torso. "If you don't stop making so much noise then I'll remove your jaw."

"I'll kill you!" It's eyes bulged and it opened fired on her. Eyes widening she deflected as many as she could yet they still tore through her body. She cried out. The pain and the virus working it's way through her body. Hunter rushed back into her veins swallowing the virus as quickly as it could causing the stars that had appeared on her skin to glow purple and then bright green. She could feel the power charging her veins. She could even see the brightness of it through her shadowy vision on the left side. She grinned, it gave her such a rush.

"Time to die!" she sang. She was about to fire the energy humming beneath her skin when she heard Lenalee cry out in pain. Luca whirled around to see that the other two had been overrun. She had to help them. She bolted towards them. Krory saw her coming. "Get down!" at the order he dove onto Lenalee taking her down to the ground with him and shielded her. Hunter wasn't like Crown Clown it would hurt humans. "Reap! Nightmare's Mark!" The blast incinerated the enormous group of akuma. She sighed feeling the pressure leave her skin. She came down from her power high rather quickly as the level 4 which she had forgotten about in her rush to her friends' side attacked shoving it's hand into her back all the way up to it's wrist. She screamed as black spots filled her vision. Suddenly the hand was gone. Leaving a gaping hole in her back. She fell forward. Lenalee caught her, her other hand putting pressure on the wound trying to stop the bleeding. Krory must have attacked the akuma, she noted dully.

"Luca! You have to focus! You have to stop the bleeding or you're going to die! Luca! Please listen to me!" Blinking away the darkness she took control of her blood once more. Pulling it back into her body. Hunter sealed the torn veins. It would hold for now. Krory was tossed away, smashing into the stones by them, stars disappearing from his skin.

"It's too strong!" Luca looked at him for a moment.

"Krory do you have any akuma blood left?" She asked. He nodded confused. He shouldn't drink anymore at the moment. His body was tired and the virus was starting to creep up.

"Give it to me." Luca held out her hand for the flask.

"Luca what are you gonna do?" Lenalee asked as the girl got up flask in hand.

"My job. I'm gonna kill the akuma." Before Lenalee could question why she needed the flask the youngest had unscrewed it and downed it all in one gulp.

"Luca!"

"Oh that is nasty! I can't believe you drink that!" Krory shrugged.

"Taste like tomato juice to me." Luca smiled wiry.

"Don't like tomato juice either. I'll refill it for you." The stars spread as she knew they would. Purple turned to green. "Stay back and take cover. This won't take long." Krory nodded and swept Lenalee up before she could protest.

"Oh? You think that I'm gonna fall so easily? I'm gonna kill you but before that I'm gonna make you watch as I rip your friends limb from limb." It snarled. Luca was in front of it before it could blink shoving her glowing hand in it's still open mouth. Gripping it's jaw tightly she ripped in from the rest of the head.

She ignored the screaming as she inspected her nails, "I told you if you weren't careful I'd rip your jaw off. Just look what's happened. This is really all your fault." It swung it's fist at her causing her to duck as it flew past her. Grabbing it's leg she twisted it as she flung the akuma into the smoldering heap that used to be the inn. The leg came off easily. Luca wrinkled her nose at it staring at the blood oil in distaste. She grabbed the flask and filled it up. "Here!" She tossed it back to Krory. He caught it.

"Be careful!" Lenalee shouted as the akuma came flying out screeching but without it's jaw it was unintelligible. Luca met it head on.

"Bye bye!" She winked at it and punched through it's head releasing a burst of electricity. The explosion shot her backwards. She slowly rolled to a stop. "Well I really need to plan better." she sighed. She had reserved most of the energy to keep Hunter invoked until they got home and Head Nurse could patch her up. "Oh she's gonna kill me." she whined causing Lenalee to laugh.

"Already thinking of Head Nurse are we?" Luca nodded.

"Can't say that I envy you." Krory offered a hand up as he spoke. Luca called her innocence back to her allowing it to slip into her veins. The glow died down as she spread it out patching her wounds for the time being. She had no doubt that the moment she deactivated it she'd spring several leaks. It was gonna be messy. She'd be tied to the bed for weeks. Slowly Stefan and Aleksandur came out of their house no doubt hiding from the battle.

"What were those things?" Stefan asked holding Aleksandur close.

"They're called akuma but they're souls of the dead called back by their loved ones only to be trapped in a machine and used as a weapon by a deranged man called the Millennium Earl. He wants to kill God." Luca explained quickly. Aleksandur went pale. Slowly Luca knelt down in front of him. "You've seen him haven't you, Alensandur?" she questioned. "The fat man in the top hat. He brought your mother back didn't he?" Slowly the boy opened his mouth.

"He appeared to my aunt. Offered to bring Mother back. I was hiding in the closet. I saw Mother come back. She-she she killed my aunt," tears began to roll down his face. Luca sighed and pulled the boy into a hug.

"I know. It must have scared you. I know what it's like and how it makes you feel. I know it seems bad when we destroy them," she pet his ruffled brown hair easily, "but it sets the soul free and they go back to the afterlife where they belong. It doesn't hurt the souls when the machine is destroyed."

"This is what you do isn't it?" Stefan asked as she stood up.

"That's right we're exorcists and it's our job to hunt the akuma and fight the Millennium Earl for the sake of the Earth." Krory answered.

"And we'll fight him to our very last breath." Lenalee reassured them both with a smile.

"Then thank you for your service. All of you." Stefan looked solemn. "Are they all dead? Were they all akuma?"

"The ones who weren't were killed. The dust that you found was all that's left of them. I suggest you and Aleksandur relocate. There's nothing here for you and you'll probably be safer. The akuma are here for a reason." He nodded.

"Thank you for your help. Aleksandur lets go pack. We should leave as soon as possible."

"That's probably best." Krory nodded at him. They waved as the pair left. Lenalee elbowed Luca gently.

"I thought you didn't like children." Luca rolled her eyes.

"I don't. That doesn't mean that I don't understand what it felt like. Plus he reminded me of somebody. I can't put my finger on who." Lenalee nodded soberly suddenly regretting the joke when she saw the distant look in her friend's eye. Luca felt a bit bad for lying but she knew it wasn't her secret to tell. She knew exactly who Aleksandur reminded her of. He reminded her of Allen. Especially when she and Cross had first found him. That look of horror that she thought would never leave. She had wondered if he would ever be the same or if it had all been too much for him to comprehend.

"So do we get to head home?" Lenalee asked changing the subject.

"Did you ever find the statue?" Lenalee shook her head.

"No. I was attacked before I could look all that much."

"Split up. Find it. Statues don't just randomly move. Radio in when you find it. We'll meet at it's location."

"Right!" They chorused and split up. Finding the statue had been annoying. Lenalee had found it in some remote corner of the town in front of some ruins. Luca walked up to it.

"What do you think is going on Luca?" The Chinese girl asked.

"I have a hunch and I wanna see if I'm right." Jumping up she climbed up the statue until she was at the top. Bringing her fist back she smashed the head in.

"Luca!" Lenalee shouted. "What are you doing? That's public property! The Order still isn't done paying off the damage you caused."

"Wait! You know about that too?" she demanded now annoyed at the supervisor.

"Yes!"

"Well I have two things to say to you." Luca dropped down to the ground landing on her feet.

"First off, the town is empty, Stefan and Aleksandur are leaving. I doubt this town will ever live again. Secondly," Luca pulled the glowing piece of innocence out from behind her back. "this is why the akuma have been congregating here. They can feel it but couldn't find it because it was in the statue and the statue would move. Animating inanimate objects is probably this piece's special power. So now we can go home." She turned to Krory smug smile in place. "Is the carriage all ready to go?"

"Yes. I told the finders to wait outside of the town because you said there were more akuma."

"Excellent choice!"

* * *

As predicted, Luca was accosted by Head Nurse who immediately began to chastise the girl for it and drugged her so she couldn't run away. Before she knew it she was asleep. When she came to she was groggy. Grabbing her knitted cardigan with a hood she left the infirmary as she put it on. She knew she shouldn't leave and Head Nurse would hunt her down but she didn't care. She started looking for Allen, she knew that the groggy feeling from the drugs would leave soon enough and Head Nurse would be back to check on her when it did, _I guess Hunter has caused my body to metabolize them faster. I guess it's a good thing she hasn't figured that out yet_ , she hummed, she had heard that Allen had been injured in his and Kanda's battle with the level 4. _I guess they're showing up more and more. We need to get stronger faster. I can't keep relying on Hunter's ability. I need to be able to do it on my own. I will protect Allen no matter what happens. If what Master told me is true than the Earl will look for Allen as soon as he realizes he's the host of the fourteenth_ , she sighed as her thoughts drifted to a different Noah. She still hadn't figured out her feelings towards him or what she would choose to do when the time came. She glanced to her left out the window. An elderly woman and a child were sitting outside on a bench. The kid had blue hair and was wearing a uniform. Must be the new exorcist I heard about. Hopefully he's not obnoxious. She reached out for Allen's presence and headed his way. She saw the desk sitting against the wall. She didn't know why they were just randomly placed around. Or the small table, _was it a table or was it called something else?_ she wondered, between the windows on her left with a vase of flowers. How was that needed? What use did it have? _It just gets in the way and then I keep running into them..._ her thought trailed off. She blinked a couple times and then slowly closed her right eye. She could see. She could see! Her vision was back! All grogginess slipped from her system as she went running to find Allen.

"Allen!" Allen whirled around at his sister's voice. She had been injured and Head Nurse had swept her away the minute she had returned. His eyes widened as he saw her come barreling at him full speed.

"Lu?" He asked startled. He just barely caught her as she threw herself at him wide grin spread across her face.

She cheered as she threw her arms around him, "I can see!" He immediately broke out into a grin himself.

"What? Really? That's fantastic!" He hugged her. Finally something had gone right.

"What an unusual development." Link muttered in the background but he was easily ignored by the Walker siblings.

"I told you that you wouldn't be half blind forever! It's amazing that you have your full vision again!"

"Is that so?" Both froze at the icy tone of Head Nurse who stood behind them.

"Eeep!" Luca squeaked as they were dragged back to the infirmary.

"So what's verdict?" Allen asked his sister as the walked down the hall, Link trailing after them a bit back still eyeing the black and white golem which had once again bitten him.

"My visions back to perfect on both sides but Head Nurse says another head injury could render me permanently blind in one or both my eyes if I'm not careful. So I guess I'll have to think a bit more before I fling myself into battle."

"That's not a bad thought Lu." She glared at her brother.

"Oh that's rich coming from you." she flicked his nose but he only laughed.

"Yeah I guess so." She sighed but kept walking with him.

"So how did the mission go? I heard Timothy, that is his name right?" Allen nodded. "Anyway I heard that Timothy can possess people. Is that true?" Allen nodded again.

"Yeah akuma and humans."

"Did he possess any of you?" Allen grinned evily and link froze.

"Don't you do it." Link's warning was ignored.

"He possessed Link." Luca immediately wore an identical grin.

"Timcampy wouldn't happen to have to have footage of it would he, dear little brother?"

"But of course he does my lovely sister, Tim records everything. I'd be happy to give it to you."

"Walker no." Link was again ignored. It was like he wasn't even there. _There goes my dignity,_ he groaned at the golem began to play the footage to the glee of the Hungarian. _God she's never going to let me live that down._

Slowly an evil thought slid into Luca's brain, "You know I haven't met Timothy yet. Would you like to introduce us Allen?" He didn't know what she was planning but he was pretty sure it had something to do with Timothy and Link if the glances she was shooting at him was any indication of her thoughts. This was sure to be fun. Allen lead her into the library where Timothy was studying.

"Would you mind terribly if we interrupted for a moment Emilia?" Allen said to the woman next to him.

"Of course not. It's about time for a break anyway." She smiled.

"Wonderful. I wanted you both to meet someone." Luca stepped around him and into their view. "This is my older sister Luca." She offered a hand to Emilia who shook it.

"It's nice to meet you Luca."

"You too Miss Emilia."

"Oh you can just call me Emilia. This is Timothy." She pushed the boy forward. Luca smiled at him. She leaned down to be at hist level, hands resting on her knees.

"It's nice to meet you Timothy. I've heard you like pranks."

"Walker no." Link wasn't sure why he bothered. She ignored him more than anyone else.

"Relax Link I'm just making conversation. No need to get your panties in a twist." His face turned bright red while Timothy started laughing. Emilia's face was pretty red too. Luca chuckled and leaned over to Timothy whispering in his ear, "He's a bit stuffy huh? Wanna play a prank on Link?" The boy nodded. "Can you possess him?"

"I'd need an opening." he murmurs to her.

"So if I distract him you'll possess him?" He nodded. "That's easy enough." Standing up straight she walked back over to Link agonizingly slow. He backed away from her. He didn't like the look in her hooded eyes or the seductive smirk spread across her lips.

"Walker whatever you are thinking, no."

"Oh Link it's not good to be so stressed. I can't imagine it's healthy. You should relax a bit. I could help you with it if you'd like." His back hit the wall as she had him cornered, her hips swinging with every step he took. He shrunk back as much as he could. She was right in his face, her chest pressed against his.

"Walker don't yo-" he was cut off as she pressed her lips to his. Emilia just stared unsure of what was actually happening.

"Huh." Was Allen's only thought. Timothy struck possessing the man while his brain short circuited.

"I think you broke him. That was the easiest possession ever." Timothy spoke through Link. Luca merely grinned.

"Works for me. Now let's go. I think Lenalee still has the hot pink dress that Komui made for her." He grinned and followed after her Allen wandering out trying to decide if he even wanted to see Link in a dress at all never mind a pink one. In the end nobody had wanted to and everybody was traumatized. Well everybody except the Hungarian. Luca hid in her room with the door barred for the rest of the day.

* * *

Luca entered the training room, she gazed at Bookman who was beating Kanda easily much to the annoyance of the latter. _Maybe I should go a round with him. It could be fun. Test how good my martial arts are_ , she thought before continuing over to where Allen and Marie were talking. Her eyes flicked over to the five people in crimson that just walked in. Her lips curled up into a snarl. _CROWS no doubt. Disgusting parasites_ , her thoughts were cut off by Marie surprising Allen with an attack accidentally throwing him into the largest of the CROWS. The CROW's arm changed shape and he flung Allen into a wall.

"Allen!" She rushed over to him her anger quickly bubbling to the surface. _One day I swear I'm just gonna start killing any CROW I see_. Marie got to him at the same time she did as Allen landed on the ground. Luca could see the shock on his face as one of them explained that they were half akuma.

"Oh another bad decision of Centrals, turning their loyal lapdogs into monstrosities and forcing them upon us. Yay." Her tongue dripping with sarcasm and venom. One of them, a girl with black hair, moved towards her mouth already opening to say something back.

"Lapdogs?" she asked angrily.

"Let it go Cordula. We're not suppose to be getting in fights." One of the male's spoke his light hair in a side ponytail. "Least of all the exorcists. We need to go." Luca snorted at them.

"Must be time to fetch the paper." The girl whirled around and attacked.

"That's it."

"You shouldn't pick fights with our comrades Luca." Allen sighed while his sister fumed.

"Allen they are akuma! That's just asking for trouble. The scientists messed with the egg and Lulu Bell attacked trying to get it back. Think of all the people that died! If the Order had just left well enough alone they would still be around! Now it's even worse! They've been invited in! How many of us are they gonna kill in our sleep or while we're eating. It's horrible idea. Ugh I needed to go cool off. I'll see you later, Al." She huffed stalking away leaving her brother to take a bath hoping the steam would help her calm down.

Her hair was still drying as she drifted down the hall. She felt bad for snapping at Allen. It wasn't his fault the Order's hierarchy was made of idiots. _The more decisions I see the more I know that Lvellie will be the death of the Order and so many people. He's mad with power and has no actual idea of the battlefield and what it's like. You'd think that after seeing a level 4 he might rethink the akuma idea just a bit but no! I have a pretty good idea who gave him the piece of the egg that he no doubt needed to make them. Every time I think Link can't make a stupider decision then he goes and proves me wrong_ , she knew these thoughts weren't helpful and she was only making herself miserable with them. _Can't do anything about it anyway. Might as well let it go._

"Lady exorcist?" Luca looked up to find a finder standing in front of her. She blinked at him a few times.

"You were one of the finders on my last mission right?"

"That's right My Lady."

"It's Jim isn't it?"

"I'm surprised you remember. It's not like it's a big deal."

"Just because you're a finder doesn't mean that you aren't important. Without you we'd never get anything done." She noticed the large bundle of roses in his arms. "Oh. That's a lot of roses. Who are you giving them to? Some one special?" she asked tilting her head to the side imploringly.

"Actually they're for you." He handed her the bouquet.

"Me?" She questioned.

"They were delivered. They're for you. I don't know who they're from. I was just picked to bring them to you. I've been looking for you for a while."

"Sorry about that."

"Don't be. I hope you enjoy your roses." Luca waved as he left. She counted the roses as she walked. 20. 20 red roses for her. Just for her. She looked at the black ribbon. A tag hung from it.

"Roses are red

Violets are blue.

Your eyes are grass green

The most beautiful I've seen."

She rolled her eyes at the cheesy poem. It was so cheesy yet still she grinned. _What a dork. Well he's still alive and kicking_ , she snorted. She felt Allen's presence and headed towards him.

"Hey," she greeted as she walked up to him only to see Rohfa standing with him. She bit her lip and did her best to not roll her eyes. She didn't hate the girl more like she was annoyed at her and the love sick puppy expression the Chinese girl wore around her brother.

"Hey Lu." Allen greets. Rohfa looks at her nervously but Luca just turned to her brother.

"Walker!" Link's shout came from behind Allen.

"Sick 'im." Luca ordered pointing at the inspector. Rohfa's eyes widened as she saw two golems. She had seen the silver one when the exorcists were recovering at the Asian branch but the butterfly was new. It gave her the creeps. Both flew over and attacked along with Timcampy who was still holding on for all his worth.

"Ah, those white flower accessories, it's really cute. It suits you." Luca looked the girl over glancing around for what her brother was talking about. The girls ponytails were held back with them. _They look gaudy to me. White's not a good color against black, she should have gone for a muted color. I personally don't like pink but that would have looked better. Make the middle of the flower yellow and the petals pink. Yes and the leaves green_. She wasn't sure why she was coloring the ornamental hair ties in her head. _I probably can't say anything after all my uniform has red on it yet here I am with a bright purple ribbon in my hair. Oh well._ Rohfa seemed to finally notice the roses in the other girl's arms. The Chinese girl had started crying while the Hungarian had been deep in her thoughts.

"Are you handing out roses?" She asked timidly. The girl's glare could be scary. Hell the girl herself was scary.

"What? Oh! No." Luca answered after she realized what the girl was talking about. Allen glanced at the flowers in his sister's hand. It had been three months since the last delivery and he was hoping that she would have forgotten about them by now or at least the man would have gotten bored and moved on to a different girl. It was a mean wish but he knew the Noah wasn't good for her. It would hurt her if he did but she would be alive. "They were a gift. I haven't found a vase for them yet." Allen's eyes widened. _She's keeping them?!_ he wondered. She played with one of the petals.

"Red roses are special. Whoever it is must really like you." Rohfa added not noticing the mood of either Walker sibling.

"Are you okay Lu?" Something trailed down the taller girl's cheek. Rohfa realized she was crying though she still smiled at the roses.

"Ah! Luca! Please don't cry." Allen begged turning his attention to his sister.

"It's okay Allen. They're happy tears. She grew roses. She loved them so much." she rubbed the petal between her fingers. They were so soft.

"Your mother." he sighed and she nodded.

"Red roses especially have always been bittersweet for me." She wiped the tears away. Normally she'd be embarrassed about crying in front of anybody but at the moment she couldn't care less.

* * *

Luca sat at her desk scribbling in her notebook. Her magic notes were everywhere. She needed to organize them. She groaned dropping her head into her hands before slowly running them back and through her hair and then tried to untangle her fingers from the knots in her hair. Nothing she had would work. She didn't have a way to save Allen and she was wasting time. Every second the fourteenth was closer to wiping Allen from existence yet she couldn't get her Master's words out of her head.

"Ask the Fourteenth. There's another side to this war." Yeah that tells me so freaking much Master. What the hell does that mean? How am I suppose to ask him about anything?! Maybe Allen could talk to him. Can memories even talk?" She threw her pen down with a sigh. "I need a break. I'm gonna drive myself insane at this rate. That won't help Allen either." Red caught her eyes. The roses sat innocently in the vase she had stolen from one of the random tables in the hallway. Well one that wasn't ugly. The one she had taken was black granite with white veins running through it. "I suppose I should return the favor. He keeps upping the number of flowers so I guess I have to show up the books I left him. I wonder if he read them." Gold gleaming in the low light of her room. There was something on the back of the card. She pulled the vase over and flipped it over.

"And neither the angels in heaven above,

Nor the demons under the sea,

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee"

"Well played. I guess he did read them. Now how to top that?" Her eyes drifted to the unfinished spider sitting on the corner of her desk. She grinned. "Oh yes that will work wonderfully. There's no way he can top that." She put the notebook back into it's hiding place with her other magical items and the got to work grinning like a coyote the whole time.

* * *

Tyki sat in the chair bent over clutching his head. The pain was agonizing. No matter what he did nothing helped. Nobody or anything could even dull the pain. All the glass in his room was shattered. Everywhere he looked he saw Joyd's grinning face. The memory shrieked and howled in rage as their scars burned. Road sat on the floor by the window licking her lollipop rather disinterestedly paying no attention to the blood dripping down from the lacerations on her face and body.

"What's wrong, Tyki?" She asked. He could tell she was concerned but the pain was too much for him to cover and comfort her.

"My scars. They're throbbing. I can't stop it. Road, what is this emotion?" The eldest didn't answer him.

When Tyki woke, having finally passed out from the agony at some point during the night, he was no longer in pain. Well as much pain. They always hurt but now it was only a dull ache. Slowly he got up and dressed for breakfast after his shower.

"Are you feeling better?" Tricia asked when she saw him. He nodded, his throat raw. He needed water. Sheril came flying into the room with the intention of hugging the younger man.

"Baby brother!" He skidded to a stop when he saw Tyki wince and brace for the impact. His face twisted into a frown and he immediately began to plot the most painful way to kill Allen Walker for the harm he and done to his precious brother. Tyki didn't say anything but nodded his thanks for not being tackled. They sat down and ate breakfast mostly in silence. Road was trying to convince Tyki to play with her when the doorbell rang. The butler answered it. He returned carrying three boxes. All wrapped in black paper with green ribbons.

"Presents!" Road cheered and ran over. "Tyki you got presents."

"Actually only one of them is for Master Mikk. This one is for you." The butler handed the smallest to her though it was still big enough that she needed two hands to hold it. Tyki walked over.

"If only one of them is for me then who's the other for?"

"Lady Kamelot."

"Me?" Tricia asked taking the present that was handed to her. Her box was slightly longer than Road's. The little girl immediately tore into hers. Pieces of paper and ribbon floated down to the floor.

"Oh cool! It's a mechanical spider! It's eyes match mine!" True enough to the girl's words the small gems that made up the eyes of the spider were the same shade of indigo as hers.

"What's that?" Tyki asked pointing to a piece of parchment sitting in the bottom of the box. It was the length of Road's arm.

"I don't know." She picked it up. The parchment was old and the writing on it was elegant with the ink in the same shade as both the gems and eyes of it's new owner.

"Well read it Sweetie." Tricia prompted gently.

"Will you walk into my parlour, said a Spider to a Fly;  
'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy.  
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,  
And I have many pretty things to shew when you get there.  
Oh, no, no! said the little Fly; to ask me is in vain:  
For who goes up that winding stair shall ne'er come down again.

Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, Dear friend, what can I do  
To prove the warm affection I have ever felt tor you?  
I have within my parlour great store of all that's nice:  
I'm sure you're very welcome; will you please to take a slice!  
Oh, no, no! said the little Fly; kind sir, that cannot be;  
For I know what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see.

Sweet creature, said the Spider, you're witty and you're wise;  
How handsome are your gaudy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!  
I have a little looking-glass upon my parlour-shelf;  
If you'll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself.  
Oh, thank you, gentle sir, she said, for what you're pleased to say;  
And wishing you good morning now, I'll call another day.

The Spider turn'd him round again, and went into his den,  
For well he knew that silly Fly would soon come back again.  
And then he wove a tiny web, in a little corner sly,  
And set his table ready for to dine upon the Fly;  
And went out to his door again, and merrily did sing,  
Come hither, pretty little Fly, with the gold and silver wing.

Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little Fly,  
Hearing his wily flattering words, came slowly fluttering by.  
With humming wings she hung aloft, then nearer and nearer drew.  
Thinking only of her crested head and gold and purple hue:  
Thinking only of her brilliant wings, poor silly thing! at last,  
Up jump'd the cruel Spider, and firmly held her fast!

He dragg'd her up his winding stair, into his dismal den,  
Within his little parlour; but she ne'er came down again.  
And now, my pretty maidens, who may this story hear,  
To silly, idle, flattering words, I pray you ne'er give ear;  
Unto an evil counsellor close heart, and ear, and eye,  
And learn a lesson from this tale of the Spider and the Fly."

"What an odd story and an even odder thing to put in the present. Who's it from?" Tricia asked.

"There's no card on it." Road said not that they would know with the way she had torn it all apart. Tricia merely sighed as she glanced around at the mess her daughter had made. Road looked up at her adopted mother. "What did you get?" Tricia slowly unwrapped the present, draping the ribbon around her neck. She rather liked the color; it reminded her of the girl who had asked for directions more specifically the girl's eyes. She had never seen anything greener. Peeling the paper back she opened the box and jumped slightly startled.

"What? What is it?" Tyki asked.

"It's okay. It's not real." Tricia pulled out a Scorpion made just like Road's spider. It too had blue gems for eyes though it's were lighter in color. "It's so beautiful. Oh! One of it's eyes is sticking out." Gently she pushed the eye back in place only for the scorpion to jump to life. It ran up her arm to her shoulder where it nuzzled her cheek tenderly. "Hello." she pet it's head gently with one finger.

"Mine has an eye out of place too!" Road copied what her adopted mother did and just as the scorpion had the spider came alive crawling around her arm until it was perched happily on her head nestled her hair though it was careful to not get tangled. She squealed in excitement causing Sheril to come running.

"What?! What happened? Road are you alright?" She nodded and then showed him the spider. "What is that?" He asked.

"It's a mechanical spider that's alive!"

"Where did you get it?"

"It was delivered here. There's no tag on the box though it came with a story. He scanned the story quickly. "Mother got one too." Sheril looked over at the scorpion sitting on his wife's shoulder.

"A strange little thing isn't it?" As his finger neared it, the tail shot out and the stinger jabbed him in the finger. "Ouch!" He yelped pulling his finger away. Tricia giggled lightly while Tyki smirked.

"I guess it doesn't like you." Sheril pouted at his brother for laughing at his pain.

"Did you get a story?" Road asked the woman standing on her tip toes to look into the box.

"Yes it seems I did." The story was also on parchment and written in emerald ink.

"A tortoise and a scorpion traveled the same road for a considerable distance in good fellowship. The latter, on the ground of the new friendship, asked the former to carry him over a deep stream. The tortoise complied; but what was his surprise to find his companion endeavoring with all his might to sting him! When he had placed him safe on the opposite shore, he turned to him and said, "Are you not the most wicked and ungrateful of reptiles? But for me you must either have given up your journey, or have been drowned in that stream, and what is my reward? If it had not been for the armor which God has given me, I should have been stung to death." "Blame me not," said the scorpion, in a supplicatory tone, "it is not my fault; it is that of my nature; it is a constitutional habit I have of stinging."

"Where are these stories coming from?" Sheril frowned at it. Though his eyes flicked to the scorpion that was glaring at him. He wasn't sure how it was doing that with gems for eyes but it was. He turned to Tyki, "What did you get?"

"He hasn't opened his yet." Road answered. Slowly Tyki unwrapped his also keeping the ribbon to add to the other two he had. "Go faster Tyki!" she whined. Tyki noticed Tricia weaving her ribbon into her hair.

"You know some of us feel bad for the maids that have to clean up after you." he chided causing Sheril to look at the black paper all around them on the floor. The top of the box opened and a mechanical dragon made completely of golden parts shot out of the box and flew around the room, it's onyx eyes taking in it's surroundings before it zeroed in on Tyki and wrapped it's long body around his neck worming it's way under his long hair and chirped happily once it was situated.

"What on Earth is that?" Sheril shrieked.

"It's a dragon Papa!" Road answered easily. Sheril reached for the dragon only to have it hiss and snap it's jaws at him.

"Why do all of these hate me?" He cried.

"What story came with yours?" Road asked ignoring her father who was sobbing. Tyki picked up the parchment. The ink glittered like the gems in his new pet's eyes. He smirked.

"I should have known."

"Tyki, she whined dragging out his name. "I wanna know!"

"Okay, okay, okay!"

"Twas brillig, and the slithy toves  
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;  
All mimsy were the borogoves,  
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!  
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!  
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun  
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:  
Long time the manxome foe he sought—  
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,  
And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood,  
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,  
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,  
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through  
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!  
He left it dead, and with its head  
He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?  
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!  
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"  
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves  
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;  
All mimsy were the borogoves,  
And the mome raths outgrabe."

"What was that nonsense? None of it made any sense!" Sheril wrinkled his nose.

"Well that would make sense as it's a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll." Tyki drawled at his brother. The older man made a face at him though

"It's not nice to be sarcastic Tyki."

"Oh well. I'm going back to my room." In the safety of his room he pulled the tag from his ribbon. Slanted, slightly smudged and messy the purple ink bore a message. "Top that My Love. -Butterfly" He snorted. "I'm not sure I can." The dragon chirped from it's place draped around his neck.

It was late at night when he snuck out of the house. The dragon refused to leave his side so he brought it along with him. He stood by the church deep in the shadows waiting for the other man to show up. He looked up just in time to see a man dressed in a crème colored jacket. He stepped out of the shadows startling the man who began to tremble at the sight of him.

"Well?" he demanded.

"She got the flowers."

* * *

"What does this do?" Allen asked glancing at the necklace in his hand.

"If you start turning or if the fourteenth tries to take over it will shock you with electricity from my innocence which should push him away. It's the best I could throw together at such short notice." Luca answered. "I wish it was better but I'd need more time. I need more time to work on the spells that the Earl created to block your eye and ark abilities."

"Don't worry about it Lu. It's perfect. And the bracelet?" His was made of white beads with a single black bead. She wore the same bracelet with the only difference being that it's colors were inverted.

"It will allow us to keep track of each other's health. If your starts to wane by bracelet will start turning white. The worse you get the more beads turn white. Yours is the other way around. As I get worse your beads will turn black."

"I'm glad you made a pair. You worry about me but never let me worry about you." she flushed.

"I'm working on it. My half blindness taught me that I need you. I'm doing my best to tell you and let you help me when I need it." He grinned at her.

"I'm glad. It's good to know. I do worry about you."

"I know. Now let me do this spell before Link hunts us down or realizes that Lenalee is distracting him. I don't know how long she can pretend that she wants to forgive and better understand Lvellie." The siblings snickered for a moment at the mere idea of Lenalee forgiving the man.

"Alright. What's it do again?"

"It's gonna push him back down. It should give keep him at bay and give us more time." Allen nodded and closes his eyes. Taking a deep breath Luca gather her energy and spun the spell into existence. It slid through Allen's forehead with no pain right between his eyes. She could feel the Noah inside fighting and thrashing against the magic spiraling around him. She pushed as he shoved back, forcing her will upon him. She couldn't help the smug feeling, she was forcing her will on him just as he had done to Allen. "There all done."

"I didn't feel anything."

"That's good. It's not meant to hurt you."

"Walker! You better be in there!" Link was banging on the door. "I'm very tired of you running away and hiding. These distractions are getting old!" Luca sighed and deflated causing Allen to laugh.

"Yeah I'm coming Link." Allen opened the door.

"It's not right for you to be in your sister's room all the time. People are gonna start talking." Link gave them a haughty look. Luca glared at him and Gambit fluttered closer.

"Link, I still have that dress." He blanched and backed away.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me."

Allen laughed as Link practically ran away all the while demanding, "Walker! You have paperwork to do! Get to the library!" The boy waved at his sister and left. She smiled after him before shutting the door and walking back to her desk. It was gonna be a long night.

* * *

She was back to scribbling in her notebook rewriting the spell over and over. It still wasn't working. Nothing she tried worked. Her leg bouncing rapidly under the desk. She wiped the sweat away from her forehead. _God, I needed to stop doing that. I can't keep getting sick_ , she thought. She wrapped her knitted cardigan around herself. She was freezing.

"You can't do it." The voice was back whispering in her ear.

"Go away, you're not real." She snapped back.

"He's going to die. You can't help him. You can only rely on yourself. You wouldn't be in this mess if you had just accepted my offer. You wouldn't be in this kind of pain."

"Go away." Her leg twitching grew more violent with each passing second. She wiped more sweat away. She could feel the acid taste. "Oh please no." She whined. "Anything but not that." Her body disagreed the bile crawling up her throat. She bolted to the bathroom, just barely making it in time. "I'm so tired of this."

"This is your own fault." The woman's high heels stood in front of her. Luca didn't have the energy to look up at her.

"Just go away." her eyes slid shut and she passed out on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor.

* * *

"Chipping around, kick my brains around the floor  
These are the days it never rains but it pours"

\- Under Pressure, Queen & David Bowie

* * *

 **This chapter was so long and so many things happened in it. I'll be interested to see who gets the references I've hidden in this chapter as well as to hear all of your theories about what's going on with Luca and why she's sick again. As always please review and I'll see you in two weeks for Coincidence of Fate! Cheshire is out~!**


	43. Battle Dawn

**It felt like so long with not updating last week! It was so weird. Still I got other things done. Anyway I know I said this chapter was called Coincidence of Fate but several things changed and the title no longer fit so I changed it. Hope it doesn't bother you guys too much. Anyway we're starting the Alma Karma arc, I hope you all enjoy it! On to the reviews!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, I won't tell you what's going on with Luca, only that it's not an illness. It's something else. Something that she's doing. As for Tricia scorpion, I picked that animal for a reason. All of the poems are there for a reason. Each one has a meaning. It's your job to figure out what they mean. I wish you good luck! ;D As for Wisely, he's in this chapter! Unfortunately for Sheril the way Luca brings the mechanical animals causes them to have a bit of her personality in them and she's not a fan of him. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, I'm always excited when somebody gets the references I hide in my chapters. It's fun to see if my readers are a fan of some of the other things I like. You'll have to tell me which ones you got. Sometimes I feel bad for Sheril but then I remember what he's done and the feeling goes away. I wasn't sure how the designs of the bracelets yet that's how I saw them and Luca doesn't really care if things clash or not XD. Yes! See the dress! See the pinkness and the ruffles! Timothy and Luca is a bad combination for the rest of the world. You tell me not to get sick but at the time your review came in I had a terrible cold. I laughed when I saw it. I'm all good now but I couldn't help but chuckle at the irony. I'll take your advice and rest though! Enjoy the chapter and stay healthy yourself!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, I'm glad you loved it. I tried to make Luca's interests different and still cater to what they were. I thought the gifts were perfect and very Luca. I thought they fit her rather well and she's determined to win this little version of their game. As for Jim, welll you'll just have to wait and see. I can't tell you everything or there would be no point in you reading the story. Enjoy this new chapter!**

 **Dear Kp, I'm glad you enjoyed the gifts. I felt like the time between the ark arc (XD) and the Alma Karma arc was too long, especially after I did some research and learned that the ark arc takes place in early spring and the Alma arc happens in December. So I decided to have to communicate and still play their game of trying to one up each other. Honestly these two are so competitive. Yeah I need the time off, I love the story and all of you guys but I want time to work on my original stories and other things like that. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Bunny~chan, FINALLY! Somebody got the weeping angels reference! I mostly did it to scare the hell out of my beta but I wanted to see if any of my other readers got it. So far you're the only one who's commented on it. P** **remonitions** **huh? Who knows. Luca enjoyed the dress debacle, Allen not so much. And it's not just in their minds, the entire Order saw it. XD Everyone but Luca was traumatized. Jim met Tyki while he was out on a mission of course. As for the why well you'll just have to read to find out. I always love listening to you talk about the roses. It's so interesting and exciting to see that somebody understand what is being said with them. Neah will have...words for Luca, let's put it that way. The two are going to have a very interesting relationship. Enjoy!**

 **Dear WinterYule, Luca's dreams haunt her a lot. Her mind can be her worst enemy and she doesn't really control it because she'd rather ignore it and not deal with it. Can't imagine where she learned that *glares at Cross* Yep! Jim is toeing the line and he best be careful. As for the boy it's a combination of both. Poor Luca. If it's not Allen that's lost then it's Krory. She's just always looking for somebody who's lost. Luca's not actually talking about the necklace though that doesn't match either. The ribbon holding her ponytail back is purple which she got from a place. I thought about making the statue an akuma but went with innocence instead. I don't think the Earl teaches his akuma manners. I doubt that's his top priority. Plus if he did that he'd be too busy doing that, leaving no time to actually take over the world. Luca always prefers violence to other things, plus she wants to go home. To her it's either an akuma or innocence so it doesn't matter if she breaks it or not. Luca didn't actually taste the difference in her coffee. The coffee is so strong, plus she puts tons of creamer in it. So much sugar that it didn't taste any different or if it did she didn't notice, but yes Kanda saves the day not that he'd tell anybody. She'll never know that it was him. She's gonna be more careful if only not to have Allen yell at her again. XD Link is always wary of Luca, she's evil in his eyes and has it out for him, more now because Adorkable will never die! Allen is used to it, it's not the first time she's used that to get them something they needed or wanted. Well not Daisya but Tyki probably won't get a chance at Link, the question is should Allen let it slip by accident? Luca and the thirds were always destine to hate each other. It was never going to work. Luca's very...opinionated and has no problem voicing them. Also it was Lvellie's idea so she's gonna blame him. Link better hope that she doesn't figure out that he was the one who gave them the piece of the egg. Lvellie just keeps making things worse! Yep, Tyki's got an informant on the inside. Rohfa can be clueless and she and Luca are on rocky terms anyway. Yes Luca was won the war by going over the top but you have to admit a living mechanical dragon is pretty hard to beat. I don't think anything likes Sheril. I don't think she has the supplies to make a giant duck that could do that. That would take a lot of metal and the Order would figure it out by then. The duck idea is funny. Luca is slowly learning. Allen yelling at her when he found out about her being half blind really got to her. It forced her to grow and know that she can't do everything by herself (though she still tries her best) and you probably should be worried. The girl doesn't have any self preservation. Anyway let's end this mini story that I've just typed to you XD. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"The soldier above all others prays for peace,

for it is the soldier who must suffer

and bear the deepest wounds and the scars of war."

\- Douglas MacArthur

* * *

"How was the mission?" Lenalee asked as she greeted her friends. Kanda made his usual noise of disgust and stomped off down the corridor, most likely to his own room to sleep off whatever injuries he had before he could be assaulted by the Head Nurse. Luca opened her mouth to answer, Allen already seeing the long string of curses on his sister's lips, lunged forward and clamped his hand over her mouth.

"It was," Allen paused for a moment trying to come up with the right word, "unusually eventful." Lenalee blinked several times. She wasn't sure what that exactly meant but based on the face the other girl was making it wasn't a good thing.

"What does that mean?"

"Well-Ew! Luca! That's disgusting! Don't lick people!" He pulled his hand away from his sister's tongue and glared.

"It means there were cultists there. Cultists with a very interesting religion and a thing for throwing other people into their volcanoes." The girl pulled her flask out and took a big gulp.

"I didn't know there were volcanoes there." Lenalee noted.

Luca snorted, "Yeah me either. Anyway I'm starving so I'm heading to the cafeteria."

"Same." Allen added following after his sister. Lenalee smiled at the siblings.

"I'm peckish too, I'll come with." The three headed off, Luca glancing over her shoulder as they went. The devil woman could be hiding anywhere. Allen and Lenalee chatted with the others as they ate. Luca was quiet letting her thoughts drift around. They moved back to her last mission and the people she had seen. Maybe she really should go see Head Nurse. She didn't understand why she had started hallucinating. It had started right after her birthday party. Had it been something she ate? No Jeryy would never let anything like that happen, she dismissed. Did alcohol causes hallucinations? _I don't think so._ _I never saw Master hallucinate and he drinks more in an hour than I can in a day. So it must be something else. They aren't like the ones that happen after I drink THAT either. Those are in full color while these ones are different, like shadows. Maybe I'm just losing my mind. Heavens knows most people assume that happened a long time ago. Who in their right mind would play with a Noah?_ Lavi's voice broke her from her thoughts.

"Beautiful are you alright?" She looked up at him.

"Yeah. I've just got something on my mind." She sipped from her flask.

"Do you wanna talk about it Lu?" Allen asked eyeing her flask. She shook her head and put it away. _Out of sight, out of mind. At least I hope_ , she sighed.

"No. It's nothing important. Don't worry about it." She wasn't ready to, nor sure if she should, tell them about the shadows. They didn't look like they believed her. _Ugh this isn't getting me anywhere!_ she pushed the thoughts away for another time. "So how did your mission go Lena?"

"Oh it wasn't a big deal." Lenalee began to tell them about her mission.

Luca watched as Link walked up to the counter to drop off his dishes before leaning over to Allen, "I need you to come with me." He nodded and the slipped away. No doubt they would hear Link complaining about it later.

"So what's up?" He asked as soon as she locked the door to her extra room.

"Give me your necklace." Allen looked confused but handed over the necklace.

"Why?"

"I made a miscalculation. Shocking you with innocence would only make things worse." her innocence consumed the electricity before condensing it into a small cube. She pulled a small glass bottle from one of her back pouches as the blood slid back into her veins. She slid it in on top of the other cubes. Allen looked looked at the other cubes in the bottle. Most were green but a few were purple.

"So what are you going to do?" The necklace glowed brightly as the magic wound around it.

"Magic. The spell will wake you up and give you a path back into the light to take control. You just have to be strong enough to take it from him."

"That's all I need. It's my body. He can't have it."

"We better get back." Together they ducked out and headed back. Link stood there waiting for him.

"Just where have you been?"

"I went to the bathroom Link, that's all." Allen easily covered.

"I was getting the necklace I made for Allen. Is that allowed or do I now need your permission first, Link?" Luca's response was far snarkier than her brother's but that wasn't anything new.

"No I suppose not." Link's eyes narrowed looking for any sign of dishonesty but found none. The Walkers had long since learned to mask their features. Their poker faces perfectly flawless in all eyes but their own.

* * *

Tyki glanced as he ducked out of the ark. The new brat was driving him crazy. Respecting their privacy, yeah right. He immediately proved that he didn't do it.

"Adult manners and my expressions my ass, cheeky little brat."

"It's not nice to call your family names." Tyki whirled around to find Wisely standing behind him.

"What are you doing following me?"

"I just wanted to see where you were going. Is there anything wrong with that? You left almost immediately."

"I'm going to check on something. It's nothing interesting."

"Can I come?"

"I can't really stop you." He deadpanned. His dragon flew around his head.

"What's that?" The boy pointed up at the mechanical creature, interest evident in his eyes.

"It's a dragon."

"I can see that. Where did you get it? Even my memories don't have anything like this. The closest thing would be an akuma but this is completely different."

"It was a gift." Tyki continued walking, his new nephew trailing after him trying to catch the dragon with little success. The dragon stuck it's tongue out at him. Wisely chuckled at the action.

"Does it have a name?"

"Jabberwock."

"Jabberwock? Like the poem?"

"Yes. Are you just going to question everything?"

"It's new. I'm curious. Is that such a bad thing?"

"What if I say yes?" Tyki cocked an eyebrow at the boy.

"Then you have never known the pain of being ignorant. I can't believe the things I didn't know before I awoke." There was a silence between them for a moment as Tyki contemplated the boy's words. Was it pain? Perhaps it was. Maybe he was missing something? What kinds of things would he have missed if he hadn't been a Noah?

 _Bu...tter...fly_ , Joyd remarked. Tyki couldn't argue. For once the memory was right. He wouldn't know her if he wasn't. The girl probably wouldn't have even looked at him in his human form. What had Butterfly said about curiosity? It had something to do with a cat.

 _Ignorance! I said that curiosity killed the cat and she remarked that ignorance killed the cat, curiosity had been framed_ , he thought pleased that he had managed to remember what it was though hearing her voice was painful. It was after all just a memory. A pale shadow in comparison to the girl herself.

"You never did answer me."

"Answer what?"

"Where did you get it?"

"I told you it was a gift."

"Did the Earl make it? You're his favorite after all."

"I'm not his favorite. Road's his favorite."

"No it's you. You're the only one he has a special nickname for." The Portuguese Noah grimaced at the mention of the horrid thing. God he wished the Earl wouldn't call him that but no matter how many times he asked him not to he did it anyway. Wisely smirked at the thoughts that passed through the other's head at the nickname. "His relationship with Road is different. Deeper. I doubt it's something we'll ever understand."

"I suppose so."

"Am I ever going to find out where you got it or are you going to keep changing the topic?" Green eyes flashed in his head. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep her to himself. Road didn't care and he had bribed Lulu Bell with some tuna to keep the nature of his relationship with the girl a secret. It helped that she didn't really understand how it really went anyway. "Does it have anything to do with those green eyes?" Tyki whirled around to glare and snap at him.

"Stay out of my head!" Wisely held up his hands in surrender at the growled warning.

"Some thoughts are so loud I can't help it. That is one of them. So who do they belong to anyway?" Tyki didn't answer instead continued stalking to the church. He had taken the long way hoping that the new Noah would get bored and go home before they got there.

"I don't feel like telling you who it was."

"Come on! I won't tell anyone but I'm dying to know. As soon as the Earl said we were moving they were there again. They have permanent residence in your head. It's got to be important. I'm trying to respect your wishes and stay out of your head but you're making it difficult." The kid was practically whining. They were almost to the church now.

"If I tell you will you stop making so much noise?" he demanded.

"Yep!" The kid perked right up.

"Fine," he groaned. God was why he doing this? "They belong to an exorcist that I've met a couple times."

"Must be some exorcist. Was it the one that injured you?"

"No. A different one though he's interesting too but it's different with this one. The reasons they're interesting is different. Very different." The finder was leaving the church when they got there.

"Is he a snitch?" Tyki didn't answer Wisely.

"Going somewhere?" The man froze.

"I thought you weren't coming." he stuttered out.

"I'm only a bit late, unless you want that teez to eat your heart."

"My apologies."

"Anything interesting to report Jimmy boy?" The man gulped.

* * *

"Hey Lenalee," Both Lenalee and Luca looked over to see Peck walking over to them. Lenalee shivered slightly at the sight of the man causing Luca to raise an eyebrow. "I wanted to ask you something so would you have coffee with me in the lounge?"

"She's busy. Go away." Luca turned away from the man and back to Lenalee though she pulled her flask out to drink. Peck always made her need a drink. Or several.

"I believe I was talking to Lenalee not you." Slowly Luca turned back to glare at him as she returned her flask to it's place in her belt.

"I don't care. She and I are having a conversation so you can wait like an adult."

"You are very rude. Hasn't anyone ever taught you to respect your elders?"

"Hasn't anyone taught you not to leer at girls half your age?" she snapped. "You're too old for her. Get over it!"

"It's her choice."

"Yeah well Lena's too nice to tell you to buzz off. So get lost!"

"In case you have forgotten you are not in charge here."

"Neither are you."

"You think you can do whatever you want but you can't. This is why nobody trusts you Walkers."he snorted condescendingly.

"Luca no!" Lenalee's shout was far too late as the shorter girl's fist connected with his face. She felt the familiar feeling of bones breaking and the blood splatter across her knuckles. The punch knocked him off his feet and sent him through the wall. "I think you took it too far Luca. You could have hurt him."

"It was suppose to hurt him Lenalee. That's the point of hitting somebody. The guy's a creep. He hasn't looked at your face once." Lenalee bit her lip as a cry of pain sounded. Both girls looked up to see Gambit chewing on the man's ear.

"Are you gonna call him off?"

"In a minute." Reever came into the hall through the new hole.

"Redecorating are we Luca?" The girl smiled at the man.

"Just dealing with a pervert. Sorry about the wall."

"What's happening?" Komui asked appearing.

"Luca was correcting somebody's behavior." Reever explained pointing to Peck who was trying to dislodge the teez from his ear.

"Assistant Fay," Komui turned to his assistant, "give Luca a raise." and then smiled at the girl. The woman sputtered trying to get her supervisor's attention but he just ignored her. "Come along girls. All exorcists are being mobilized." The girls shrugged and followed him leaving Reever to deal with Peck who Gambit had finally released to flutter after his mistress.

"Another mission already?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"China."

"Again? Why?"

"Luca," Komui paused. "The rest of you may go get ready. I need to have a word with Luca." The others nodded, Marie pausing to lay his hand on the girl's shoulder for a moment in reassurance. The girl smiled and patted his hand silently thanking him and telling him that he could go. "Is there anything you want to tell me? You've been acting strange," he sighed, "again." Green eyes darted away. She chewed on her lip.

"Link is still being obnoxious." Komui chuckled.

"Yes I've received several complaints from him about the fact that you and your brother keep running off on him. I heard last time that you managed to get my dear Lenalee involved in your scheme. Unfortunately with General Cross' revelation that Allen is actually the 14th himself I doubt Link will be going anywhere soon." Luca winced at her master's name. "I'm sorry. I know it's been hard on you and Allen with Cross' death being covered up. You two haven't been allowed to mourn properly. I truly am sorry for that fact. There was nothing I could do about it. I know he was like a father to you."

"He wasn't like a father, Komui he WAS my father." The Chinese man nodded.

"Even so you've been far moodier than normal. You've been in several fights within the last few weeks with your comrades no less. Chaoji and the thirds are just to name a few." Her eyes narrowed and she headed towards the door.

"Akuma are not my comrades." she tossed the venomous words over her shoulder before she let the door shut. "Honestly. The hell were those idiots thinking? Oh wait they weren't." she grumbled as she went to meet the others drinking from her flask as she went. She stalked down the hall to the correct ark gate where the others were waiting for her. Green eyes narrowed. She liked the others. Marie, Lavi, and Bookman. The only the unfortunate thing was that Chaoji was also on the mission. Komui couldn't keep them apart any longer. It was just the way the teams had worked out. _I guess he's hoping that Marie would keep them from fighting and that Lavi would try to ease the tension which had already formed upon us seeing each other. I wonder if it will actually work_ , she hummed.

"Alright lets get moving." Marie spoke. "Save the fighting for the akuma." he reminded them before they could even start.

"Yeah yeah yeah, he's not worth the time anyway." Luca answered as she stepped through the gateway ignoring the Chinese man and his reaction though she was pretty sure that Gambit had hissed at him.

China was overrun with akuma. Hordes were everywhere they turned. Luca sighed as she looked around. All levels where there. Even level 4s. "They're everywhere." Lavi whistled as he looked around.

"I guess we'd better get to work then. Spread out but don't lose sight of each other. Let's get to work!" Marie ordered. Luca and Lavi shot off to the left with Bookman and Lavi in between Luca and Chaoji so there weren't chances for 'unfortunate accidents' the others knew her too well she sighed.

"Eternal Hunter activate!" The liquid shot from her veins and speared through the nearest akuma killing it. "I guess it's back to work." she sighed. She glanced to the right at the two third 'exorcists' she didn't count them as exorcists but it wasn't up to her, officially anyway. Cordula, the girl which she had thrashed when they'd first met, and a young man, Jakken if she was remembering right. She didn't really care if she was or not but still, they too were kept away from her. "I guess Marie knows me pretty well."

"You should pay attention to us little girl." Luca turned to glare at the akuma as she blocked the punch with her arm lazily.

"Little girl?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yes puny exorcist." whirling around she punched it in the face watching with satisfaction at the innocence caused it to explode.

"Ugh, akuma and their egos. Useless creatures the whole lot of them. I guess I should get serious though. I can't let the thirds show me up." She leapt up onto a column and allowed Hunter to sweep through the valley. She could feel eyes on her. Over her shoulder she could see Chaoji and Cordula watching her.

"Try me on for size!" Luca looked at the level 4 akuma that was in her face.

"That works for me." she smiled at it right before Hunter grabbed it and flung it into another akuma and away from her. "Reap, Nightmare's Mark!" The level 4 disintegrated. She saw Jakken using his akuma arm. She couldn't help but think as she tore through akuma left and right, _What would Allen think? Could he see those souls? What happened to them? I doubt the get purified so they probably don't get saved. I can't imagine seeing that and knowing that you can't do anything about it._ Eternal Hunter consumed another level 4 all while it was shrieking and cursing at her. "It's all fun and games until they aren't winning anymore." she snorted as she ripped the head off a level 3, tossing it over her shoulder.

"Luca! We could use some fire power!" Luca turned towards Lavi.

"Yeah okay!" She looked at pack that was coming towards them. "Get out of the way." Lavi pulled both Chaoji and the thirds out of her firing range. "Reap, Nightmare's Mark!"

"Luca!"

"What now?!" She turned around to see a Noah standing there. Pale blue hair in a weird hairstyle and the traditional Noah features of dark skin, gold eyes, and stigmata the only weird thing was his...clothes...? She had absolutely no idea what he was wearing, only that he looked completely ridiculous. It didn't even look like he was wearing shoes. Baggy white pants and a shirt of the same color which showed his midriff. His arms were covered in black armbands. She blinked at him a couple times. "Can I help you?" He looked at her.

"You're not who I'm looking for buu." His eyes landed on Lavi and Bookman. "But you two are. You need to come with me buu."

"And if they don't want to go with you? What then?" The Noah just smiled at her.

"Then I'll take them by force." Hunter dripped from her scars and formed into a bow. The arrow that was fired grazed his ear as it went by.

"Just try it." He smiled at her easily.

"So you intend to fight buu?"

"No, I'm just gonna stand here and let you kill me before kidnapping my friends."

"That would make my job easier." Luca just blinked at him for a moment.

"You aren't very bright are you?" The bow melted into her gauntlets and she attacked. He jumped surprised that the exorcist was right in his face. He just barely ducked the fist aimed at his head. He wasn't sure about her weapon. It had been a bow moments ago. Now it was gone and in it's place were gauntlets. He dodged to the left only to get kicked in the side.

"Luca are you gonna be okay?" Lavi shouted as she kicked the Noah away.

"Yeah I'll be fine! Can you take care of the akuma?" He glanced around.

"Yeah we'll be fine! Don't worry about us!" She nodded and then glanced down at her bracelet. Two beads were white.

"Damn it Allen. Please be okay." she sighed as the Noah got to his feet.

"That was pretty good." he dusted his pants off.

"Did you expect me to be a push over?"

"Most exorcists are."

"Sorry to disappoint you." She paused for a moment tapping her bottom lip thoughtfully, "Actually, no I'm not." She attacked again. He ducked out of her way. She glared. "Are you gonna dance or fight?" He just tilted his head to the side. She rolled her eyes and lunged. He moved out of her way mostly. She snarled. Her temper was getting the better of her. Stopping she took a deep breath, letting the fresh air calm her. He attacked while her eyes were closed. She caught the foot aimed at her head. Swinging around she flung him into the wall. "Oh this is much easier. My Love would have just phased through that. Man that was annoying. Oooh there's a thought. I wonder where he is." she turned to the Noah that was getting up. "Are all of you out in the field?"

"Yeah what of it buu?"

"So what if I was looking for one Noah in particular? Could you tell me where he is?"

"Luca! Is now really the time?" Lavi yelled as he released another fire stamp.

"Oh let me have my fun. I'll finish up here first!" she grinned as the Noah nodded. "Perfect!"

"But why would I buu?" he asked sticking his tongue out. Luca shuttered seeing the eyeballs that covered the long slimy organ.

"I swear to every god listening if you even think of touching me with that I'll rip it right out of your head." The Noah paled at the threat but then shook his head.

"You couldn't do that buu." he said and removed his shirt causing the girl to raise an eyebrow. "I guess I better get serious buu." A large mouth split along his chest.

Luca made a face, "Okay that's just disgusting. Seriously what is wrong with you?" A large blast of dark matter fired from the mouth. Luca blocked, allowing the armor to absorb the energy. "Well that took me by surprise. I'm gonna need more power." Her gauntlets melted off and shot forward, latching onto a level 4 like a spider with it's prey. The Noah watched as it consumed the akuma with ease. Two more beads were white. Luca sighed.

"That's an interesting power buu. You also don't seem to be injured from my earlier attack." He noted. Luca silently debated. She had that feeling again. Allen was getting himself into trouble. "Hey, are you listening to me buu?"

"No not really. Your kind rarely say anything of interest. I have something else on my mind." Lavi looked over at her.

"Luca, now's not the time to get distracted!" Another blast of dark matter hit her sending her rolling back and onto her feet again. The stars spread over her skin but she ignored them, Hunter would fix it.

"Lavi!" he turned to face her.

"Yeah?" he eyed her warily. He wasn't sure he liked where this was going or the tone of her voice.

"If I deal with the level 4s can you clean up the rest of them?" He raised an eyebrow.

"What about the Noah?" Luca glanced at the man.

"I'll take him with me."

Marie joined the conversation, "Where are you going Luca?" she took another blast of dark matter that sent her skidding back.

"I've got a bad feeling again. Allen's in trouble. He needs my help Marie."

"The same feeling as Barcelona?"

"What happened in Barcelona?" Lavi asked as Hunter consumed another akuma.

"Luca had a bad feeling. Instead of ignoring it she went to check up on Daisya despite Kanda telling her that he would be fine and that he could take care of himself. That Noah was about to kill him when she got there. She saved his life."

"Really?" It was the first time Chaoji joined the conversation.

"Yes. They drove the Noah away and returned with both their lives and innocence intact."

"I didn't know that." Luca kept her snort to herself as she kicked the Noah back into another pillar of stone.

"It's in the past. I did what I had to in order to save my friend. No reason to bring it up."

"Don't worry about us Luca. Follow your instincts. Go to Allen." Marie told her.

"Yeah we'll be okay here Luca." Lavi grinned at her.

"Like I said," she ducked a kick at her head and delivered an uppercut to the man's chin, "I'll take the Noah with me."

"Have you forgotten something buu?" The Noah was right in front of her, his tongue reaching out for her.

"Luca!" Lavi's shout was lost in Luca's shriek as the tongue ran up her cheek as she jerked out of the way at the last moment. The tongue had been aimed at her lips. Glaring her armor covered fist grabbed the tongue in an iron grip.

"I warned you that if you touched me with this I would remove it." His eyes widened and she yanked. With a surprising amount of ease the organ ripped from his head. The Noah screamed and flailed trying to relieve the pain and stop the blood that was gushing from the new wound. "You should have listened to me the first time."

"Master Noah!" several akuma shouted.

"You should worry about me." Lavi told them as he smashed them with his hammer.

"Lavi! Him!" Luca pointed to the Noah who was still yelling and flailing. The red head turned and smashed the hammer into the man sending him flying back into the molten piece of innocence which swallowed him as it flew back to it's mistress.

"Are you sure you guys will be okay?" she asked.

"Just go Luca. You won't be able to concentrate here." Marie told her.

"We got this!" Lavi gave her a thumbs up and a grin. "Go!" She nodded.

"Thanks!" whirling around on her heels she took off running. She needed a safe place for a moment. The magic needed would take a moment. Another bead turned white. Allen was getting tired. "Scor! Connect!" She needed to hurry.

* * *

Allen chased after Tyki angrily, unaware of where they were or where the older man was leading him. It didn't matter at the moment. The bastard had his comrades and was just taunting him as he always did. Allen never could understand how his sister put up with the Portuguese Noah never mind enjoyed being around him. Perhaps it was because with her the positions were reversed. She was the one teasing, taunting and just being a pain in general. Yeah, maybe that was it.

"Release my comrades!"

"The thorn in my side, you came! Allen Walker!" The Earl's voice sounded from somewhere. Allen wasn't sure where. He and Tyki fell.

"Out of the way! Get out of the way!" Tyki shouted. The pair landed on the Earl who then hit the ground. "I told you to move. Stay out of my fight, Earl." he spoke casually.

"Earl?" Allen asked looking down. Sure enough the Earl lay on the floor under his feet.

"Welcome, Allen Walker." The Brit looked around. He didn't know where he was, not that it was anything new, and saw that his comrades and others from the Order were standing around as if they were tied up or something. He blinked at the other long haired guy who was talking about being a sadist. He looked familiar. Suddenly it hit him. It was the minister Luca had been talking about. Tyki's brother. Suddenly Timcampy beeped at him. Why was he connected to Scor? He didn't give the order. Was Luca trying to get his attention?

"A, B, C, D, E, F, G, giant akuma are chasing me! One is red, one is blue, one is chewing on my shoe! Now I'm running for my life, cause the red one's got a knife!" Allen glanced up where Timcampy was flying by his head and sighed. His sister was insane. She just had to be.

"Lu, are you okay?" He almost didn't want to ask. It didn't help that Tyki immediately started laughing uproariously as his sister finished her song.

Wisely blinked at the golden golem for a moment before peeking into Allen's mind. Immediately the image of a short girl, in an exorcist uniform with black hair and green eyes was given to him. _Ahh his sister. The Earl mentioned that he had one and that she might be a problem_ , Wisely noted. So far she just seemed weird. She had managed to successfully ruin the menacing mood in the room.

Sheril blinked several times. _What the hell was that?_ he wanted to ask. Who the hell was that voice? Also what was wrong with them? It sounded like a woman but he wasn't sure. Tyki was laughing and even Road was smiling in her adorable little doll form. He felt like he was missing something. Then he noticed that Tyki and Walker were both still standing on the Earl. He sighed.

"Of course not! Didn't you hear the song? The red one's got a knife!"

"Would you mind getting off the Millennium Earl?" The minister asked Allen then glanced at his brother. "You too Tyki." The two complied and hopped off the Earl ignoring the footprints they left all over him.

"Hey, Boy we came to welcome you!" Tyki said far too cheerfully for Allen's liking.

"Welcome me? What do you mean by that?" The Earl grabbed him pinning him down before he started talking about the Fourteenth then everything went dark.

* * *

Luca's boots hit the ground as the ark doors shut. She panted and wiped the sweat away. Using magic to force the gates open wasn't her best idea but it had got her here. _Where is here?_ she wondered looking around. She was in a dark hallway, but it wasn't one she recognized. Finally having her breath back she started to stand up. Suddenly she felt it. Allen's presence swallowed up by the Fourteenth's. It was choking her and she forced the tears that came with the feeling away. She jumped to her feet and bolted down the hallway. All she could focus on was Allen's small presence almost completely hidden by the Fourteenth's. She could see the light up ahead. Allen was in the next room right in front of her. The Earl was very close to him. She could feel it. She burst through the door and into the room. The Earl had Allen pinned down. Red clouded her vision.

"Get off my brother you son of a bitch!" Her foot connected with the Earl's face sending him flying off and into the wall across the room. She landed on her feet with ease, standing between the Noah and her brother. Her eyes flicked over to him. Gold eyes blinked at her in shock. She sighed. "Allen, get up." Immediately his eyes turned back to silver and she smiled. The necklace had worked.

"I won't let this happen! Listen to me Earl and you too, Fourteenth! I'm Allen Walker, exorcist! And I'll never be anyone else! So don't try to drag me into your silly sibling quarrel! It's annoying!" The Hungarian smirked as Allen blatantly yelled at the Earl and the Noah. Luca turned her back as if the Noah weren't standing there. Instead she offered her brother her hand, taking it she pulled him to his feet before kicking his sword up into her hands with the toe of her leather boots.

"Here. Let me give you a hand. You dropped this." Allen groaned at the joke. It was after all, her favorite.

"Are you going to say that every time or are you going to switch things up once in a while?"

She grinned lazily at him, "What and ruin the surprise?" He rolled his eyes.

"I hate you." There was no bite to his words.

"No you don't!" She singsonged. He ignored her. The Noah watched the pair bicker as siblings did. Most of them were highly confused by who was this girl and just where the hell did she come from?! Road giggled and Tyki shook his head, doing his best to bury the feelings of excitement. He hadn't seen her in forever. He'd die before admitting it but he missed her. Her smile, her laugh, the way her eyes sparkled when she was up to something even if it meant pain for him. It was worth it.

The Earl sighed as he got up. He had been hoping to keep Miss Walker out of it. She had an amazing ability to screw things up wherever she went. If she called out to him, the Noah patriarch had no doubt in his mind that Allen would fight back and win against Neah as she had just proven. He glanced over. Tyki was grinning like a madman. And then there was that. The girl had quickly wormed her way into the Noah of Pleasure's heart. She had the Portuguese man wrapped around her little finger. The teez fluttering by the girl's head was proof enough. He never gave those away yet that one was with the exorcist. Then there was the mark that Joyd left on her...he tuned back into the conversation.

"Well that's because you have so much junk in there. Like this." Allen was holding up a broken hair brush. The girl shrugged.

"I was going to throw it away but I got distracted and just threw it back in on my way out." The lackadaisical tone of the girl's voice made her brother sigh deeply.

"If you aren't going to clean them out then don't complain that it's heavy." He chided. She took the part of the hair brush, glanced it over and tossed it over her shoulder with another shrug unknowing and uncaring of where it went. It wasn't her problem anymore.

"That one isn't so bad. It's this one." Her hand dove into the pouch on her right hip. She pulled out a large silver necklace with a blue-gray diamond about the size of a walnut surrounded by smaller white diamonds. "Oh. That would explain it." She looked at the diamond with shock for a moment before it turned appraising. "It's pretty." Everybody else in the room felt their mouths drop open.

"Luca," Allen started after taking a deep breath. "Why do you have the Hope diamond and where did you even find it?" His tone was even but he was obviously rather exasperated with his sister at the moment.

"I found it on the ground during one of my last missions. It's really shiny so I picked it up but then more akuma showed up and I put it in my pocket to take home with me but it fell out and this other guy tried to take it from me so I kicked his ass and put it in my pouch because that closes and then I must've forgotten it was there. I don't exactly remember when this was. I think I'll keep it." She put the necklace back in the pouch and zipped it close. Allen slapped himself in the face at the random story that his sister had babbled as if it had made sense somehow. _It probably did to her_ , he reasoned. "What were we talking about before we got distracted by my new necklace?"

"It's not your necklace!"

"It is now!"

"No it's not!"

"Possession is 9/10ths of the law!" She pointed out as she took a sip of whiskey.

"That's not how this works!" Allen cried completely peeved. His sister was out of her bloody mind!

"Can we get back on topic please!" the minister demanded glaring at the siblings who were still bickering.

"Oh yeah, here!" She casually tossed something to the minister. He shrieked and flailed upon finding it to be wet and slimy.

"Lu, do I even want to know?"

"No. There were eyeballs where there should never be eyeballs."

"Eyeballs?" Tyki asked before it dawned on him. "You ripped Feedler's tongue out?!"

"I warned him not to lick me." While the minister screamed and tried to throw the tongue away without touching it Luca began to inspect the Noah. She took a moment to appreciate her footprint on the Earl's face. That had felt good. Slowly her eyes roamed over each of them. She didn't know the boy with the white hair and scarf, she could feel Road's presence coming from the small doll on the boy's shoulder, Tyki's brother, whose name escaped her at the moment or she didn't care to remember, sat on the coffin in an...odd white uniform. It was at this point she noticed that they were all wearing them. Her eyes jumped to Tyki. Luca glanced over him, her green eyes roaming over his frame and clothing. Taking in his skin tight leather pants that left very little to the imagination and tall boots before drifting up to the long white jacket with only one sleeve that showcased his toned chest, stomach, and arms. His scars were also on display. Sheril growled at the female exorcist who was openly eyeing his brother suggestively. Clearly she was enjoying the view. Feeling her eyes on him he turned his gaze to meet hers.

"Something to say?" he asked.

"Contemplating a change in career are we?" Slowly the meaning of her words passed through their heads. Some got it quicker than others. Her lips twitched up in smile that only grew as she paid more attention to the faces that the pair of brothers made. It started low in her chest before bubbling up her throat and out of her lips. All eyes moved to her and she started to giggle and then laugh.

"What's so funny Butterfly?"

"Your face!" Tyki pouted at her which only caused her laugh to grow louder as her body began to shake. "Seriously though what are you even wearing?"

"Are you always like this?" Luca turned to the boy in the scarf who had cut the Portuguese man off.

"What do ya mean by that Scarfy?" He made a face at her.

"It's not Scarfy! My name is Wisely." The girl shrugged, taking another swig. She liked the burn, it was grounding.

"Whatever you say Scarfy."

"Stop calling me that!"

"No."

"Why would you keep calling me that when I told you not to?!"

"Because I want to. Duh."

"Even though I don't want you to?"

"Well I don't want you to attack here but," she paused and turned to Allen, "wait where is here? I thought you were in Jordan?"

"I was." he shrugged. "Then they took Tokusa so I chased after them and ended up here."

"So long story short," she drawled giving him a look, "you have absolutely no idea, right?"

"Yeah kinda," he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"What am I gonna do with you?"

"Not lose me?" he said hopefully.

"Do I ever? I found you here didn't I?"

"Yeah how did you get here? He's the fourteenth so that's how he controls the ark but you can't so how did you get here?" Wisely asked rejoining the conversation.

"Why do you ask? Why not just invade her mind? You do it to the rest of us!" Tyki snapped at the boy.

"I would but it's a mess in there. Seriously are you even sane?"

"What does that mean?" Sheril asked looking from the girl to his adopted son.

"There's a hurricane in there."

"My emotions." Luca explained.

"Something is banging loudly on a metal door."

"Hyde."

"What's a Hyde?" Wisely asked.

"You don't wanna know." Allen cut in.

"30 half baked plots that don't make a lick of sense."

"Works in progress. I'll figure them out."

"Do you really intend to shrink Joyd?" The Walker siblings blinked at him tilting their heads in confusion at the name. Sighing Wisely pointed at Tyki, "Him."

"Ohhhhhh." Tyki raised an eyebrow at Luca who just grinned.

"Yep." reaching into her pouch she pulled the bottle out tossing it up and down in her hand.

"Luca! You weren't suppose to keep that! Wait," he faltered in his reprimand, "when did you even grab that?"

"Right before Head Nurse bit you."

"Bit you?!" The Noah cried staring at the pair.

"Zombies and all that fun stuff." Luca waved them off though she was giggling at the faces they and Johnny and Reever made.

"Zombies? Really Butterfly?" Sheril glanced between the girl and his brother. He wasn't sure he liked the nickname. Sure Tyki had a penchant for nicknaming people but that one was different. More familiar. Too familiar for his liking.

"Did I stutter My Love?" Sheril face twisted in a snarl. Okay the nicknames were far too intimate. How did they know each other? When did they meet? Just who was she to him? So many questions swirled around. Every single one of them added more questions about his brother's strange behavior.

"What the hell goes on in that place?" Tyki inquired staring at the pair though Luca put the bottle away.

"You don't want to know." Luca pulled her flask from her belt and took a sip of it. The whiskey burned on it's way down but it was a comforting feeling as traumatic memories popped up. She slid it back ignoring the look Allen was shooting her.

"Is that music playing?" Wisely questioned staring at Luca in confusion. She nodded with a bubbly smile.

"Yeah I'm not sure where that's coming from." Suddenly music began to play.

"Still this song?" Allen asked with a laugh.

"It's been stuck in my head for like a month. You have to admit it's infectious." Allen nodded.

"Yeah it is." The fast tempo had both siblings moving to the beat. Allen's foot tapped against the floor while Luca swung her hips to the beat. Luca grinned and began to sing the words.

Alo, Salut, sunt eu, un haiduc,

Si te rog, iubirea mea, primeste fericirea.

Alo, alo, sunt eu Picasso,

Ti-am dat beep, si sunt voinic,

Dar sa stii nu-ti cer nimic.

Vrei sa pleci dar nu ma, nu ma iei,

Nu ma, nu ma iei, nu ma, nu ma, nu ma iei.

Chipul tau si dragostea din tei,

Mi-amintesc de ochii tai.

Vrei sa pleci dar nu ma, nu ma iei,

Nu ma, nu ma iei, nu ma, nu ma, nu ma iei.

Chipul tau si dragostea din tei,

Mi-amintesc de ochii tai.

"Can we get back on topic please?!" The minister shouted, having had enough of the chaos that seemingly surround the strange exorcist. "Honestly! How do you people get anything done?! None of that made any sense nor did it have anything to do with what we were talking about!"

The music stopped causing Luca to complain, "Hey! I was listening to that!" She pouted at the Noah. "Besides what does it matter? You've had 7,000 years to collect 109 piece of innocence yet it's still not done. I don't think you can blame us for that." The man's mouth opened and closed several times as he tried to come up with a response to that.

"I-" Kanda cut him off by shooting up from where he lay, grabbing Road on his way by leaving Scarfy in the dust. Kanda brought Mugen down on the Millennium Earl only for Tyki to block it, his arm covered in dark matter. _Guess he learned a new trick_ , Luca noted as she kicked a level 4, that had also moved to save it's master, into the wall leaving a rather large dent.

"My dear Road! Wisely! Do something!" the Minister yelled angrily.

"I'm not a fighter." The boy answered plainly. Allen took the man's moment of distraction to kick the coffin and the Minister off Tokusa to rescue the third. She and Kanda skidded back to where Allen stood with Tokusa.

"Kanda? You're alright?" Allen questioned.

"Something wrong with that?" Kanda asked through clenched teeth which held Road's dress.

"You didn't move for a long time." Allen answered.

"I hit my head and came to here."

"Guys not the time." Luca chipped in.

"Couldn't figure out what was happening at first."

Luca glared as he ignored her before muttering under her breath, "That's not anything new." Kanda shot her a look and pulled Road's ribbon from her dress much to her displeasure.

"Hey! Stop that! You freak!"

"Quit whining! Your brother broke my hair ribbon and I know Luca won't give me hers."

"My hair is worse than yours!" Luca snapped cutting in. She left out the fact that she would never part with the bright purple ribbon that held her locks back. She had taken the ribbon, which had been tied around the box her necklace had come in, and sewn the butterfly charms into the ends. Kanda shot her a look but continued.

"So I'm taking yours."

"That's the whole reason you grabbed her?" Allen demanded annoyed.

"We should withdraw and regroup." Tokusa spoke drawing the conversation back to the matter at hand.

"As much as it pains me to say it he's right." The other two nodded and together than ran from the door as the pipes laid in the floor began tearing themselves out. "That doesn't look good." Luca comment as she slid to a stop. The pipes had blocked their escape.

"The exit!" Allen shouted causing Luca to groan.

"I guess I'm gonna have to make one."

"Don't you worms even listen? Or do you not understand what's going on?" The four turned towards the Minister who was speaking to them. "Fourteenth, didn't you hear the Earl? You're not going back to the Order." Luca raised an eyebrow, she didn't like the sound of that or the fact that he had called her a worm. More pipes pulled from the floor, pulling the body that had been there, _Didn't notice that before. What kind of shit has the Order gotten into now? This just screams bad idea_ , Luca thought, up while creating a large pile for the Noah to stand on. The Hungarian glared up at them. _Gods above why are they all so pompous! It's so irritating_ , she huffed.

"Allen Walker, we're giving you the chance to abandon the Order of your own free will. This is your retirement party!"

"Me? Retire?"

"Al, what's he talking about?" The boy shrugged at her. "Am I missing something?"

"Beats me, if you are then so am I." Luca groaned into her hand.

"I swear."

"Who's that with them?" Allen nodded at the body the Noah had pulled from the floor. Luca listened with a frown as Tokusa explained that the body was Alma, Kanda's childhood friend.

"Who's that?" The room came to a stop as they all stared at Kanda.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" The Earl asked as if he didn't believe what he had just heard.

"You heard me." The pipe that Wisely was sitting on slowly lifted him up so he could point at the body. "Who's that?"

"Wisely?" The Noah glared at the boy. Road began to explain that it was Alma to Kanda. With each word she spoke Luca's lips curled farther into a snarl. _I knew the Order had sunk but this is a new low even for them_ , her fists shook with the thought. Wisely smirked at her, clearly reading her thoughts. She made a face at him and allowed Hyde to release an ear piercing shriek. He reeled at the noise.

"They blamed you for his death, hiding Alma for nine years and using the Holy War as an excuse." Luca turned her glare of Lvellie and the blonde woman, both who avoided her gaze. _No shame. Useless cowards and scoundrels_ , she hissed. Kanda crushed Road's head in his grip, letting the pieces fall to the floor. "Does that person Alma killed have anything to do with this?" Road spoke despite the lack of a head on her little doll. Kanda drew Mugen and brought it down on her only for Allen to catch the blade. The two began to bicker as usual with Allen trying to get Kanda to see reason.

"Boys." Both froze at the word from the Hungarian.

"Perhaps this isn't the best place for this conversation." Allen chuckled nervously.

"Che. I was done with you anyway." Kanda snapped turning away from the siblings causing Luca to roll her eyes.

"If you really don't believe that's Alma, let Alma himself convince you." A large eye appeared under them that reeked of dark matter.

"Remember what I said Kanda? We're going to use your brain for our party." At those words her eyes flicked up to Wisely and recognized the eye as the same one on his forehead. Snapping her fingers she silently commanding Hunter to explode the heap of pipes sending the Noah flying.

"Time to go!" she ordered jerking her thumb over her shoulder towards the blocked exit. The others nodded. Tyki landed to her right. She leapt over the leg he swung at her, intending to take her legs out from under her, arching over backwards in the air. "Rude!" she chided him as she landed.

"Luca! Door!" Allen shouted.

"Not so fast!" Their heads snapped up to see that the Earl had saved Wisely.

"Kurva életbe (god damn it)!" the eye reappeared underneath their feet. The world went black.

* * *

"No angel born in Hell  
Could break that Satan's spell

And as the flames climbed high into the night  
To light the sacrificial rite  
I saw Satan laughing with delight"

\- American Pie, Don Mclean

* * *

 **Omake**

Komui: Imagine if someone handed you a box full of all the items you have lost throughout your life.

Kanda: It would be nice to get my sense of purpose back.

Lenalee: Oh wow, my childhood innocence! Thank you for finding this!

Luca: My will to live! I haven't seen this in 15 years!

Lavi: I knew I lost that potential somewhere

Allen: Mental stability, my old friend!

Johnny: Guys, could you lighten up a little?

* * *

 **Well you gotta love how Luca can get things off track. Poor Sheril has no idea what he's in for. This is just the beginning of his torture at Luca's hands. I'm not sure which is my favorite part. There are so many! From the tongue thing to her conversation with Wisely to straight out kicking the Earl in the face. She has no problem with it and no self preservation. Anyway we've seen the beginning of Alma Karma arc, next chapter will dive deeper. Stay tuned for House of Memories! Chesh is out!**


	44. House of Memories

**WOW! 12 reviews for a single chapter! That's a new record for Veil of Ink and Gold and me as a writer! Seriously you guys rock! Anyway I can't believe I forgot (again) but the song in the middle that Luca was singing was not around at that time period but I couldn't find any songs from that time period that weren't well know classics or hymns. Neither of these options fit so I bent the rules a bit. The song is by O-zone and is sung in Romanian which is why Luca knows the lyrics because as she's said before Romanian is her second language. The song is called** **Dragostea Din Tei** **though it is better known as The Numa Numa Song. For anyone interested I rewrote the bit where Luca explains Eternal Hunter to Allen because it wasn't as clear as I wanted it to be. I have one question that I would really like it if everybody answered, even if that's all you do, I would like to know what you thought when Luca killed the broker in chapter 10 at the hotel. I think that's it for this AN (I've probably forgotten something else but oh well I'll fix it later) so lets move on to all the reviews!**

 **Dear Blake1999, Hello! Welcome to Veil of Ink and Gold I'm always excited to have a new reader and reviewer. I'm glad that to hear that you're invested in Luca and Tyki and what happens next. Veil of Ink and Gold gets updated every other Tuesday (usually long time readers will tell you that I have a problem being on time.) so unless something terrible happens to me you expect regular updates. I can't wait to hear what you think of the next chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Dear SkaterRockGirl, Hey! I'm delighted to hear that I made you laugh until you cried. It's such a wonderful song and just fit Luca so perfectly. It just the kinda song that she would listen to and then get stuck in her head. You flatter me too much. I'm not a genius I merely have a few genius moments. Thank you for the compliments. I hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

 **Dear SheuOgama, I know what you mean. I felt the same way. I actually started panicking a bit. I am quickly running out of canon material to work with and thus we will be moving into my own story. I just hope I'll live up to my readers high expectations. As for what Allen will do well you'll just have to wait and see. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, Yes Wisely is one of my favorite antagonists as well. My all time favorite character is Road but Wisely and Tyki are very close. I agree with you that his curiosity is relatable. Both Luca and myself are insanely curious. You'll learn later on how this has gotten her into some trouble before. More of her past is coming soon. I can tell you that he will be very interested in the spider and the scorpion. He'll also want one. XD Speaking of Tricia she will be appearing again soon. As I promised that she would have a bigger role she would be appearing in about 6 or so chapters. I wonder if you'll figure out what I'm planning for her or not. Actually Jim is only Tyki's snitch. He only reports to Tyki about Luca and nothing else. You are completely right things are going down! Let's see what happens! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, There's no need to apologize about being late. How many chapters have been late? I can't even remember. It's that bad! XD Time to get my stuff together. I'm always happy to receive a review no matter when it comes in. It is nice to hear that you've been waiting for me to update though. Fills me with warm fuzzy feelings. I'm happy to tell you that I'm feeling much better and managed to dodge another cold thankfully. It's no fun. You probably should Timothy and Luca are both mischievous and can do a lot more damage when together. I think that Tyki might prefer Wisely to Sheril. At least Wisely doesn't freak out and yell a bunch. He's just kind of a twit. As for the Earl and Luca what do you mean? Anyway enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Zon Yokai Blade of the Spirits, I've been plotting Luca and Feedler's interactions for a bit. Sheril is always fun to write probably because he's so over the top and hysterical. The man needs to take a chill pill. Seriously he needs help. There will be more Tyca flirting soon. There's some in this chapter and more in the next chapter. You'll just have to hold on for now. I'm not sure where you got Tyki holding her bridal style but it's an interesting thought. Luca's not really one to hold still. There's always drama with the Noah, it's like apart of the Noah gene or something. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Cam, Good to hear from you. As always don't worry about being late. I'm always late. It's fine. I understand that other things get in the way. I'm happy to hear from you no matter when it is. This arc is sure to be interesting though I'm not really sure we should give Luca cake. She's hyper enough. She wouldn't be able to sit still for the tea. The memories are heartbreaking no matter how many times you see them. You're making me blush with your compliments. I'm thrilled you like the story and that you keep coming back for the next installment. Sheril has more trouble coming for him. Luca's not done yet! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, I loved the omake too! I saw the meme and it was just perfect. It sounded like all of them so much. I am honored that you love me. It means so much to me. It really does. I found with the extra time I wasn't as stressed and thus able to spend more time on the chapter and give even more effort. It's nice to know that it shows in the final product. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the last one! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Bunny~chan, Yep, they aren't very good at keeping it a secret, I of course don't count the months that they didn't see each other. Hyde is complicated, much like Luca herself, she is multifaceted. There's more to her and a reason why she's doing what she's doing. She's trying to get Luca's attention but in the chaos that is Luca's mind it can be hard. I'm always interested to hear what you think of it and how you interpret what I give you. I agree. The name is really cute and it seems like the kind of thing he would do. As for you question about Feedler the answer is probably. A lot of things slip her mind. He's not interesting to her so it's most likely. I pictured the same thing! Neah's not sure about her yet but knows from what he's seen that she's rather violent. Well Luca has a dirty mind and no filter so she's just gonna say what she's thinking, it was a lot of fun to write. Allen is usually uncomfortable when Luca and Tyki are together and Sheril will hate her more and more as he gets to know her better. That's too bad. I really like that song and it's Luca's kind of song. Oh well to each their own. Unfortunately for the Earl Luca, as per usual, is going to derail his plans for Allen and the retirement party all together. Stay tuned to find out how. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, I'm getting that a lot. It's good to know that my readers know Luca well enough to anticipate what she's gonna do next. It was a very Luca thing to do. Yes it did. Luca was not pleased with Feedler. Yes he does infect them but there are two reasons that she is fine. You'll find out in a conversation she has with Tyki so you'll just have to wait for now. As for what she did with him is that she had Lavi hit Feedler with his hammer into Hunter so now he's trapped in there. Kinda like what she used to do with Tyki's hats and Harlequin. Luca is still working on that but it can be hard to change a habit that you've had since you were 7, so basically 10 years. She's working on it but it's not easy for her. She is trying though. As for happening at a bad time, well... Wisely makes everything harder but keeping secrets especially. With Tyki acting suspicious it makes him the most interesting and thus he's gonna follow them. Not only is Tyki thinking about her but so is Joyd, well he's whining about her not being there. The good thing is Wisely can be bribed. Tyki went after Jim because of Allen. Allen can see and sense the akuma. So if she didn't Allen would destroy them and she might not get the present plus Jim can watch Luca from the shadows and tell him how she's doing. As for Tyki finding out about Luca kissing Link I'm not gonna say anything. Just gonna have to wait and see. Kicking the Earl in the face probably wasn't her best idea but she sure did have a lot of fun doing it. She's probably the only one who can say that she's done that too which will make her very proud. Sheril will be far more unhappy in the chapters to come. Luca's got several things up her sleeves that he's not gonna like. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear WinterYule, Yes she would have bitten if he had been anyone else other than Cross because that's just a bad idea in general. The person who got thrown into the volcano will also be revealed in the next chapter. I think Wisely is just making Tyki's need to run away worse. He already sort of runs away when he's with his friends. Wisely is definitely that kid that asks "Why?" all the time. Because he's curious and he wants to be annoying. XD Thank you, I liked the name. I thought it was cute. Ignorance being the culprit is also one of my favorite lines. I actually use it in real life too. Tyki's been doing a lot of bribing lately poor man must be exhausted with it all. Peck needs more than a punch but that's all Luca had time for. Missions and all. She tries to keep her temper in check but she's not the best at it. Luca always needs a raise. She could have all the money in the world and still be it debt somehow. Luckily for Chaoji Marie knows and kept them apart otherwise something would have happened to him. Something still may happen to him. Who knows? As for the Thirds I believe it's the same thing when another akuma eats it. So yeah you're probably right. And of course it's the time to be thinking about her boyfriend when he looks like that how can you not? ;D Plus to be fair he does the same thing. And even though all of them are telling her to focus she's not. She'd rather plot to surprise him or a new way to win because she's gonna win. She just knows it. Luca is already dealing with Feedler plus I don't think Tyki would be allowed to do anything about it. If you just wait until the end of the arc you'll find something else happens to Feedler. Luca is definitely changing the story. It's becoming more apparent now. Yeah she did sound like a cheerleader. I doubt you'd get her into the outfit though. I'm pretty sure she's allergic to skirts, or she thinks she is. Yeah she's making the song up as she goes too. She certainly has the others concerned. Yep Luca's decision making is flawless. Let's kick the most powerful and dangerous person in the world in the face! Yep! That's a good idea! If Allen's hair wasn't white before it would be now. Most of the stuff in her pouches is food for her and Allen. Mostly Allen though he has to keep reminding her that she needs to eat more now too. Yep she shoved the diamond in and then probably saw an akuma and like that it was out of her brain. If he hadn't been shrieking and flailing around and just thought logically he could have used his powers to get rid out it without touching it but that didn't occur to him. Oh well. The rest of us enjoyed it even if he didn't. Pretty sure everyone was thinking it Luca just lacks the little voice inside her head that says "Don't say that" so she said it. It's not the zombie potion she has it's the one that shrunk Kanda and Lavi but yeah that's about right for Luca. It's mostly Luca but Allen goes along with Luca's randomness and habit of singing. It makes her happy. Don't give her any ideas, if she heard that phrase she'd probably go out and buy a bunch of wrenches to throw at the Noah. I guess they can practice dodging? Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, Good Evening! There's no need to apologize. You got busy with regular life and that's okay. Real life can be a major pain. I'm glad to hear that. I've got several things started but I could never abandon my story and beloved readers. If I liked Chaoji I might pity him because she'll probably find a way to kill him while on the mission. She's devious like that but I don't like him so I don't pity him. I pity Marie who's trying to keep them separated. I also pity Lavi who's stuck between them. Too bad Allen isn't nearly as amused as you are by her kleptomania. He's pretty sure that she's gonna get her hand cut off at some point. Yeah drinking on the job isn't her best plan but that's never stopped her before. I know you aren't criticizing her character but actually worried for her. Unfortunately it's not hilarious for poor Jim but it is for the rest of us. Yep that didn't really go the way Feedler was thinking it would. But things rarely do around Luca. Kinda her shtick. Sheril around Luca in general is very amusing to me. Pretty soon you're gonna get a part from his pov about Luca and her existence. I'm glad you figured out Road's poem. I knew it was perfect for her. It's nice to know that you agree. I hope where I choose to take the story lives up to your high standards. I will do my best though! Enjoy the story!**

* * *

"Those thoughts of past lovers  
They'll always haunt me  
I wish I could believe  
You'd never wrong me  
Then will you remember  
Me in the same way  
As I remember you"

-House of Memories, Panic! At the Disco

* * *

"Hey, are you awake?" Luca opened her eyes slowly. Her head was spinning. "Huh? Are you awake?" She blinked at the little boy, who could be no more than 9 or 10, that was right in her face. She'd never admit to it but he was completely and utterly adorable even with the small scar across the bridge of his nose, not that she could really talk about scars. She was covered in them. "If you're awake then raise your hand." _Is he talking to me? Where am I? Who's this? He's so cute. He looks kinda familiar but I know I've never met him_ , she was brought out of her thoughts by the boy getting overjoyed. "YAY!" The boy leapt over her causing the girl to roll out of his way. "Yay! Yay! I thought I was gonna be all alone! I'm so excited!" Luca got to her feet, bending down to brush the dirt from her boots. She looked around. _Seriously where am I? I've never been here? Maybe that kid can create hallucinations? Ugh as if I don't have enough of them_ , she tuned back into the kid's chattering. "They say your name is Yu!" Luca's head snapped over. _That name...? Could it be?_ A finger pointed at the boy who smiled and blushed a bit. "I'm a bit shy, haha, I'm, well, I'm, my name is Alma." _Oh shit. That's why he looks familiar. Despite the major differences he still looks like himself. It's hard to believe that this cute little kid, did I just call a kid cute? That felt weird. Anyway how did that cute little kid turn into that? What did they do to him?_ "Happy birthday Yu!" She moved out of the way as scientists came running into the room as a naked mini Kanda climbed out of the pool. She watched the chaos with a frown. Why was she here? Suddenly arms wrapped around her causing her to jump and shriek.

"Relax, Butterfly. It's just me." Tyki's voice sounded above her, she glanced back and found him next to her.

"Are we in Kanda's head?"

"In a way."

"What does that mean?"

"Wisely is using his power to show Mr. Kitchen Knife's memories of their shared time in this place with Alma."

"It's to wake him up right?" Tyki nodded.

"Very good Butterfly."

"Okay back to the main problem."

"Hmm? What's that?"

"Mr. Kitchen Knife?" she asked incredulously. His features twisted at the face she made.

"What? What's wrong with that?"

"Real imaginative My Love." He pouted at her response. "So how long are we stuck in here?"

"Hard to know. When Wisely lets us out I guess."

"Well aren't you helpful." she deadpanned. He shrugged. "Where did the others go?"

"I don't know. Maybe they're in a different part. Wisely just woke up less than two days ago and this is the first time I've seen his power. I don't know how it works."

"Peachy."

* * *

"Yu Kanda!"

"Allen Walker!"

"Luca Walker!" Tokusa shouted their names trying to rouse any of the exorcists. None responded. All were motionless, the strange eye placed in the middle of their foreheads. "What did you do to them?" He questioned rounding on the Noah.

"Stop that racket! I'm just playing around with Kanda's brain." Wisely explained in a bored manner.

"Why are Road and Tyki in there?!" Sheril demanded furiously.

"Wisely's not all that accurate." The Earl answered, an easy grin on his face.

"Would you pipe down back there?" Wisely cut in.

"Pull Tyki and Road out!" Sheril snapped.

"I can't."

"What do you mean can't?!"

"I already tried."

"So why are they still there then?"

"Because they're intertwined with the exorcists." Sheril glanced over to the group. Sure enough the girl that the third had called Luca Walker whom Tyki had referred to as Butterfly lay prone across Tyki's chest, one of his arms draped across her body.

"So all we have to do is move them? Wait! Road's not touching an exorcist."

"Not here," Wisely sighed. The extra people were not making it easy for him. "In there they are though. I already tried to pull Joyd and Road out. It didn't work. I saw two groups, both consisting of a male and a female. I thought that the Walker siblings would be together and the Joyd and Road would be the other group. However Road is with Allen and Joyd with Luca. Thus when I tried to pull them out it didn't work. So as I said before. I can't. Now would you let me concentrate?" Sheril pouted, as the Millennium Earl told him to stop pestering Wisely, but said nothing else.

* * *

"Hey! Knock it off you two!" One of the scientists was yelling at the quarreling children who's fight had come to blows.

"Watch out!"Tyki yanked Luca out of the way as Alma flew through the air and crashed into the wall right where she had been standing. He pulled her close to him, wrapped her up in his arms with ease. She'd be safe there.

"Jeez, he hasn't changed a bit. He's just smaller." Luca noted with a sigh though she huddled closer to Tyki. She had no problem leaching his warmth. Alma hit the ground while more scientists yelled.

"Calm down!"

"Hit the brakes!"

"Don't do that!"

"There's a demon! A demon here!" One of the scientists wailed. Upon seeing Kanda Luca could understand his feelings.

"Stop Yu!"

"You know this isn't all that different from how it is now. Instead of Alma it's Allen that he's fighting with. Or Komlin."

"What's a Komlin?" Tyki asked looking down at her.

"A robot one of the scientists at headquarters makes to "protect" his sister from the "dirty octopuses" and sometimes they are suppose to help but they never do. They've destroyed towns, traumatized Lavi," he raised an eyebrow at her, "Eyepatch?" he nodded. "Decimated the building, tried to make Lenalee macho, cleaned floors, or wait was that the other one? Yeah I think it was the other one that cleaned the floor. Oh! It also tried to operate on Allen."

"Seriously Butterfly are you pulling my leg?"

"Gods above I wish I was. These things are real."

"I'm not sure how I feel about that."

"Pray you never meet one."

"I think I will."

"He actually threw Alma!" The pair looked over at the scientist who yelled only to find mini Kanda sticking his tongue out at Alma provoking the boy to fight back.

"I swear he's just like this with Allen. Nice to know he's consistent." she huffed irritably. Tyki chuckled quietly at her puffed out cheeks causing her to elbow him for it. Immediately he doubled over in pain as his scars flared up. She whirled around. "What? What's wrong?" her eyes were wide as she searched for the cause of his pain.

"If you could not do that again." he panted out trying to push away the pain with little success.

Slowly realization came to her, "Oh." He swore she looked ashamed of herself. "Yeah I'll keep that in mind." she was mumbling more than anything else. Slowly she wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to pull her close and rest his head against hers. The pain died away and they ignored the pair of seconds who were still brawling with each other and anybody else who got in their way. The door slammed and Luca pulled away, startled. Tyki drew her right back into the safety of his arms, winding them around, holding her close. The Chinese woman came storming into the room which overlooked the area where both boys sat on examining tables.

"Jeez! Fighting again?" she walked up to the windows to look down at the boys. "And their injuries?"

"They had a few just a couple of minutes ago but they're completely healed now." The blond man, who had substantial injuries himself, answered the woman. Luca blinked taking in his appearance for the first time.

"Oh!"

"Something wrong Butterfly?"

"No, I just know him."

"You do?" Tyki asked in shock.

"Well sort of. I know his son. He looks a lot like him. His son helped Allen and I when we were in China. This is the Asian branch, well a part of it. Allen recovered here." She shot him a look. Understanding what she was referencing he chuckled nervously.

"You're not gonna hit me for that again, are you?" she was in the perfect spot for another strike with her elbow at his scars. He knew that the last shot had been playful but if she took a real one that could seriously incapacitate him.

"No. Like I said last time, My brother survived and it pretty much came back and bit you in the ass." She laughs "After all, you only made him stronger. Besides, it's all in the past"

"That's," he paused for a moment, "a surprisingly grown up thing to say Butterfly."

"What's that mean?" she demanded causing him to laugh.

"It means I never know what to expect from you. You say something like that which is very wise and then you get angry at me like you just did. I still haven't pinned down your age yet. You say something wise and I think maybe 20 and then you do something like that," he poked one of her puffed out cheeks, "and I push it back down into the teens. I'd say about 16 now since your brother is 15 and you said something about being older though that could just be a couple of months." She made a face at him and he poked her cheek some more. _God, she was cute. It's really not fair_ , he huffed as she pouted.

"I'm 17." she mumbled looking away. "You sent me flowers on my birthday remember?"

"Yep! Did you like them?"

"Of course. They were rare and exotic and absolutely gorgeous. How did you get them into my room though?"

"You may be my husband but you sure are pathetic." The woman's words saved him from answering her question.

"So that's his mom, no wonder he likes Lenalee."

"That's the Chinese girl right?" She nodded.

"I'm sorry Twi. I'm not a very good assistant, am I?"

"Twi must be her name. She must be the one in charge."

"Of the project or the branch."

"Both." Luca answered easily though she didn't have a good feeling. She hadn't met either Twi or her husband at the branch when she had been there. If Bak was the branch head then something had happened to his parents.

"You're making a face. What's up?"

"I have a bad feeling."

"Do you get them a lot?"

"Some times. The last two have been your fault." He laughed again.

"I'm gonna go with both times that you appeared out of nowhere on me."

"Yeah."

"So bad feeling?"

"I think something's gonna go wrong and they are both going to die."

"That's a dark prediction." She hummed in response and looked at the damage that Alma and Kanda had caused in their brawl.

"They really cleaned our clocks." Edgar laughed as he looked at the other scientists who were injured by the boys fighting. Luca shifted her focus to the boys. A man with light hair and a monocle was lecturing Alma.

"Remember you two are apostles, exorcists who'll save the world from destruction." Tyki snorted at the words the man spoke but noticed that Luca was frowning.

"Something wrong?"

"This is wrong?"

"This?" he asked. He didn't really understand her. Which was she referring to? "Us?"

"No them."

"Ah. Man made exorcists?" She shot him a dry look.

"Technically all exorcists are man made."

"Very nice Butterfly." He huffed.

"I'm sorry, Doctor." Alma answered, eyes downcast and tears building in his eyes. Her heart ached for him as she saw the loneliness in his eyes. It was a look that she easily recognized and knew all too well. She had seen it in Allen eyes when she first met him, all the while she was trying to stop the bleeding of the injury that would surely scar and he looked at her like a child who had lost everything and she knew. It was the look she had worn herself...when her mother died. "I just wanted to be with Yu." He spoke earnestly.

"Why?" Luca ignored Tyki's question to the boy.

"You're a creeper! Following me around like a stalker! Just die dickhead!" Alma began to cry as mini Kanda yelled at him though he threw the table he had been sitting on at Kanda starting another fight.

"I'll fix you!" Alma yelled.

"Calm down Alma! Stop that Yu!" The doctor in the room tried to break up the new fight with little success.

"I wonder where he picked up that kind of language." Edgar asked in the middle of the chaos

"Stop gawking and help me break 'em up!" he shouted at the girl with blonde hair who just stood there staring at the mess that was made.

"This is just ridiculous." Twi sighed.

Noah and exorcist followed as Edgar began to explain to Kanda about the other seconds who were still sleeping in the birthing holes. She smiled as Kanda asked if humans were born out of holes too but she was sad that the scientist had made it apparent to the seconds that they were less than human. _No wonder Kanda's always angry. I would be too_ , she pushed the thoughts away.

"The branch director gave birth to you?" Luca burst out laughing. The look Kanda was giving Edgar was hysterical. Absolute horror painted itself across the man's face.

"No not me! She gave birth to our child! I'm the father!" Tyki smiled as Luca laughed, his own chuckle in her ears.

"What's a father? How does that work?" Edgar sighed at the question, clearly the conversation was not going the way he wanted. Luca laughed more when he started in with the age old explanation about when a man and a woman love each other. "Love each other?" Kanda asked slowly but Edgar was distracted by the blonde girl who was speaking through the golem.

"That sounds just like us?" All three heads whipped over to the smokey figure behind Kanda. It was a woman though her features were indistinguishable other than that her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and tied with a scarf.

"What is that?" Tyki asked looking are the woman.

"A hallucination." Luca's tone was grim, her lips in a straight line.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because Edgar didn't react to it at all. He didn't hear her. If he had he would have responded the same way Mini Kanda did." Tyki opened his mouth to ask about the nickname but was cut off by Alma sneezing from behind the pillar where he must have been hiding. Luca narrowed her eyes with suspicion.

"What's with that face?"

"The woman, she..." the girl trailed off and shook her head. "Never mind. It's nothing."

"I found him Reni. I found him. He's here."

"He's following Yu again?" Realizing that he had been spotted Alma spoke.

"Can I join..." Kanda ran past Alma ignoring the boy's question. Edgar yelled at him but he ignored him too. "...you guys?" Instantaneously Alma began to tear up and then cry. The memories followed Kanda but Luca couldn't help but watch Alma cry as they moved away from him.

"You look upset." Tyki spoke.

"He's crying."

"Yeah..." Tyki wasn't really sure what to say.

"I just wanna hug him." Tyki pouted though she didn't see it.

"I thought you said didn't like children back in Rome."

"I don't but..." she faltered turning towards him, her eyes darting around as her mind and tongue tried to find the right words. She pushed her tongue piercing around with her teeth as she thought. "...but he's different. I see a lot of myself in him when I was a child. He's lonely. It's a sentiment I can understand." she answered slowly, as if unsure if she should be telling him these things so easily; yet as always she felt comfortable with him. He pulled her into a hug, resting his chin on top of her head. He didn't know what to say to her so he just held her.

The next memory startled them. A loud zap and an explosion of electricity. They looked over to see Kanda collapse away from the piece of innocence jutting out. Two CROWS stood over him, hooded and masked. _Capable of denying culpability_ , Luca thought with a sneer.

Instinctively Tyki tugged her closer to him and away from the innocence. Even though it was just a memory and it couldn't hurt them it still left a foul taste on his tongue. He didn't want it near him or her. _I won't let it harm her. It's bad enough what her own does to her. There's no need for this one to do it too_ , he thought. He could feel Luca shake with rage as the doctors talked easily ignoring the pain that both Kanda and Alma were in as they forced the children to try and synchronize with the innocence before them.

"This is an incredible achievement!" Sahlins spoke while Luca gritted her teeth together. She tried to ignore the man who spoke of years of experiments. She tried to ignore the thoughts of how many innocent people could have died in 90 years of experiments. How many children like Alma and Kanda. How many children like her and Allen had their childhood snatched away from them. Lenalee too. Luca was pretty sure that Lenalee had been even younger than her and had less freedom that Luca who had traveled the world with her Master. The CROWS moved forward towards Kanda who was unmoving.

"Doctor! Alma has gone into cardiac arrest!"

"Don't worry!"

"How can he say that?"

"I don't know Butterfly. People can say and do terrible things. He doesn't see them the way you do. To him they're not human; just a tool, like your boots to you, to be used as they see fit. We need more accommodators so we'll just make some."

"Of course. If they're not human than we can do whatever we want with them."

"I'm getting the feeling you don't trust the Order much."

"I don't. Never have. Especially not Central." Tyki chuckled at her response.

"Probably a good practice. Particularly for you and your brother." she snorted and he sighed. "But I'm guessing from that your brother doesn't share your sentiment."

"It's more complicated. Allen sees the Order as his home though I do believe that he's coming to realize that Central is not as benevolent as they'd like us to believe."

"But he's still not to where you are. Here's a question though,"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you even trust anybody, Butterfly?" She gave a dry chuckle.

"Figured me out already, My Love?" He nodded. "You are mostly correct. I'm not a trusting person. The world has proved over and over that there's nothing to trust. I can count the number of people I trust on one hand."

"Wow! That many? I was gonna go with your brother." She laughed.

"There's a few more."

"I'm not on that list, am I?"

"I think not, My Love. You haven't exactly given me reason to trust you."

Fair enough." The CROWS picked Kanda up carrying him back to the innocence despite not being fully healed.

"Starting Yu's synchronization!" The CROWS placed Kanda's hands on the innocence which stabbed him through the body causing Luca to wince as the boy made a sound of pain. The second cursed the innocence causing it to lash out at him. The blood exploded all over the CROWS.

"Serves them right." Luca snorted as the memory changed to the cold chamber again. Luca shivered and snuggled deeper into Tyki who was radiating body heat.

"How are you so warm?"

He chuckled, "It's a Noah thing. We naturally run warmer than humans." Luca grumbled something under her breath that sounded like a complaint or something about him. He wasn't sure. Kanda limped into the room and Luca whined at the sight of him as the tears began to slid down his cheeks. The woman was back still made of smoke, features indistinguishable.

"Who's there?!" The boy demanded. "Hey! You! Hey!" The woman turned to him before disappearing again. Kanda raced towards her.

"Yu! Watch out!" The boy fell right into the birthing hole despite Alma's warning. Luca raised an eyebrow. _He was here again? Did it mean something or was it a coincidence?_ she hummed to herself. She didn't know but she had a bad feeling about the whole thing. She could shake the odd aura she got from Alma either. Alma facepalmed and ran over to pull Kanda out.

"What are you thinking? You've got the same look as you did back in Moldova."

"Alma's giving off a strange feeling. His aura is...off." she wasn't sure if the word was really the one she was looking for or not. "Over the years I've gotten used to Kanda's. I always just assumed he was an old soul despite his anger but..." she trailed off.

"But..." he prompted. She shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing."

"Jeez, what are you doing?" Alma asked as Kanda choked up the water he had swallowed.

"Did you follow me?!" he demanded causing Alma to get angry with him which was understandable.

"No! I was just eating some snacks here while reading a book." Sure enough there was a blanket and pillow covered in a couple books and snacks. Kanda began to demand about the woman who was gone. Alma blinked at him in surprise though Luca's eyes narrowed. _Suspicious. It's all very suspicious. Just how did they bring them to life?_ Luca questioned. She whimpered when the boys arms fell off. Tyki wrinkled his nose.

"I don't think that's suppose to happen."

"Gee ya think?!" He laughed at her reaction.

"Whoa whoa whoa. No need to bite my head off Butterfly."

"It's not funny." she looked away.

"Alright, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." She sighed.

"Don't worry about it." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head as she smiled when Alma told Kanda about For.

"Know her?"

She nodded, "Yeah she was there when we were there. Allen and I trained with her. She's a lot of fun. She's a good friend. Got an attitude but that's what makes her wonderful."

"You would know all about having an attitude wouldn't you." He jabbed her in the side playfully causing her to shriek and squirm trying to get away from him.

"Stop that!"

"Eh? Are you ticklish, Butterfly?"

"No."

"Are you sure?" he dug his fingertips into her sides running them along her ribs while she shrieked and flailing in his arms laughing the entire time. It was a good sound in his opinion. One he wouldn't mind hearing more of. "I think you are."

"Okay okay okay! I'm ticklish! Now stop!" she begged he grinned but stopped as requested. "Jerk." He laughed.

"Oh comes on don't be like that." Luca sighed as the seconds began to fight with each other.

"They're at it again."

"Seems like it." As soon as they hit each other both boys had blood explode from their bodies in numerous places. "They've sprung a leak." Tyki noted with vague interest.

"You're terrible." she sighed though laughed with the boys. The memory changed again, it was father down the line. Kanda's hair had grown past his shoulders and was now held back in a low ponytail. Still in the cold chamber, Alma ran in and began to talk to the sleeping seconds while Kanda slumped down the wall, waiting for the other boy to finish. Suddenly the memory changed. They were in a field surrounded by dead flowers. The woman from the earlier hallucinations stood in the middle of it dressed in an exorcist uniform! _She's an exorcist! Why would Kanda be seeing her then? Wait Kanda's an exorcist! That hand belongs to the person who's perspective we're seeing from!_ the thoughts that swirled in her mind began to head down a dark path. _No, they wouldn't. They couldn't. Even they must have some respect for the circle of life and the natural order of things._ The woman began to speak, talking about the flowers that surrounded them. Luca blinked as they were back in the Asian branch. The jumping around was giving her whiplash, or maybe it was a migraine. Yeah her money was on a migraine. The woman, once again pale and smokey though clearly defined now stood next to him.

"What's the deal?" She didn't answer him instead continued what she had been saying in the field.

"I'll wait for you forever." she spoke calmly.

"What is she? A ghost?" Tyki questioned staring at the woman. Luca blinked and looked at her closely, she had a funny feeling. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and reached out with her ki. There were only three presences. Four if she counted the faint one Hunter gave off. Tyki, Kanda, and Alma. Her eyes flew open.

"No, as I told you before, Kanda's hallucinating."

"Well that explains why Scar," she raised an eyebrow at the name, "doesn't seem to notice her, but he doesn't seem to do it often."

"Because something is making him hallucinate. People don't just randomly hallucinate. Something causes it. Like eating certain mushrooms or drinking something they know is bad from them." she mumbled the last part to herself. "It's got to be something around him." she looked around for what it could be while Kanda yelled at the woman before collapsing.

"Yu?" Alma turned around at the sound of Kanda hitting the floor. Her eyes moved to him. Again she closed her eyes and reached out with her ki this time focusing on Alma as the boy ran over to his unconscious friend. _It couldn't be. They wouldn't, would they?_ Luca wasn't sure she wanted an answer to that thought. "Yu, what's wrong?"

Sahlins slammed his fist against the desk, "How long has he been having these hallucinations?" Luca moved closer to Tyki the sound having startled her. The Portuguese man noticed that she was rather jumpy today.

"You don't like him much, do you Butterfly?"

"He leaves a bad taste in my mouth." Had they been in a different place he would have made a joke about cannibalism but her body language told him it was a bad idea.

"What did Yu see?" Edgar answered Sahlins question.

"Some unknown person and scenery that the current Yu knows nothing about." Luca froze and her heart dropped the minute the blond man said the word current.

"Butterfly? Butterfly? Butterfly!" she hummed in response, eyes locked on the scene before her, hand clenched into fists. "What's wrong? You froze."

"I," she struggled to keep her voice even, to not let hysteria take her away, to not let Hyde out, "I know what they did. I know what they did and it was NOT something that anyone should ever do." Tyki glanced from the scientist to the girl. He didn't understand. Only that she was upset by it.

Twi's voice cut through, "We'll put him to sleep." Luca's head shot up.

"No!" Tyki grabbed her, not letting her attack. Under other circumstances Luca would have laughed at Alma attacking the scientists with a metal tray but she was too horrified to even smile. Alma thundered down the dark corridor, a feverish Kanda on his back. Luca wanted to cry as Alma apologized to the seconds who hadn't woken up, she wasn't sure if they were ever gonna wake up. "Move!" He couldn't hear her so he didn't know that the needles were flying at him until it was too late and they drove into his and Kanda's body sending the boys sprawling across the floor.

"Forbidden Feathers!"

"CROWS?!" Three men dressed in red robes and white masks walked out of the shadows towards the seconds who lay on the ground.

"You will return, apostle." The leader in the middle spoke as the spell tags surrounded them.

A split second decision; Alma kicked Kanda out of the spell and off the cliff into the waterway, "With a little luck you might be able to get out of here."

"Might?!" Kanda roared as he fell into the water which carried him away.

The spell went off electrocuting Alma. Luca's fists shook. She wanted nothing more than to punch them, shattering those masks that they hid behind. Watch the shards cut and embed into their faces just as the needles had done.

Luca recognized the two people who now stood in front of her as the location changed once again, still following Kanda. Her lips twitched in the corners.

"Friends of yours, Butterfly?" She nodded.

"The blond is Bak," her lips quirked up into a smile at the sight of Bak with a ponytail, "and the man with the bandages is Marie."

"He doesn't looks so good." Tyki noted.

"He'll be fine. He's a good friend and exorcist." A soaking Kanda crawled up out of the canal.

"What bullshit! "with a little luck" my ass! That idiot! This isn't luck! This isn't even outside. Not even close." Bak freaked at the sight of the boy and the demonic aura he was giving off. Luca couldn't say that she blamed Kanda. He looked cold. Hell she felt cold just looking at him. She moved closer to Tyki leeching as much body heat as she could. Kanda collapsed on the ground. "Pull this thing out, would you?" Marie easily picked Kanda up and did as he asked. The CROWS appeared and took Kanda away before the memory faded.

Again they were in the field with the woman who was talking about the flowers. The scene flicked between the woman, his lover if she had to guess, and a blue sky, he must've been lying on the ground she concluded. The woman lamented on how the lotus flowers were like exorcists who strove to make the world a better place. Finally it settled on the open sky only for a large clown like akuma to come stomping over.

"Oh, still alive are we? I'll give you the finishing blow, exorcist." All of Luca's fears were confirmed. Any shred of doubt was gone. She knew what they had done. The atrocities the Order had committed. Kanda lay on a table, a large white sigil was drawn on the ground beneath it in white chalk, Luca recognized it, well parts of it. It was foreboding. Kanda began to cackle. Unlike his laugh earlier this one was deranged. She moved towards the boy, she wanted to help him, but Tyki pulled her closer to him. She was shaking.

"You'll go to sleep and never wake up." Twi spoke calmly to the boy who had yet to cease his psychotic laughter.

"You've been deceiving me, haven't you?" The way that Kanda spoke was eerie. It sent shivers up the Hungarian's spine. "Everything was a lie!" Kanda shouted. His words rising in volume. "I was an exorcist! I was killed by an akuma a long time ago, wasn't I?!" Luca clenched her fists, knuckles white and nails biting into her palms, through her gloves. "What year is it? How long has it been since "then"? What did you do to us?!" he demanded. The magic lit up causing Kanda to scream. "Aren't you guys my allies?!"

"Innocence is our only hope!" Sahlin answered as if that made everything okay. Luca slammed her hands over her ears in a vain attempt to block out the screams of her friend. Her eyes screwed shut but the blinding blue light burned through her eyelids searing the image into her brain.

"Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" her body shook as she got louder and hysterical. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT! STOP IT! **STOP IT!** " Tyki grabbed her, turning her away from the scene. He pulled her hands from her ears.

"Butterfly! It's not real! It's not happening!" She shook her head. "Butterfly! It's in the past! You know he's alive! You know Kanda's alive! It's in the past!" she looked up at him, wide green eyes blinking. Her body shook and he pulled her into a hug, letting her bury her face into his chest. "It's okay, it's okay," he petted her unruly hair in a calming motion, "shhh, shhh, ssshh, it's okay." She clung to him, using him as an anchor to remind herself where she was and what had already happened. "It's already happened. It's just a memory." It went black as the memory disappeared suddenly. The pair looked around. The black faded and became a dark chamber made of metal. Alma appeared looking down through a hole with light coming up. Luca was quiet watching him out of the corner of her eyes, still with Tyki, one of his hands resting on the top of her head. "We must be in Scar's memories now." he noted looking around though he continued to stroke her locks. She was calmer, her breathing evening out. He hadn't expected it to upset her as much as it did.

"Kanda's memories are waking him up, right?" he nodded, her voice was quiet, far softer than he had ever heard it. The moment was broken by Edgar who came running up as Alma slid down the large wobbling pipe.

"Alma! Come back! Yu's important to you, I know, but-"

"No!" Alma cut him off, glaring up at him angrily all while clinging to the shaky metal, "You monsters wouldn't understand!" Both looked shocked at the outburst. "I'm going to save Yu. If I have innocence I can fight." Alma let go and fell.

"No! Alma! Don't go down there!" Luca watched the blond man yell and then cry. A part of her felt bad for him. He cared about the boys but that still didn't change what he and the other scientists had done to them.

"It's all spiraling out of control." Luca noted solemnly as the scenery changed. They were obviously now wherever it was that Alma had fallen too. Luca looked around. She felt sick. She knew what had to be hidden with the innocence. "This is where it's kept, huh?" Tyki glanced around too though didn't stray too far from his exorcist. One of the pieces lit up, calling to Alma. It was his piece. He climbed towards it. Spell tags flew in, attaching themselves to Alma. Luca recognized the symbols on them.

"Flame Feathers!" The CROWS shouted igniting the the spell causing the room to explode with flames.

"Did he stop moving?"

"He sure causes a lot of trouble for us." The other CROW spoke to the first one. Despite being charred to a crisp the boy continued to reach for his weapon. "That damn doll can still move?" Luca grit her teeth at the man's words. Edgar yelled through the golem but the CROWS ignored him answering with something that Luca didn't hear. The boy was healing but she knew that the CROWS wouldn't leave him be. They'd attack again. The spell strips lined up and shot at Alma, Edgar was once again ignored.

"Flame Feathers!" Alma lunged for the innocence which shot out to greet it's accommodator. The two melded together and lashed out killing the CROWS and tearing the wrappings as well. Luca watched Alma sadly, Tyki's arm around her shoulders. He could only stare up in horror at the, now exposed, bodies.

"I can't imagine what he's thinking. To realize what's been done to him and Kanda. Seeing your own corpse..." she trailed off biting her lip causing Tyki to raise an eyebrow, "it's not anything anyone should have to deal with. The pain and the shock, it can be unbearable." Tyki hummed in response. Her words resonated with him somewhere in the back of his mind. Perhaps it was a tiny piece of Joyd or perhaps it was his human side which had died yet still saw it's corpse move as if it were alive.

"So those things," he spoke after a moment nodding his head at the mummies, "are really the corpses of exorcists?"

"Yes. Their real bodies."

"Their?" he questioned glancing at her.

"The so called artificial apostles. I know for a fact that the Order used to experiment on non-accommodators to try and make new exorcists, our current Chief put an end to the practice when he came, so they tried a new way."

"How do you know all this?"

"The first part about the non-accommodators is well known among exorcists. The rest is just a guess on what they've done based on the information Kanda has given us through his memories."

"You had me and then you lost me." she gave a sour chuckle.

"They created "artificial" apostles by moving the soul from a body that could no longer fight into a new body that was better and stronger and then had them try to synchronize with the innocence of the soul's previous body."

"The soul?"

"Well they are scientists so they probably used the brains which is why they needed the bodies but the soul that's what's really important. Everything it tied to the soul. The ability to use magic. Hunter and I, you and your inner Noah. All these things are tied together at the soul. You cannot have one without the other." She shivered feeling the murderous aura coming off Alma. She knew what would happen next and it wasn't going to be pretty. Slowly he turned around and walked calmly out the door.

"This isn't gonna end well is it?"

"Of course not. Imagine if that had been you. You already gave everything you had to the war only to wake up again and be lied to your face about who and what you were. You didn't know until you found your mangled corpse, not even cremated by the people who are supposed to be your allies? They defiled their corpses. It's enough to drive anyone to murder."

"You really think that kid is gonna murder them all?"

"I would."

It was black all around them. There was no light, only their exceptional night vision allowed them to look around. They were back in the room where the scientists had euthanized Kanda. His body still lay on the table, eyes closed and chest unmoving. They hadn't moved him yet.

"We're back in Kanda's memories." Luca spoke calmly. The somber mood was unnatural between the two and left a bitter taste in the girl's mouth but it had been there since she had heard the name Alma. She dreaded learning what the Order could and would do to win the war. She watched as Kanda woke once more. Unwilling or unable to rest peacefully. The magic flared up but the innocence, that Luca knew would come to be known as Mugen, appeared before him. A blatant choice between dying and being an exorcist. The pain caused Kanda to make a quick decision. The pair followed as Kanda staggered down the hall, a sizable blood trail in his wake and Mugen, though still unnamed, resting against his shoulder. He looked at Marie who was on life support. Luca's lips were pulled into a thin line. Her eyes widened as Kanda's blood spilled into the wound on Marie's head. She could only stare as the wound fizzled the same way Kanda's would and healed. She pondered it.

"Yu! I'm so glad you're safe!" Alma cried out upon seeing the other second exorcist when he entered the room.

"Alma!-" Kanda trailed off upon seeing the red liquid that covered the room.

"I'm happy to see you again, but I'll have to kill you too." he smiled but it was sad with tears building in his eyes. Alma lashed out with his arm, the blades that made it up stretching and twisting. Kanda shot to the right and then the left. Dodging as best he could. Marie, still helpless without his innocence to guide him, on his back. The trapped audience could do nothing to stop the fight, only move out of the way. Tyki never let Luca drift from his reach. After her reaction to Kanda being euthanized he had no idea where her emotions would go next. Would she cry? Scream? Try to break it up? Get angry? Or would she just stand there still as a statue? The combatants fell down the stairs, Kanda losing his grip on Marie who hit the ground with a cry. Kanda scrambled for his blade. "Ah? So you synchronized with the innocence too?" Alma's arm shot forward impaling Kanda in the chest, sending him crashing into the wall.

"Why?" It was the only word Kanda could utter. He didn't understand why his first friend, his only friend was suddenly attacking him. His thoughts plainly spread across his face.

"I waited every single day for the others, any of the others, to wake up all by myself. I would wonder why they wouldn't wake up." Tears ran down the boy's smiling face. Green eyes just stared at the scene before her. This boy who wanted nothing more than a friend just had everything he though he knew smashed to pieces. The agony of what was done to them and their souls. The carelessness of the Order. Soldiers who had died on the battlefield received no honor or medals. They didn't want any of that; the dead had no use for either. All they wanted was to rest after a long fought battle. A battle that had cost them everything, their hopes, their dreams, their love, and their very lives. They had done their part for the war, given everything and yet they were called back from their peace. Had the only thing left, their memories, snatched away and returned to the battlefield. It would never end. They were no different than the akuma now. Mindless war machines who would never know peace. The Order was no better than the Earl. "They're never going to wake up, are they? It's no wonder they didn't want to. I must have been supper annoying. I kept talking despite it all. I'm so loud. I'd even talk about the books I was reading. The books I was reading so I'd have something to talk about." Alma groaned thinking back on everything he had done waiting for the others. Luca couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. She wanted to. She wanted to run forward and hug Alma. She wanted to tell him that he was wrong. That he wasn't annoying and that being loud wasn't a bad thing. He had every right to be angry and upset with what they had done to him and the other seconds. They were turned into akuma for the Order. They were the Order's version of akuma! Who could bear that? Who could stand that? Even her who, comparability was at least 6 maybe 7 years older than him and she would have killed them too. Her entire being shook with rage.

"Butterfly?" She didn't hear Tyki call out to her. As Alma embraced Kanda her thoughts drifted elsewhere. A place she did not want to go. Anywhere but there. Allen. Her brother. Her dear sweet little brother who was innocent like Alma was. Who had done nothing to deserve what fate had thrust upon him. Gods above she felt sick. Would they do this to Allen? Would they experiment on him to see how his curse worked? So see if they could duplicate it? Would they tear his eye out? Bookman had discreetly informed her that after Road had stabbed Allen in the eye it hadn't healed like a human would, rather it regenerated like an akuma or Noah. Theoretically they could just rip his eye out and a new one would grow in it's place. Would they do that? Yes they would. Kanda and Alma were proof of how depraved Central and the Order were. She needed to get Allen out. They needed to get out. There was no going back. They couldn't. It wasn't safe. The fourteenth, she refused to call him by name he didn't deserve it, has already shown himself and that he can take control of Allen they won't risk it. They would brand him as a Noah and lock him up or worse kill him. No where was safe. She felt dizzy, nauseous. The world was spinning right before her eyes, the colors all smearing together, blended into a nightmare just for her. She could stop it. Everything that was happening. It was all too much. She could feel the pain building up behind her eyes and in her chest.

Tyki stared at Luca. She wasn't answering him. He called her name again but she didn't budge. She watched the scene before her, the two boys hacking each other apart, with wide green eyes but they were hazy and unfocused. She wasn't seeing what was actually before her. Her chest heaved as she hyperventilated. He didn't know what to do. A thousand thoughts were running through his head at the moment. He didn't know how to get her to stop or if he could. Her knuckles were white and he worried she'd break her own hands at the rate she was going. He knew her emotions were like a roller coaster but he had no idea where they would go next. She had laughed, screamed, and cried. She'd never frozen in front of him before. Slowly she started to mumble something under her breath. He couldn't understand what she was saying or if it was even in English. Had she reverted back to her native tongue under all the stress? He had forgotten how many she had said she knew. Was it 2 or 3? He couldn't remember. He ran over to her. Her rambling picked up in speed though he still couldn't understand what it was she was saying.

"Butterfly? Butterfly?" He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her back and forth trying to rouse her. She wasn't answering him. She wasn't even blinking only muttering things under her breathe. It wasn't English. He knew that now but it wasn't a language he had ever heard before. "Butterfly!"

"Kanda!" Tyki looked around. Even Allen's voice wasn't jarring Luca from her manic state. "Just how long are you going to let them do this to you?!" He jumped when energy began to crackled between Luca's fingertips. _What the hell is that?_ he didn't get his answer as something, whether it was Allen or Luca, pulled them from Wisely's grasp.

Luca snapped awake as Allen's fist connected with the eye on Kanda's forehead destroying the ones on theirs. She looked down quickly quelling the magic that she had called to her in her state of panic. Just how much had Tyki seen? She hadn't gotten far enough to cast the spell but he may know what it was. She needed to know. Clutching her hands to her chest she glanced over to see Tyki grab Road and move away. He wasn't giving her a funny look. Maybe he didn't know what she had been about to do. Actually he wasn't looking at her at all. Studiously avoiding her gaze. _Why?_ She ignored the kid in the scarf who started crying about the pain in his head. She had more pressing problems. The pipes all around the room began to move again. Luca glared at the Earl who started talking.

"We're having a party today to celebrate your last day at the Order, remember? We're all here now, shall we start the entertainment?" Luca ran over to Allen as the piece of stone connected with his torso.

"Allen!" she winced as Alma began to scream again. He was trying to fight something, the dark matter or the memories perhaps? She didn't know nor did she have time to question it.

"Kill them." The light that was coming from the second exorcist burned. Luca looked down at her arm as the stars appeared and then the everything exploded.

* * *

"If you're a lover, you should know  
The lonely moments just get lonelier  
The longer you're in love  
Than if you were alone  
Memories turn into daydreams become a taboo"

\- House of Memories, Panic! At the Disco

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Omake

Allen, Luca, Kanda, Lenalee, and Lavi standing around plotting a daring escape.

Lavi: We need a distraction. I say Lenalee gets naked.

All: No.

Lavi: I could get naked.

All: NO!

* * *

 **Well we now have the memories out of the way. Next chapter will conclude the Alma Karma arc. Or is it called the Mystery of Kanda arc? I've heard both. Oh well. Either one works. Tell me what you thought of the arc so far. Luca's place in it all and where you think it's gonna go next. Please don't forget to answer my question about the broker. I need this information for the story. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and will tune in for the grand finale of the arc. As always please review! I love it so when you do! They're always my favorite emails to receive. Cheshire is out!**


	45. Sugar We're Goin' Down

**Welcome back to another chapter of Veil of Ink and Gold! It's time for the Alma Karma arc to come to a close! The final piece before the story spins wildly out of control into my own direction. I hope you guys are ready for it! Anyway this chapter took forever! Mostly because certain characters who will remain nameless, SHERIL, were not being very cooperative. Classes started yesterday and I'm going to do my best to post on time but if I'm late you will know why and, hopefully, not feel like I've abandoned you. Unfortunately real life costs money so I can't just sit in a cave and write all day. Okay lets be real, I would never be in a cave. I don't even like to go outside and right now it's freaking cold, at least here anyways. If it's not cold where you are then know that I am deeply jealous of you. Anyway I think I've babbled enough and now we can move onto the reviews!**

 **Dear SheuOgama, I'm sorry Sheu I didn't mean to confuse you. When Alma becomes an akuma he blows up the building which is why the fight happens outside. As for if Luca is okay or not, well you'll just have to read and find out for yourself. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, Yes things are quickly moving. Luca and I both agree with you about the Order. It's quickly becoming a hypocrite. Luca has known for a while but now she's scared and knows that it's coming far sooner than she had planned. Yes both Noah enjoyed spending time with their exorcists too bad neither of the exorcists enjoyed the experience. I don't think I'd call it an affair perhaps a tryst but I also just don't like the word affair, it leaves a bad taste on my tongue. I loved that you linked what Wisely's mechanical animal companion should be with mythology. I love mythology but you probably picked that up from Eternal Hunter. The Earl may not be happy for long. I can't wait for you to see what I have planned for Tricia. I wasn't sure about it at first but the more I work with her the more I absolutely adore Tricia. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, I have to agree with you. I was very disturbed that the Order who claims to be the good side would do that. It really ties in nicely to the title and one of the themes of the story in my opinion anyway. You can thank Yule for Tyki being in there with her. She really wanted Luca to see the memories so he fell in with her. Luca and the Earl have a...complicated and somewhat tangled relationship which will be explored more later on in the story. So I won't say anything about it here. Enjoy the story!**

 **Dear Zon Yokai Blade of the Spirits, Thank you. I felt that the memories and the reactions of both Luca and Allen were very private things along with the fact that had they all been together instead of separate groups Luca would have focused on Allen and not the memories. It wouldn't have been the same. Well Sheril has to whine somewhere. It's his thing. It's interesting that you thought of Hyde in that moment. Alma definitely needs a hug but now Luca kinda needs one too. The changes made have nothing to do with Yule. It's what Luca does. Lenalee filled her in on what happened while she and Allen were in China. She knows that Lavi isn't strong enough to destroy and level 3 so she, though she loves him, won't leave him to face a Noah. She doesn't want him to get hurt and doesn't think Chaoji will be any help. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Cam, Thanks for all your praise and thoughts on the broker. I'm happy I managed to surprise you with where I took the story. Alma and Kanda are just heartbreaking characters in general. Luca never trusted the Order but you're right she does hate them now. I took forever to read the Alma arc. It made me so sad that I kept stopping but always went back to find out what happened. I don't like to blush. Red isn't a good color on me but you and 15 keep insisting on it.**

 **Dear Bunny~chan, I'm glad it made you happy. I got some complaints about the chapter before that there wasn't a lot of Tyki Luca time so it's good to know that you guys are satisfied now. XD Tyki saw the magic, he felt the energy before she cast the spell but he doesn't understand what it was. He's not the most observant character ever, after all. I can promise you that the arc changes in this chapter. Thank you for your thoughts about the broker and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, I really just have to thank you. Not only did you answer my question but you put a good deal of thought into it and explained everything. One of the first things I knew about Luca when I was creating her was that she would be a morally gray character. I believe it allows her to swing back and forth between Tyki and her brother and friends. Also is that a Guardians of the Galaxy reference in there? I like your idea on the Order using it against her. It's definitely something I could see Lvellie doing or telling Allen about it which would greatly upset him. I think it was a mix of both and he unquestionably missed her. Him and Joyd. Sheril is not thrilled and it's going to get worse. Tyki trusts her and he's clingy. Plus Joyd stops whining when they get to hold her. I cannot tell you how much I love that quote and will undoubtedly be using it somewhere in my chapters. It's very beautiful and says a lot about how the world works. You are really too good at this. They do remind her of her and her brother and a lot of horrendous memories are coming back to light when she'd much rather they stay buried. Luca was worried but quickly forgot it when the building exploded. It gave her more pressing issues to deal with. You are however correct that she would have lashed out at Wisely. I'm very touched but your words. I don't think you can fathom how much my story being your favorite means to me. It is beyond exhilarating. It fills me with such pleasure ;D and I want you to know that I love your reviews. You take time to read it and think about what it means and how things are happening. Some of your theories are spot on and some of them are so close that I actually started sweating when I read them. Your reviews are well worth the wait and I read them several times. I hope the story continues to be your favorite even after we leave canon. Enjoy the chapter! I look froward to your next review!**

 **Dear WinterYule, Yes Darling I know you want to know about the volcano, it's in this chapter. Alma is having an unusual effect on Luca. Yeah Tyki isn't the most creative when it comes to his nicknames. Sigh not much we can do about that. Though your nickname for Tyki could use some work as well. I'm not sure Sheril's screeching is helping anyone. Never mind the boy who's head is so fragile. If she had access to a Komlin she totally would. She'd also bring popcorn to watch and laugh. Maybe bring the others with her to enjoy the show. You know while Link is tied up in Lvellie's office ;D Tyki should pray he never meets a lot of things that Luca talks about. Tyki has been trying to place her age for a while and she never gives him a straight answer. And age and maturity are a big difference so it doesn't really help him anyway. I think Bak likes Lenalee because she's sweet and pretty but mostly because she doesn't boss him around. Twi was very much in charge and I don't think he liked it. Just my thoughts though. Luca has been with Allen at his worst but also Cross as well. She's painfully aware that some mistakes have a high cost and that you will regret it later. Luca has long since built high and heavy walls around her heart to protect it. Luca doesn't really like kids in general. She likes Alma because as she's said she sees herself in him. He's also completely innocent. It's nice to see that they way they react to each other tells how much they've grown as a couple. Luca has learned the hard way to listen to her instincts. Luca is troubled by it as a human being never mind when you bring in her beliefs and such. She's given up on Tyki's nicknaming skills. She knows there's no use. It still makes her roll her eyes. I can only imagine that you've seen it too many times and it is always painful. Luca will definitely be having nightmares. It's even worse for her because she can't stop it. She cant stop the act because it happened in the past but she can't stop watching it either because she has no idea how to get out. I do agree with you that Tyki's thought about moving corpses was rather morbid and I can't exactly say where it came from. She was pondering it but Alma quickly distracts her. Bad things happening to Allen is her worst nightmare. I love the thought you put into your review. I agree that the arc has been a lot like a roller coaster and it has been hard on her and it's about to get worse. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, Good Evening beloved 15** **th** **! I agree. The second exorcists were one of the hardest things to read in the manga. It really drives home the point that in the end no side is completely good. Everything is a shade of gray. Even those who claim to be righteous. I love the Noah and all their craziness but I still side with Allen. However I draw a distinct line between Allen and the Order for this reason. You really need to stop with the praise. I'm blushing far too much. I'm glad I made you squeal with that little piece of information. I hope you enjoy the chapter and I look forward to your next review!**

* * *

"Were we born to fight and die?  
Sacrificed for one huge lie?  
Are we heroes keeping peace?  
Or are we weapons?  
Pointed at the enemy  
So someone else can claim a victory?"

— Time to Say Goodbye Casey Lee Williams

* * *

Joyd stirred from his slumber. Once again his host had pushed him into the dark part of their mind. Slowly he lifted his head a looked around through his host's eyes. The first thing he picked up was a smell. Wisely. He looked down. The younger memory was in his host's arms clutching his head. So the other had another headache. It was at this moment that he was pleased with the fact that not only he could fight but he didn't get those either. His nose twitched again. Butterfly's brother. He looked over to see the boy talking to an akuma? He wasn't sure. It felt like an akuma to him but looked different. Then another smell drifted to him. The smell after a storm mixed with something sweet. BUTTERFLY! He could smell her. She was here! He looked around for her. He missed her! They hadn't seen her since that nasty general had hidden her. He had blacked out and woken up in their new home without her. Worse yet they hadn't let him go get her despite him telling them that he wanted her. It had been a tease when Lustol had come back smelling of their Butterfly. She wasn't around yet it smelled as if she was. Then of course there had been the boxes that had smelled of her that showed up. She had been in Desires house at one point. They had just missed her. Together their eyes searched the rubble for their Butterfly. He could still smell her so she had to be here!

 _Fi...nd...Butt...er...fly_ , he growled at his host. He still hadn't forgiven the man for losing her again.

 _Hush. I'm working on it_ , Tyki shushed the memory as he searched for the girl. He doubted she was dead. He was beginning to wonder if anything could kill the girl. Lulu Bell had said that she had dropped a chandelier on the girl who hadn't even been fazed by it at all. Merely shrugged it off. He didn't smell her blood so that was a good thing. Unless she had been vaporized. He sniffed the air again. No, he could still smell her. She wasn't dead. Maybe trapped underneath something? There were large slabs of rock everywhere.

 _Find...Butter...fly. No...harm...Butterfly. Sa...ve...But...ter...fly. Butterfly...sa...fe...home_ , the memory pushed causing the man to roll his eyes.

 _Yes, yes, yes. Butterfly is the best way to force her brother to agree to abandoning the Order. Despite his best attempts at hiding it he loves her more than the Order. He'd leave for her. Especially if we play it off like she'll be hurt. We destroy her innocence and she's harmless to us and we can keep her so yes we'll be taking her home with us today. Are you happy now?_ the memory nodded at his host.

 _Buttefly...sa...fe...ho...me_ , he hummed content with the plan. Tyki couldn't believe he was agreeing with the memory but he was right. She would be safe in the ark. Nothing could hurt her, he'd make it clear to the other Noah that they weren't allowed to lay a hand on her. He looked up to see the Third arguing with the boy. Now they just needed Butterfly to pop up as he knew she would. It was only a matter of time. She always did.

* * *

Luca's ears rung. It was loud and high pitched. Her senses were muddled and tangled up. She struggled to push the huge slabs of rock off of her. She sat still, waiting for the world to come to a stop. She reached out for the others to make sure they were still alive. _I guess they have some use_ , she hummed upon seeing that the third, Toku-something she couldn't remember his name nor did she care enough to try, had thrown protection wings up in time to save the others. She ignored the fact that there hadn't been any around her. It wasn't important. She could feel Hunter, well what was left of Hunter, twisting and writhing in her veins. It began to purify the virus that was infecting her. As the virus was purged her head began to clear. She never liked the feeling of the virus despite the fact that Hunter cleared it quickly. She pushed herself to her feet.

"Struggle and suffer Fourteenth." Luca glared up at the Earl as she pushed herself to her feet. She could see Tyki holding Wisely who was clearly in pain which Luca took great sadistic glee in, Road was sitting on the Earl's shoulder, and Tyki's brother, who's name was also escaping her at the moment, was watching the chaos with a pleased smirk.

"Note to self, smash that köcsög (bastard)'s face in. For now I guess it's time to clean up yet another mess made by Central. Let's hope it doesn't get Allen or I killed." She sighed at the thought of her martyr of a brother. He worried her. A lot. She glanced from Kanda who was facing Alma already to Allen just in time to see the Third, who was still missing both his arms, knee Allen in the head. She rolled her eyes at the pair. Honestly those two, she leaned down to dust her boots off and frown at the scraps in the leather. "Ugh, am I really not allowed to have a decent pair of boots that are cute?"

"Allen?" Her brother jumped at the sound of Johnny's voice coming through the ear piece. Luca sighed as she heard it too.

"Johnny?! You're alive?!" Luca groaned and pressed her hand against the earring.

"Al would you quit yelling please?"

"Sorry Lu. I'm just glad to hear that you guys are alright."

"Yeah yeah I know. We've got other problems though. This is bigger than Alma and Kanda being artificial humans and exorcists. The Earl doesn't play small games like this." she started making her way over to them. "He wants something more. We have to be careful. The mind reader is down for the count at the moment, though how long that will last I don't know. I haven't figured out how quickly they heal yet. I have no idea when he'll be feeling better. We need to figure this out now." Her eyes snapped over as Alma transformed into an akuma. Green eyes blinked as she saw the akuma cells in the Third go crazy. _Huh, well would you look at that. It's almost as if trying to make half akuma soldiers was a bad idea_ , she sighed and banished the sarcastic thoughts. They would do her no good now. She just had to deal with what was happening.

"Tokusa!" Allen shouted watching the akuma cells take over.

"Allen! Don't get near him!" Luca rushed over her boots thundering against the rubble under her feet. She ignored everything as she rushed over to her brother who hit the column behind him hard enough to cause a crater in it.

"Save me Madarao!" Tokusa shouted as the akuma cells warped his body.

"There's no use calling out to him. He's in no better state then you are. You'll all be killed by the exorcists." The Earl's tone was far too cheery.

"What?" Allen demanded. Luca kept quiet. She knew that what the Earl said was probably true. The only other way that might work was to use the Sword of Exorcism but it hadn't even worked the last time. _Could Crown Clown be rebelling against Allen for not wanted to kill the Noah? Even now I can feel Hunter's blood lust. She longs for their blood. This war, how many lives had it claimed? Actually I don't want to know. It won't claim Allen. No matter what!_ Crown Clown invoked and attacked Tokusa cutting off her thoughts. Her eyes widened. From the look on Allen's face said that he hadn't done it which meant the innocence had done on it's own.

"No! Stop! Stop it Crown Clown!" Allen struggled to hold his arm back. Luca leapt, kicking Tokusa away before whirled around on Allen yanking his claws away from his throat.

"Get a hold of yourself." Allen glared at her.

"I won't let it kill Tokusa. I'd rather di-"

CRACK! Allen blinked and rubbed his cheek. The shock caused Crown Clown to deactivate. He flinched at the cold hard look in her eye. She wasn't angry no she was livid. It was the first time he had ever seen her that angry with him. Most of the time it was because of something somebody else did that had threatened him. He could see Hyde nearing the surface. The iciness was creeping into her eyes. She was pushing Hyde away.

The Earl watched impassively, gold eyes behind spectacles trained on the Hungarian. Like master like protege. Just as with General Cross he had no idea what was going on in her head. Nothing she did made any sense. He knew that Cross Marian had been in leagues with the Fourteenth but would he really have dragged his daughter in too? What a terrible things to do. Not much of a father.

 _But didn't he say he shouldn't be a father? That he was bad with children?_ The voice was back. He shoved it away. No! Now was not the time! HE was gone and he wasn't coming back. The Earl wouldn't allow it. No! Never! Never again, still there was something about the look in her eye that was familiar. He couldn't place where he had seen it before. She reminded him of another meddling woman, an old friend of Neah's and yet, the expression she wore more resembled the Fourteenth himself. He clenched his fists. He missed his dear Fourteenth. His brother. His other half.

 _I won't let you have Mana_ , the voice rang in his head and he struggled to push it away. It was no good. The image was in his head, painstakingly engraved in his mind's eye. His own image staring back at him. A mirror. He hated mirrors. But with a smirk gold eyes bleed green. Thin spider web cracks spread, splintering the mirror because in the end that's all it was. A shattered mirror showing him the past that couldn't be changed and distracting him from the future. The future was all that mattered. His future was with his family, whole once more. Nothing would stop him. Neah would be by his side once more. He glared down at the girl, no the woman who was trespassing just as the last one had been, arguing with his brother. Of all the forms that his brother could've taken, he had taken the form of an enemy; an enemy that he had created with his own act, one single stupid act. But no matter, Neah was _**finally**_ back. In the end, that was all that really mattered. Metallic green met gold. The exorcist regarded him coolly as if she was watching an animal. Not a wild rabid animal just a mildly interesting animal. Again he couldn't even begin to decipher her actions, thoughts, or feelings. He knew what she must be feeling something. He was trying to take her brother away, even though he was actually HIS brother she didn't know that, and she was protective yet she did none of the things he expected. No threats, attacks, or growling. She had always come off a bit savage. Like Cross had never fully reached her mind. He began to wonder if anything could. Closed off was not a term he would normally pick for her, but it was the first one that came to him when he looked her in the eye. Closed off and dangerous. It wasn't her abilities with her innocence though that was quickly growing to be a problem too, no it was her mind. The secrets it held and the way it twisted this way and that. It was dark and would go to any lengths to obtain what she wanted. To his rage her lips began to move. Curling up into a smirk. She was mocking him! How dare she mock him-and yet he felt fondness creep into his chest. Why? He hardly knew her! Did he even know her at all? NO! Then why did he feel like this? The smirk, it was a reoccurring pain. It used to make him smile but now it only brought pain. Why? Why? Why?! Why did she smile like she was better than him? Like she knew something he didn't? Why did she smile like his brother? She wasn't old enough to know his brother. His precious Fourteenth.

He watched the Walker siblings solemnly. Something about the way they interacted with each other was familiar. Maybe it was just that they were siblings who cared about each other but no that wasn't right. He watched them bicker. Memories flashed in his mind. The Campbell twins. They were arguing. He couldn't hear what it was about. Neah was mad at Mana for something. Their voices garbled together. The past, present, and future blurred together. Luca was clearly angry with her brother. He never thought that he would be grateful to her but he was when she stopped Allen from trying to take his own life. It had been a bold move that he hadn't seen coming from the boy. The feeling was quickly extinguished by the girl's next action. He watched as she severed the third's arm forcing it to drop Allen.

"I see. You, Luca Walker, are cold enough that you're willing to kill your own comrades to defend your brother." She turned to face him as he spoke to her. Allen looked at her in horror.

The exorcist glared at him disdainfully, "Akuma are not my comrades." He chuckled at the response.

"How cold blooded you have become."

"Luca! You can't kill Tokusa! He's our-"

"Shut up." Allen stopped at the frigid tone. The Earl needed to salvage his plot before the girl destroyed yet another plan. He wasn't sure if he even could remove her claws from Tyki. Sheril had been unsuccessful in finding another woman to capture his attention. The revelation that she was Butterfly did not bode well for them considering the way that Joyd had been demanding her presence upon his awakening.

"Come with us, Fourteenth. If you agree to come home with us I'll put a stop to this show. Abandon the Order and I'll end this heartbreaking slaying. The dark matter in the akuma's core comes from my soul."

"You have a soul?" The Earl shot the girl a glare for interrupting his explanation and ruining the mood of it. She glared back. Allen gave her a look.

"Luca," he sighed.

"What? It's a legitimate question." The Hungarian merely grinned at the disapproving look her brother was giving her.

"If you wish," The Earl started again, "I will remove the dark matter from Alma and the third exorcists."

Luca glanced over as Alma began to speak in response to the Earl, " I don't care about dark matter. Even if I'm returned to my natural form. It will not quell my hate. Yu Kanda must die!" Luca's head snapped over as Tokusa consumed by Alma's hate mistook Bak for his father and attacked. Luca attacked kicking the akuma away. Allen rushed over to her.

"I hate them. I hate them all!" Tokusa lunged for Allen.

"Move!" The large hand knocked Luca away. She flew into the rubble shattering the large slab of what was left of the wall.

"Luca!" Allen looked for his sister before turning to the older teen. "TOKUSA!" Allen's cry of pain had Luca up on her feet again and rushing forward intent on killing the third regardless of the side he chose.

"Come home now, Allen." The Earl offered.

"Menj a pokolba (Go to hell), Earl!" Allen was distracted by Luca once again.

"What did she just say?" Sheril asked looking over at Tyki who was crouched down next to Wisely who was awake again.

The younger man shrugged, "Dunno. She doesn't offer translations when she curses at people." Sheril groaned.

"Tyki please speak properly."

"Why do you want Allen so badly? So what if Allen is the Fourteenth Noah? Isn't he the enemy you tried to kill you?!" Johnny demanded drawing everybody's attention.

"Why?" The Earl repeated as if he didn't fully understand the question.

"Yeah I think I'd like to know that too." Luca added in.

"To be by his side. I desire to be by the fourteenth's side." They all froze staring at the Earl. Had the situation not been so dire Luca would've laughed at the looks the Noah were sporting. Tyki always made the best faces in her opinion, but the slack jawed look that his brother was sporting was pretty good too. Luca kicked the third again.

"Guardian deity within the spirit stone by my blood I command you! God Seal Summon!" The magic separated Allen from Tokusa. The former now in a bubble with Fo. Luca grinned. She missed the angry little guardian.

"Bak you're a genius! Remind me later and I'll kiss you!" The Chinese man turned bright red.

"Luca! Now is not the time!" She shot him a cheeky grin. Tyki and Joyd growled in sync. The Chinese man needed to die.

"What kind of chaos did you summon me into Bak?"

"Fo?" Allen asked surprised by the girl's sudden appearance. Luca leapt up towards them. Her eyes widened as Allen spoke. The Earl was getting to him. She could hear it in his voice. Groaning she rolled her eyes.

"You can't really be thinking of accepting the Earl's deal, can you?"

"Nine years ago. I saw Kanda and Alma's past nine years ago. I want to heal Alma's spirit but because of his hate for the Order Alma became an akuma. Now it's impossible to save him."

"Note to self: get rid of Allen's martyr complex. It's gonna get us killed!" Her eyes widened and she leapt.

"Look out!" Tyki's clawed hand tore into Fo's back sending her hurtling towards the ground.

"Fo!" The Walker siblings shouted and then glared at the man.

"It seems you've made your choice, Boy. You mustn't keep the Earl waiting." Allen's lips pulled back into a snarl as Tyki offered his hand.

"You fool!" Fo's voice drew their attention. "Saving somebody isn't as easy as that! All of us have hopes and dreams. Everyone has things they cherish. Something they want to protect. Helping someone isn't that easy! So don't give up so quickly!" Allen glanced over at her only for his eyes to dart up as something landed on the top of the bubble.

"Jeez Al," Luca's relaxed voice drawled, it was strange to him yet as always she managed to calm his mind despite it's best attempt to spin wildly out of control concocting all sorts of ways everything could go wrong, "I thought you were suppose to be the optimist and I was the realist. You know I can't manage that kind of hope for the world." She rubbed the back of her head mussing up her ponytail.

"You're not helping Butterfly." Tyki sighed yet still giving the girl a smile. "And you," he turned his gaze to Fo, "shut up." He fired a blast of dark matter at the small girl.

"Fo!" Luca, Bak, and Allen's voices melded together filled with concern for the girl's safety. The bubble popped as Allen defend Fo from the blast with his sword. Luca smirked as she landed on her feet on the ground.

"Can I really help? Can I do it?" Allen's voice was quiet almost as if he was afraid to ask.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Fo's response sent Luca into hysterics. Allen made a face at her but she merely grinned at him.

"Go save our friend's ass. I'll deal with him," she jerked her head in Tyki's direction, "and Fo will keep the third," she had forgotten his name again, "from harming the civilians even if several of them deserve it." the last part was muttered under her breath.

"Will you be okay?" He asked worriedly. Momentarily his eyes darted to the scar peeking out of the open collar of her jacket.

"Sure! It will be fun! I haven't had a challenge in a while."

"That's it." He glared at her. "I'm buying you a dictionary for Christmas because that's not what fun means." She laughed causing him to sigh, "Unfortunately knowing you, you'll just throw it at somebody." she nodded with a smile on her face.

"Just get going already." Allen nodded turning to run towards Kanda and Alma who were still fighting then he turned back to her.

"Lu, where's your innocence?" She paused looking around for a moment.

"Probably in China where I left it."

"Why? You know what? I don't want to know. If you got rid of all those rubber ducks you were keeping in there than I can open a gate for you to get it. What were you even doing with all of those anyway?" Every Noah froze as soon as the words left his lips. Luca smirked at him easily ignoring the question completely.

"Nah. I got it. She'll just fly over." The girl snapped her fingers. "Go help Kanda or do I have to keep saying it?" Allen made a face at her and ran off. She dusted her boots off grumbling about the dirt and scraps on the leather.

"Rubber ducks?" She looked up at Tyki as he spoke.

"Oh yeah. You're still here."

"I'm hurt that you forgot, Butterfly. That's so cold of you. And here I've been missing you." She rolled her eyes.

"Aww," she coos, "that makes me feel oh so special."

"Do you really not have your innocence with you?" He almost didn't believe it. She was always hiding it on him. It seemed too careless even for her. To just leave it lying around where it could be grabbed by Noah or akuma. He knew for a fact that Feedler was in China. Sheril had asked him to pick up something while he was there. Perhaps he won't have to destroy it at all. She shrugged and made a non-committal noise. He raised an eyebrow but she just smiled up at him sweetly. _She's up to something. It's obvious. Oh well. I won't know until she shows her hand. Better ask about the ducks again. Sheril looks like he's about to explode_ , he sighed. "Why did your brother mention rubber ducks? It's an odd item for you to have. Especially in the ark of all places." Luca gave him a look.

"Come now My Love are you really saying that you haven't connected the dots yet. What would I do with an ungodly amount of rubber ducks? Hmmm?"

"It was you!" Sheril screech rang across the battlefield. Luca blinked at him a couple times and touched her ear before bringing her hand back to inspect for blood.

"Duh! I have to admit though, that meltdown was far better than anything I could ever ask for. I laughed all morning. I've never seen anyone do anything close to that. Seriously My Love you never told me that he'd be a riot." Tyki sighed but she kept going. "Though I don't think being that high strung is good for your blood pressure." she mused examining her nails disinterestedly.

"Who are you calling high strung?!" The elder Portuguese man demanded angrily causing his brother to sigh again. Honestly this girl could get under anyone's skin. Sheril was doing exactly what she wanted.

"You obviously. The vein in your forehead's the size of Mt. Vesuvius. Looks like it's about to erupt too. Run little Pompeiians." Tyki groaned and slapped a hand over his face. She was pushing his brother's buttons on purpose.

"Huh. She's right it does look like a mountain." Road noted from her place on the Earl's shoulder.

"Volcano, Dear." Luca corrected airily.

"Road! How could you?" Sheril cried.

"She's right." Wisely added on.

"Wisely!"

"Okay that's enough." Tyki lunged at Luca causing her to roll to the side. She dodged another swing of his fist and then another one. "Is that all you're going to do?" he questioned. "Oh wait. You can't do anything without your innocence. I guess you should have thought of that before you came here unarmed. Fatal move Butterfly." Her eyes narrowed dangerously as he swung his leg at her.

Luca caught Tyki's ankle, a large grin slowly spread itself across her face, "You didn't see that coming?" She whirled around and flung him into the wall. She dusted her hands off. "Haven't you learned anything from our previous encounters? Get down off your high horse before I take it out from under you."

"That hurt Butterfly." She smirked at him.

"This will hurt a lot more." With ease she stepped on the air climbing up as if there was an invisible staircase under her boots.

"That's my ability." He said with wide eyes and she easily strode across the empty air until she stood across from him on even ground.

"Did you really think I'd come to the battlefield without any new tricks? I have no doubt that you're ready for all my old ones. I have to keep things interesting don't I?"

"You little thief." he smirked at her. "Now that's just mean."

"But that's just me."

"That's rough."

"Puh-lease. We both know you like it rough." He grinned at her and attacked.

* * *

He was being punished. That was the only explanation for this. That had to be it. That was why she was here. What her purpose was. He was being punished for aligning with the Earl. The false god was punishing him for it. For worshiping the real god. This exorcist existed to punish him. Sheril watched the pair as they darted across the sky exchanging blows and taunts that were quickly becoming more and more flirtatious. Which he was NOT okay with. His fists shook as his eyes watched the exorcist land another blow on Tyki. He couldn't figure it out. How was she able to touch Tyki? Even he couldn't do it if Tyki didn't want him too so why could she? Her foot connected with Tyki's stomach and sent him flying. Who the hell was she? The Earl had mentioned that Lulu Bell had lost to the girl in the ark and that she had run into Tyki more than once and gotten away each time. Other than that he knew nothing of her. His mind drifted back to when the Earl had returned to the new ark with Tyki or rather it had been Joyd at the moment. He had been looking for a butterfly and Tyki had called this girl Butterfly. Was she what the memory had been looking for? No. That was preposterous! Utterly ridiculous. There's no way Joyd would be interested in a silly little exorcist. Tyki just didn't want to give up his vagabond ways. That was his reason for not settling down. Yeah. Had nothing to do with this. Tyki hated to dance yet here he was easily dancing around with this exorcist. Smiling even, and not his fake smile that he used when Sheril forced him too but a genuine smile on his face. He was enjoying their dance. How? Why? What was so special about this exorcist? How had she escaped him nine times? What had she done to his brother? Who was this little witch? He needed to get rid of her. If Tyki didn't kill her than he would. He could already picture the twisted knots he would make with her body.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He turned his gaze to Wisely who was standing on the other side of the Earl. The Earl himself was watching the exorcists who were battling each other.

"Do what?"

"Kill her."

"Don't read my thoughts."

Wisely burst out laughing, "Oh I don't need the ability to read minds to know what you were thinking. It's all over your face. You don't like the way they are acting right now. You see the difference and you don't like it. He's more open and playful with her than any of us. He's happier with her. He doesn't react like that with anyone else. You can't even hug him and yet," his eyes moved to the pair who crashed into the ground, "she can be all over him and not a protest passes through his lips."

"Stop talking."

"I'm just warning you. He won't want you butting into his fight. No matter what happens or how you feel. He'll be angry if you do. She belongs to him. It's all over her. Though I think he belongs to her too. Not that he seems to mind." he kicked the girl off but both could tell he hadn't used his full strength.

"He's going to kill her."

"No he's not. They're just playing. This is as harmful and Road and I playing tag."

"She tried to take his head off!"

"If she had been actually trying he'd be far more injured. She's dangerous. But she likes the game they're playing so she's not actually gonna hurt him."

"It's not a game. He should be killing her with no problem. You make it sound like she's not fighting at full power."

"She's not."

"What do you mean by that?!"

"Her innocence isn't even here. How could she be fighting him seriously without it?"

"But that's impossible! Tyki can't be touched unless he wants it to or it's innocence. Why would he willing take her hits? Why not tire her out and then attack if he really feels like playing games?"

"I'm not sure. I think she's hiding something. She said her innocence is in China. I have absolutely no idea how she thinks it's going to get here but I don't sense it not the way I feel his," he nodded his head in the direction of Allen Walker, "but it's almost like she's got some lingering around her. Either way she has somehow managed to touch Joyd despite his abilities." Wisely inspected the girl closer. She seemed familiar in a way but he couldn't be completely sure.

"Well look into her mind and tell me what it is!" Wisely shook his head at the demand.

"No way in hell. I'm not going in there again."

"Again?"

"I took a look earlier, remember?" Sheril shook his head in confusion. "The song that played and then she was singing and you wanted everyone to get back on topic?"

"Oh yes I had almost wiped that from my brain. Thank you for reminding me. I really needed that back."

"You asked." Wisely didn't appreciate the sarcasm. The exorcist gave enough for the rest of them combined.

"So why won't you look again? You could give Tyki the upper hand!"

"Okay first he doesn't want the upper hand. Outside help breaks the rules of their game, and second of all it makes me dizzy."

"Spying in her mind makes you dizzy?" Wisely regarded the girl for a moment before blanching, turning far paler than Sheril had ever seen him or any healthy person.

"Yes. Dizzy and nauseous. It's a mess in there. I'm not even sure if she knows what's going on or how she's feeling. It's complete and utter chaos. The thing is. I think she likes it. You know how the saying goes, "not all those who wander are lost" and this girl fits and so does her mind."

"So basically you can't tell me anything about her or what she's plotting or how she's doing what she's doing?"

"I won't. Let's put it that way. Joyd isn't worried about her so you shouldn't either."

"Why did you call it a game?" Wisely raised an eyebrow at the question.

"Because that's what they call it. As it stand she's in the lead. She's won more than he has. Even then he doesn't count his wins. In his eyes she's won them all."

"Wisely," the tone struck the boy oddly. He had never heard it used by the man.

"Yes?"

"How long have they been playing this so called "game"?"

"Early November. I don't have an exact date for you there."

"Over a year?" Sheril's voice was barely above a whisper. It was almost as if he didn't believe him. That he was somehow lying. As if he would gain from that somehow.

"Well it's December so yes it has been over a year."

"She's been tainting him for over a year."

"What?" Now Wisely was concerned. The man standing next to him scared him. His mind was twisted like a spider's web filled with misdirections and such. He wasn't sure he wanted to imagine what the man was planning to do to the girl. All that he did know was that Joyd wouldn't take kindly to the harm the older would inflict upon her.

"She needs to die."

"Don't do anything you'll regret later."

* * *

Luca grunted as Tyki kicked her away. She crashed into the ground hard, knocking up a large cloud of dirt and dust as she went. Allen turned to look at her as she had landed several meters away from him. She merely smiled at him as she got to her feet and dusted herself off. The whole fight was taking such a toll on her boots. The Noah grinned down at her. She smirked upon seeing something flying towards them at top speed. _20 minutes. That's not bad. Hunter's speed has improved_ , she noted.

"What are you smirking about Butterfly?" She didn't answer Tyki's question. He raised an eyebrow. Was she even looking at him? Something shattered above his head.

"The barrier around the branch?!" He whirled around at the surprise in the Earl's voice but it was too late. Something painfully solid crashed into him and straight into the ground. He pushed himself up with a pained groan. His eyes widened as he saw the behemoth standing behind the exorcist.

"What the hell is that?!" Sheril's ungodly shriek pierced his ears.

"This is Eternal Hunter." The girl grinned at them. "My innocence." The dragon towered over them with ease.

"Finished our lizard book did we?" Allen seemed almost resigned to his sister's crazy creations.

"Yep!" the girl popped the P, far too pleased with herself. The innocence leaned it's head, the size of the girl's torso, down to greet it's mistress. Lovingly Luca returned the gesture, their foreheads resting against each other. Their eyes shone with bright green light for a moment before she burst into laughter.

"What did you do?" She pouted at her brother as she continued to pet the giant lizard.

"Who says I did anything? Can't I just be happy?"

"What happened to Chaoji?"

"Why would you assume something happened to him?" He raised an eyebrow silently questioning if she was really trying this causing her to turn away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh really?"

"Last time I saw him a Noah was sitting on him. Yeah, he'll be missed that strong little bastard. I miss him already." Allen groaned. He knew he wasn't going to get an answer, well not one that told him what actually happened to the elder exorcist. Shaking his head he ran back to stop Kanda from stabbing Alma once again.

"So tell me Butterfly how did you go from that liquid metal of yours to that thing?" She grinned at the Noah.

"Come now My Love you should know by now that my Shadow ability is only restricted by my imagination and ability to understand how it works. This dragon is a construct of my imagination fueled by my understanding of lizard muscle anatomy. The hardest part was figuring out how to attach the wings to it in a way that would allow her to fly." the dragon nudged her for affection to which she stroked it's snout in return.

"I guess it's always been at least somewhat sentient." he sighed. He wasn't liking the look the dragon seemed to be giving him. To his surprise Luca's eyebrows furrowed and she looked confused.

"What do you mean? When did she show you that?" He blinked in surprise.

"You mean you don't know what happened in Italy?"

"No. I was unconscious."

"Yet you knew it was sentient."

"It's a long story that starts almost 10 years ago. Hunter's always been somewhat sentient."

"That's another question, I thought it was called Harlequin."

"Harlequin is the name of Hunter's first form. The one it's in now."

"Then why did you call it Harlequin? I never heard you use Hunter. "she laughed nervously. She had no idea how he would respond to this next part.

"I was repressing Hunter's true power." He blinked at her once. Twice. Thrice.

"You were what?!"

"I was repressing Hunter's true power." He growled at her.

"So all this time that you've been throwing me into buildings and nearly taking my head off and you weren't even actually trying?!"

"Oh I was trying just not at full strength." she shrugged off his fuming expression.

"Walker! Stop fraternizing with the enemy! Do your job and kill them!" Lvellie demanded glaring at the young woman who returned the look.

"Basszon agyon a kénköves istennyila (Get fucked to death by lightning with sulfuric stones)!"

"Pay attention!" Tyki demanded causing Luca to spring backwards out of his way, landing on her hands and then her feet again.

"That wasn't very nice My Love."

"Neither was holding back."

She smirked at him mockingly, "Not so fun when the shoe is on the other foot now is it?" He glared back. She was entirely too pleased with the situation. "Fire!" The dragon responded to the girl gesture and spewed green fire at man. Luca walked forward through the dust that had been kicked up, no doubt, when the man escaped via dropping through the ground. "Come now, don't tell me you've sunk to playing hide and seek." The dragon growled causing her to turn around just in time to see her innocence send the man flying with a smack of her tail. "Yeah I wouldn't try to destroy her. As you can see she doesn't take kindly to it." He glared up at her. Not only was her giant lizard smacking him around like a rag doll but he had even landed at her feet. She crouched down to his level. "How's that for not fighting me seriously? Do you regret it now?" He glared up at her.

"Are you going to be like this the whole time?" They both stood up.

"Yeah I might be. I'm having fun."

"I'm not."

"I know."

"Minx."

"Cretin."

"I miss your old innocence. It was much easier to handle then this." he gestured at the dragon who was still nuzzling it's mistress.

"Fine. If it will make you feel better." the dragon melted, the dark red liquid curling up into her hand forming a large scythe while the rest flowed back into her stigmata.

"Where did the rest of it go?" he asked suspiciously causing her to smile.

"What you don't trust me?"

"I've gotten enough bruises to know that you never do what you appear to be doing.

She laughed, "I'm playing fairly. The only thing you need to worry about is the scythe." He didn't believe her one bit. Instead his head swiveled around looking for where she could be hiding it. _She's hiding something. She has to be. It's never that easy_ , he thought.

"Tyki! Move!" Sheril's yell jarred him out of his thoughts just in time to duck and fall out of the way of the blade.

"Pay attention My Love. Don't go wandering off in your head or you'll lose it." she teased.

"You really seem to like tearing heads off."

"There's something satisfying about it." He rolled back onto his feet coating his arms in dark matter. He grunted as the scythe blade connected with his forearm forcing him to brace it with his other hand. Damn she was strong. "That's new." she noted examining the dark matter. Swinging the scythe away, creating a huge dust cloud hiding them from prying eyes, she grabbed his arm to prod the dark matter.

"Butterfly! No!" Instantaneously the stars began to climb from her fingers, up her hands and arms. The panic sent in immediately as he flashed back to the bamboo forest. He had no way to separate the virus from her. He couldn't save her. She was doing to die for real this time.

"Hush." she chided as she continued to poke it oblivious to the stars spreading across her skin.

"Hush?!" he tried to wrench his arm away from her desperate to hide the fear.

"Would you relax already? It can't hurt me."

"Relax?! It's doing it right now!"

"No it's not."

"Yes it is!"

"No it's not. Here I'll even show you." she held out her arm allowing him to see the stars glow purple and then green before vanishing. He blinked a couple times, dismissing the dark matter he twisted her arm this way and that looking for any sign of the virus and it's telltale stars.

"What's this?" he asked looking at the mark on the inside of her wrist.

"Hunter resides in my heart. When it pumps blood though it infuses the blood with innocence particles allowing me to shape it into whatever weapon or object as I please. It exits my body via these marks." Tyki frowned at that information while Joyd screeched in rage in his head. Innocence had tainted their mate permanently. It couldn't be removed from her. That made it significantly harder to take her with them. Destroying her innocence would most likely result in crushing her heart and killing her. She looked up at him in surprise. "Wait, you were actually rattled there." He blinked and flung her out of the cloud by her collar. He huffed and sought to steady his erratic heartbeat. _That little monster! She nearly gave me a heart attack just because she's insatiably curious and has to poke everything! I swear,_ he groaned, _calm down Joyd_. _She's fine. Being a brat but fin_ e, the memory nodded.

 _Get...Butt...erfly_ , Tyki grumbled at the memory but did as he was told. Rushing out of the dust storm which was starting to settle down.

"Are you alright Tyki?" He nodded at his brother and ducked a swing of the scythe and blocked the second one with dark matter. The shock wave sent both skidding away. Luca used the blade to slow herself down.

"I'll admit that I didn't miss that ability." She huffed, a pout on her lips.

"Sorry to disappoint you Butterfly."

"Oh, My Love you never disappoint me, I just don't like that ability. It's a pain."

"I thought you liked pain."

"Just because I like having my hair pulled doesn't mean that I like being shot with dark matter. It's horrible on my skin." He laughed at her response or perhaps it was the look of utter horror at the scandalous conversation on Sheril's face.

"You don't seem to mind inflicting bruises on me." He grumbled.

"Black and blue are good colors on you." She mocked.

"Only in your opinion." He swiped at her head watching as she rolled away. She kicked his feet out from under him. He jumped up.

"Does anybody else's matter?" Tyki stopped at her question.

"No I suppose not." Sheril gasped in outrage causing Luca to laugh. It was a nice sound.

"Don't take your eyes off me My Love!" Her foot connected with his stomach sending him flying back. He just barely ducked out of the way as her scythe sliced into the rock wall behind him. It fell apart as she yanked the blade free.

"You really just wanna take my head off, don't you?" She grinned at him.

"Does that mean I shouldn't invoke my second release?" he glared.

"I thought I told you to stop holding back."

"Why should I? You are too." He gave her a pointed look. "Fine. If you insist."

"Don't coddle me."

"Release Harbinger!" The blade of her scythe glowed green before the light dimmed. Though it could still be seen faintly. "Careful My Love," she slid into a battle stance, "you may regret this. I won't go easy on you."

"Walker! I told you to dispose of them!" Lvellie's shout drew Luca's attention away.

"Shove it!" She choked as Tyki appeared behind her yanking her scythe up trapping her between it and him. She struggled violently as he easily pulled her feet up off the ground. She could see the black dots creeping into vision blurring the colors together along with the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

"Luca!" she vaguely registered somebody, or was it more than one person? She wasn't, couldn't be sure, calling her name. Her heart thundered in her chest trying to supply her brain with the oxygen that it was desperate for. Slowly her body stopped responding to her commands as her eyelids drooped.

"Luca! Breathe!" She gasped loudly, filling her lungs with the much needed oxygen. The pressure was gone. She raised her hand, it was wrapped in bandages under her glove so it was her left, and wiped the tears away. "Luca! You need to get up! Luca!" She sat on the ground, her vision was still blurry but Fo, she could tell it was Fo now, was telling her to get up.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear you." Using the scythe she stood. She still couldn't see. "I've got this Fo." The little guardian smiled at the exorcist as she kicked the Noah away.

"Alright I'll leave him to you then."

"Fo?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for saving my ass again."

"Ppffh. Don't mention it." Luca smiled at the girl who lunged at the third again.

"Luca! Are you alright?" Reever and Bak's voices blended together. She waved them off. Her throat hurt. It was gonna hurt for a while. She readjusted her grip on the scythe.

"Reap, Nightmare's Mark!" Whirling around swung the blade allowing the pure energy to arc through the air. She still couldn't distinguish the shapes from each other but auras never lied. She heard cursing as she blinked until her vision cleared. _That was close. He almost had me there_ , she huffed silently. "That wasn't very nice My Love. That hurt." She could see a slice diagonally across his chest, it was shallow but she could still see that it had caused him pain.

"I hate that ability. It always hurts." he hissed.

"Yeah well it was supposed to." She swung the blade against releasing another wave.

"How much of that do you have stored?"

"More than you can dodge." She smirked.

"I don't think I like the sound of that." She deflected the shots of dark matter and lunged swinging the glowing blade.

"That's probably a safe thought." The blade dug into the ground as he leapt back. Swung around she kicked him away. A loud explosion drew her attention to behind her.

"Don't look away." She grunted as he planted his foot into her stomach. She slid back along the ground. She climbed back up to her feet.

"Jeez! What the hell are those two doing?!" She turned to see that Allen and Kanda were fighting each other. "That's not really what I had in mind when I told him to help. Seriously can they work together for just once in their life?"

"What did I just say Butterfly?" She grinned at him and sprung back away.

"Don't be jealous My Love," she cooed, "you know I love you." He pouted at her.

"Can't say that I feel very loved at the moment. That really hurt." Her grin widened.

"Walker! How many times do I have to say it?! Kill them!" Luca glowered at Lvellie.

"Stop telling me what to do!"

"Then do your job!"

"If you're so good at it then you come fight them!"

"That's not my job! That's your job! Now stop fraternizing with the enemy!" She glared at the man. Stabbing her scythe into the ground she stalked up to Tyki who raised an eyebrow. He had no idea what she was going to do. Grabbing the front of his uniform she yanked him down to her level and kissed him. Grinning against her lips he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer ignoring Sheril's imitation of what a banshee probably sounded like. Luca let go of his uniform to wrap her arms around his neck, fingers threading into his hair. Finally, much to his disappointment and secretly hers, she pulled away.

"Now you're just teasing me."

"Isn't that what we always do?"

"You do it more than I do." A loud explosion sounded from behind them and the shock wave sent them both tumbling.

"Gods above why does it always turn out like this?" pushing herself up off Tyki she grabbed her scythe and ran over towards the boys. She just barely rolled out of the way of the dark matter blast. "That wasn't nice." she protested whirling around. Tyki grabbed her wrist.

"Don't run away from me after doing that. Talk about leading me on."

"Release me."

"In due time. Your brother is fine. You should be more worried about me." He tightened until she dropped her scythe, her nerves spasming under the pressure. Spinning her around he twisted her arm behind her back. She struggled in his grasp. "Careful Butterfly, you'll break your arm like that." He wrapped his other arm around her shoulders pulling her back before she did any damage to herself. He wasn't choking her but she couldn't get free.

"Luca!" Her eyes darted over to where the guardian deity was pushing the akuma back.

"I'm fine Fo!" Pouting for a second she sunk her teeth into his arm. He released her with a yelp and another shriek of horror from Sheril.

"Ouch! Did you just bite me?!" Tyki demanded looking down at the bleeding wound. Luca staggered a couple steps forward. She turned to face him, blood dripping from her lips.

"Well everyone else keeps biting me I figured it was about time I bit somebody." She licked the blood away.

"Is that what happened to your left hand?" he questioned.

"Yep. Last mission. A cult leader believed that their gods had been angry with them and that they needed to make sacrifice to appease it. Apparently the "vision" sent by the gods was me so they tried to throw me into a volcano. When I protested he bit me trying to slow me down. I don't think it's infected." She mumbled the last part though he still heard it. Joyd was shrieking and howling in rage. Tyki pushed him back, promising that when they got home the wound would be thoroughly sanitized and treated by a doctor.

"What happened to him?"

"He fell in the volcano himself."

"Oh really? He fell?" he raised an eyebrow at her. He didn't believe her. The incident with broker came to his mind.

"Yep. He fell." She was lying. He knew it.

"Wait why did you say you don't _**think**_ it's infected? Don't you have a medical staff in your Order." She chuckled nervously here rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"We do. I may not have checked in though." Tyki facepalmed at that.

"Then what is the point of them being there?" She mumbled something he didn't catch. "What was that, Butterfly? I couldn't hear you." She did it again and he rolled his eyes. "Speak clearly." Oh God he was turning into Sheril.

"I said she's scary! Happy?" The Hungarian was pouting now.

"You're afraid of your nurse?"

"Yes. She's terrifying."

"So you're not afraid of me but you are afraid of her?" She nodded. He groaned. "Ouch. That hurt my ego."

"In my defense everybody else is scare of her too." Tyki shook his head. A cry of pain from Allen had Luca running again. All jokes gone from her mind. Her scythe melted away. Kanda lunged at Allen. "Shadow Stitches!" Kanda fought violently against the threads holding him back.

"Let go of me Luca!"

"Calm down Kanda! Stop fighting Allen!" She yelled back rushing over.

"Then you two stay the hell out of my fight."

"You aren't thinking clearly!"

"Get the hell off me Luca!"

"Damn it Kanda! Use your fucking brain for a moment!"

"Luca! Move!" The blast of dark matter sent her sprawling. Whirling around she glared balefully at the Portuguese Noah.

"What happened to all that faith you had in the ark?" Tyki watched her get up. He could see the shadows creeping in behind her eyes. She was close to losing her temper. "If he can handle himself against me that Mr. Kitchen Knife should be no problem." Slowly the innocence unwound from Kanda and slithered over to her reforming the scythe though the blade was rounder this time, arcing like a crescent moon.

"If you won't stay out of my way then I'll put you down." It was a warning but still sent chills down his spine. "You of all people," she walked towards him just like a predator stalked it's prey, the innocence screeching as she dragged the blade along the ground, "should know that if you harm my brother I will kill you. You got away once will you be so lucky again? Don't think for a moment that just because I like you, I won't tear your throat out."

"How cold of you Butterfly." She didn't respond. She only attacked. He dodged and was suddenly regretting egging her on. She was pissed again. A swing of the blade and a shot of innocence connected with his chest. It wasn't fire like the time in China but electricity. He cried out in pain as the electricity tore through his body setting his nerves ablaze with pain. She kicked him into the stone wall. Another shot and another one. The blade pressed against his neck. He froze. One move and she'd sever his carotid artery. He wasn't sure if even Joyd could fix that in time. It dug into his skin slowly. Her eyes dark and cold. The skin broke and blood began to bead along the seam. A bright flash of purple threw her off of him. He gasped and his hand shot up to trap the blood before it could spill out. Sheril stood atop the wall, more dark matter curling around his hand. The second shot crashed into the girl's back. As the smoke cleared she stood up. Her back to them. The blasts of dark matter had destroyed her jacket. The crop top she wore beneath it hung by threads. One wrapped around her neck and the other at the very bottom of the material. Her hair fell over her shoulder. Tyki stood still. Staring in horror. Two large gruesome jagged scars ran from her shoulder blades down to her waist. She didn't say anything for a moment.

Her hands were shaking, slowly she spoke, "Pretty aren't they? It's what happens when you allow wounds to become infected and then fester." The scars were obviously old. She had to have only been a child when it had happened. Joyd wailed in sorrow and pain as if one of his siblings had died. Wisely looked green and even Sheril was quiet. The darkness was gone from her eyes but she was pale again. Just as she had been in the dream world. The man they had seen, he had to have been the one to inflict these injuries on her.

 _KILL! MAIM! DESTROY! KILL!_ Joyd bellowed in his mind and he agreed. The man would have to be found and murdered in the most painful way possible. Tyki moved towards her. He wanted to hold her, to comfort her. She was scared. She was terrified of her own memories.

"What are you running from Kanda?!" Allen's angry shout drew Luca's attention. She kicked Tyki away and turned to see what was going on.

"What do you care?" Kanda demanded glaring at Allen who was kneeling by Alma's side who looked exhausted and defeated. "This is all your fault! You turned Alma into an akuma! You destroyed the branch and turned the third exorcists into monsters! Because you're a Noah." Luca snarled as Kanda blamed Allen for something that wasn't his fault.

"KANDA!"

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT YOU BLASTED NOAH!" Kanda tear at Allen who met him hand on with his talons.

"Allen!" Luca ran towards him before Tyki got in her way. She glared at him.

"Move." The growl sent shivers down his spine. He could see the shadow of something darker lingering in her eyes. It was the same thing that stomped him in China. Threatening to come out and stomp them all.

"Sorry Butterfly, you have to get past me first." She glanced past him to see Kanda slash Allen several times. Her eyes widened.

"Kanda! Stop it!" He ignored her yelling. Her fist shook and the panic started to well in her chest. She turned back to Tyki. "Move."

"Not happening Butterfly." Her eyes bulged out of her head as she saw Kanda run Allen through with Mugen.

"ALLEN!" Tyki smirked and her patience snapped. She was in front of him before he realized it. Her foot connected with his side shattering his ribs and sending him crashing into the other Noah.

"Take a look at Alma's face? What does he look like that? I have no idea." Allen choked out as his skin turned dark matching the rest of the Noah. Luca ignored Kanda and Alma as she rushed over to Allen. Her feet pounding against the ground. She fought for air as Allen began to admit an aura that felt similar to the Earl. Dark matter began to surround Allen sending Alma flying causing Kanda to catch him. Luca ignored it as Hunter purified the virus as it appeared, her heart thundering sending her innocence all through her body. The Fourteenth began to laugh sending chills down her spine. Her brother! He was gone! No! He couldn't be! NO! Not her little brother! She couldn't live without him! She needed him!

"ALLEN! WAKE UP!" She demanded.

"Thanks, Yu Kanda! He's awakened!" Luca glared as she saw the Earl rejoicing and deactivated her innocence. "It's all thanks to you wounding Allen Walker with your innocence! The Fourteenth has completely awakened! The Noah's hatred of innocence is eternal. The more they are injured by it the stronger it gets!" The Earl began laughing psychotically. "THANK YOU! ALLEN WALKER IS OVER!" Luca grabbed Allen yanking him to her. The Fourteenth looked at her confused. Shoving her hand into her pouched she retrieved a spell tag. _It's only an prototype but I have to try something or Allen is gone forever!_ She shook her head at the thought.

"Chaining Wings!" The magic whirled around containing the dark matter and pushing it back. Back into the depths of Allen's mind where the Fourteenth was. Allen's skin turned pale again and he fell unconscious into Luca's arms who sunk to the ground. She cradled her brother's body in her lap. Her hair obscured her eyes as she bent over looking at the injury. The blood poured out of it staining her pants and boots but she couldn't care less.

"THIS IS A GREAT VICTORY!" The Earl cheered before he realized that the Fourteenth's presence was gone. His head snapped over to the siblings on the ground. Luca's shoulders shook and nobody could tell if she was laughing or crying.

"Victory?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Heh," her voice rose in volume as her blood poured out of her stigmata innocence burning with it's mistress' fury, "I will show you victory." "Consume!" It glowed brilliantly causing the Noah to weep. Immediately her innocence formed a giant pair of wings before it began spinning in a circle, charging and then ready to fire. "Reap, Azrael's Mark!" She raised her head eyes completely consumed by her innocence. "Fire!" The brilliant light streaked towards the Earl and Noah forcing everyone to shield their eyes. As the light died away two triangular earrings fell out of the innocence. Luca stood gathering Allen's unconscious body in her arms. Her innocence slid back into her veins. "Ura, masarakat, avata, kikero, Gateway!" The magic crackled as it appeared, whirling to creating a doorway, the familiar white halls of the ark were comforting in a way. She could feel the sweat running down her skin. She couldn't keep this up. Using her magic to create portals was exhausting enough but repelling the Fourteenth and fighting with her innocence had used all her energy. She was done.

"You can't hide from us!" Luca turned to glare at the Earl, the silly costume gone. _Most likely destroyed with my final attack_ , she noted. She could see the other Noah covered in burns though the Earl had managed to mostly shield them. Tyki had managed to throw himself over the kid with the scarf though even he still had some. His brother had protected Road and was covered in burns himself. She could feel the satisfaction welling up in her chest. The entire left side of his face was a bloody burn.

"So that's what you really look like."

"There is nowhere you can go that we won't find you. I won't let you take him away from me again! He's mine now!"

"You're welcome to chase us all you want though, I must ask you how many of your pawns are you willing to sacrifice to gain the Fourteenth? You lost eleven last time you played this game. So I guess that it's your move again." Ghostly hand like tendrils reached out from the portal grabbing both Alma and Kanda and threw them through and into the ark. They snapped out again grabbing the scientists and flung them in too.

"You'd have to kill us all!"

She girl looked back at him and grinned with blood stained teeth, "Don't threaten me with a good time." With that she stepped through causing the portal to go up in flames and disappear with a loud snap.

* * *

"They broke the wrong part of me. They broke my wings but forgot I had claws." — Anonymous

* * *

 **Okay so I don't really have much to say here. It's a very heavy chapter and a lot happened. I wanna thank everyone who's stuck with me for so long. I hope you continue to read as we see where this story is going. Luca has the wheel so it's anyone's guess. Please review. I'd love to know what you thought of the chapter! Cheshire is out.**


	46. Elsewhere

**Yay! I'm back again! Yay! Okay yeah that's not working. Why can't I ever update on time? Seriously I need to start making notes cuz I keep forgetting things. I literally almost went to class without my uniform on. Like drove to the building were classes are held, WITHOUT my uniform. You would think that it would be pretty easy to remember, right? It should be. Anyway my classes aside, the chapter is late and I apologize. I'm an incredibly poor juggler. I will freely admit that. I hope you guys like this chapter now to the reviews!**

 **Dear HoboHeartLover, Nice to hear from you again. I figured you pop back up again. You are totally right. At the end, nobody is happy. They're all pissed. Nothing went as planned. Not a single thing. It's only gonna get worse too. Thanks for the encouragement and please enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Kyoya Kumo, Nice to meet you! Welcome to the story! I can't even begin to tell you how much you made me smile with your compliment. A lot of people would call Luca a dumbass instead of a badass for tempting fate the way she does though those people are also worried for her health so win some lose some! Seriously you're making me blush. Thank you for your praise. Enjoy the next chapter!**

 **Dear SheuOgama, Oh my. Okay seriously how do you have that much energy? I don't have even an 1/8 of that with 3 cups of coffee. No matter what witchcraft you use to get that kind of energy I'm honored you use it to review to my story. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, I'm highly amused by your holy shit chant. You say you have it figured out and I'm intrigued to hear what it is. PM me with what you've figured out. I'm pretty sure Sheril is just pissed by Luca's existence in general as an exorcist but her flirting with Tyki and being the root of his duck phobia is not helping her case. I didn't mean you got the idea for the owl from Hunter I meant that you should have gotten the idea that I love mythology from Eternal Hunter. It's based around so many different myths. I figured you got the owl from Athena. It's a good choice! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, I wish you good luck helping your family out. That can be really tough. Family can be, ironically, hard to live with. I hope it all goes well. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Zon Yokai Blade of the Spirits, Thank you! Yep! You are correct. Luca ordered Hunter to consume Feedler, body, mind, and soul. He's gone. Luca now joins Kanda on the very short list of Noah killers. I really enjoyed the dragon and that whole part. It was just so like her. Sheril may lose his cool around Luca. She seems to have that effect on Noah. Luca is not Neah's daughter. She's not old enough to be his daughter. If it makes you feel better a lot of people question what's going on in my head so you're not alone. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Cam, I'm so excited that you were waiting for this chapter! That brings me such joy! I really don't think that you can go through this arc without it being sad. There's really just no way to do it. No matter what somebody is gonna be sad. I apologize that I confused you but you will get your answer in this chapter. The man who injured Luca is shone briefly in chapter 11 in the dream world. She doesn't name him and Tyki doesn't get a good look but he's there. Sheril is always a lost cause. It's just his nature. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Bunny~chan, Joyd can be fun to write though a bit challenging. Wisely being the sanest is probably true though a bit concerning. He does still enjoy blowing people's heads up. It's rude. Kidnap has basically been Joyd's plan of attack since he decided that he didn't want her to die, Tyki just wasn't listening. Now he is but it didn't go very well. Luca was bound to be branded for treason eventually. Especially with Lvellie around. He made it 1000 times worse. He and Luca really don't get along. Luca's witchcraft puts her in a dangerous place. I'm excited that it came across as ominous. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear WinterYule, Are you happy with your answer? Luca almost got thrown into a volcano. I thought I would try something different. Can't get much different than Joyd. He's a special one alright! XD Don't get me wrong, Luca's memory is fine, she just literally does not care enough to learn their names. She's a twit. Luca is a sadist, especially for Noah pain. Luca loves her boots but she's really hard on them. Boots and gloves. Allen definitely needed that wake up call. I'm not sure how well it worked but she did try. The Earl is an incredibly difficult character to write. I can't tell you how many times I re-wrote that part. He's an excellent villain but I can't write him very well. The Earl and Neah have a lot in common to the Walker siblings. You are right though she is unpredictable, even Cross doesn't know what she's gonna do next and he knows her fairly well. Allen is kinda forcing Luca to show her other side. She does her best to hide it from him but you can't do that all the time. Pulling Luca's talons from Tyki is pretty much impossible. Also I love the nickname for Sheril. It's so perfect. Yeah even though she knows she should keep her mouth shut she doesn't. I'm almost certain Bak would die of embarrassment if Luca did kiss him and Fo would love every minute of it. Bak is lucky Tyki probably won't catch him. Annoying Sheril may just be Luca's new favorite sport. I've been saving that line for Lvellie. Everything is changing now. Enjoy!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, Good evening! Joyd certainly is a fan favorite. When I first started this story I had no idea that I would write more of him than just his free time in the ark but here we are. I'm pretty sure you started this. He's an interesting character. Actually it was Joyd's idea to play Hades, Tyki just finally gave in. I love the use of he myths though. I absolutely love them as I told Alexc2019. Persephone is an interesting myth and I used her and Hades actually as inspiration for several aspects of Luca. Yeah, Tyki did NOT appreciate that information especially like that. Nobody ever gets a break around Luca. It's just not possible. Luca is not old enough to be the 14th's daughter and the mysterious woman is not her mother. It's somebody else. There is a method to my madness. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"Pressure pushing down on me  
Pressing down on you, no man ask for  
Under pressure that burns a building down  
Splits a family in two  
Puts people on streets"

\- Under Pressure, Queen & David Bowie

* * *

"Unhand me right now! Walker!" Luca ignored Lvellie's demands as the gate back to the Order appeared. Taking a deep breath she pried the doors open with her magic before throwing the scientists and other civillians out. Lvellie jumped to his feet. "You will surrender yourself, the Noah, and Alma Karma immediately!"

"Are you really so delusional to believe that I would do anything you tell me? You are a fool Lvellie and it shows." Komui came running. His eyes widened upon seeing Allen's unconscious body cradled in his sister's arms. "And for your hubris you have lost not only one of your strongest exorcists by labeling him a Noah and traitor but you have also forsaken the ark and all the luxuries it provides."

"Luca wait!" Komui shouted trying to push to the front of the pack of scientist. Even Bak looked shocked. Luca could see Alma and Kanda hovering at the corner of the street. Fixing Lvellie with one final glare she summoned her magic and shut the gate in his face. Walking past the seconds she found a room with a bed, she set Allen's body down. Taking a deep breath she closed every ark gate allowing the seals to place themselves across the door. She sunk to her knees, exhaustion creeping into every cell in her body.

"Luca?" It was the first time Luca could ever remember hearing Kanda sound anything other than angry. "Are, are you okay?"

"I'm very tired." It was an understatement. Slowly the girl pushed herself back onto her feet. "Alma come here." Her lips quirked up in amusement as the akuma immediately hid behind Kanda. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I just need to hide you from the Earl's sight." He inched over to her, his tail twitching back and forth leaving marks along the floor. Her fingers slid into one of her pouches and pulled out another spell tag. He shuddered as the magic took effect.

"Why did you take us too?" She looked up at him. He watching her with guarded blue eyes but behind them she could see the curious young boy from the memories. She smiled tiredly.

"Did you want to be left there with the Noah?"

"Well, no, but-"

"But what?"

"We got your brother hurt." Kanda's eyes hit the floor at those words. Luca wanted to snort. She had never seen him look guilty before.

"I won't say that I'm not angry or that what you two idiots did wasn't stupid because I am and it was but you were both manipulated by the Earl. It's what he does. It's what he does best. That being said," She grabbed Alma by the shoulders and spun him around to face Kanda, "tell him who you are." Kanda raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" he protested, eyes darting away from Kanda's steely ones.

"Don't lie to me. I saw your memories. I know who you are. He deserves to know."

"But-"

"Alma! You don't know what he'll say. He deserves to know."

"But-"

"Alma!" she whirled him around to face her. "He has been looking since he left the laboratory. He won't die until he finds that person. He won't care."

"It's not fair! What they did-I couldn't-I" He stumbled over his words, emotions boiling over again, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes and he pulled at his hair. She pulled his hands away before he ripped chucks out.

"Yes it was wrong. I'm not denying that. I'm astounded. In your place I would have done exactly what you did and I'm seven years older than you and I still would have done what you did. I'm not faulting you for that. However they did the same thing to Kanda. He has every right to know who you are. He won't care but he needs to know. It's not fair. If he never knows then he will never rest. How is never allowing his soul to rest any different from what the Earl and the Order did?" His tears were spilling down his cheeks now. Slowly he turned around to face Kanda who's eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm the woman. The one you kept seeing." Slowly Kanda's eyes widened.

"What?"

"The one that you're looking for. We were lovers in our past life. When I found out, I just, I couldn't stand for you to see me like this. I was so embarrassed by it. I couldn't stand for it!" Alma began to sob waiting for Kanda to reject him to hate him more than he already did. Instead Kanda pulled the other into a hug. Alma froze in them embrace. Of All the things he thought would happen that was not one of them. "You don't hate me?"

"How could I hate you?" Luca smiled at the pair before sitting down next to Allen again brushing his bangs out of his face gently. She searched his face for any signs of the stigmata or dark skin. She found none yet it did nothing to ease her thoughts. They were running. They had no choice. She didn't have any time to prepare. She'd need to get back into her room. She needed her things.

"Are you okay?" Alma's hand on her shoulder startled her.

"No. I always knew that we'd have to leave. I just, I thought I'd have time to prepare. This was so sudden but like everything else the Earl has royally fucked Allen over and now I'm running after him trying to fix everything before it all comes crashing down." Surprisingly Alma's hand began to rub soothing circles in her back. It was oddly comforting.

"I'm sorry." She looked up at him.

"Why are you sorry?"

"It's my fault."

"No it's not." Kanda shocked them both by stepping in. "It's mine." He looked uncomfortable but still met Luca's eyes. "I let the Noah manipulate me into harming him with Mugen." He looked down at his innocence, he could still see the red blood staining it. Luca licked her teeth unconsciously. The same liquid stained her teeth and tongue. It left a foul taste behind. From the taste to the man it came from. She wanted nothing to do with either. She allowed Hunter to purify it before finally she could no longer keep it activated.

"It's what the Earl does. For now we wait. I cannot keep my eyes open any longer. All the doors are closed and sealed. Nobody can get in or out until Allen awakens. I suggest you both gets some sleep. I have one last thing to check before I can go to sleep. All of the rooms that have beds are open to you. Sleep well." The words felt hollow in her mouth. Nothing more than empty air coming from her throat. How could anyone sleep like this? She didn't know. Or maybe it was all just the same. Not long ago she believed that the music, was it even music or was it just more noise made by air, she made with her voice would truly help Allen sleep and now, now she sounded as hollow as dead tree. Nothing but air, her only signs of life was moving air. Movement that wasn't even her own. Air that was not her own. Nothing belonged to her. Everything she thought she had was somebody else's. Everything that was hers belonged to the Noah. Allen, the Fourteenth, the Earl had laid claim to her brother. As well as his title as an exorcist and their safe haven. The Fourteenth had laid claim to Allen's body. Eroding the boy away from the inside. Eroding away her very reason existence as if it was nothing. Her Master? Secretly helping the Fourteenth. Next thing she knew it would be her mother? Her mother wouldn't have had anything to do with them though...would she? And then there was the matter of her heart. Also a possession of the Noah. Or rather a Noah. Her fist shook, her heart tightened and she laughed. It was as empty as the hall she walked. Ah, yes, her heart and the Noah who held it clenched in his fist. He could keep it. She did not need it. She had what she needed. Yes, she was better off without it and it's silly mistakes. Mistakes she would not make again. She pulled her flask out and drank.

"Luca?" She smiled though it was mournful, at her friend. She leaned against the edge of the gate, she didn't have the energy to stand on her own.

"Hey Lavi." He took in her tattered shirt, missing jacket, menagerie of bruises, the broken look in her green eyes, and her hands hidden behind dark gloves clutching a flask as if it was her only lifeline.

"You're leaving." It was a statement.

"Yes."

"You're taking Allen away from the Order."

"It's no longer safe." She sipped at the flask.

"Why are you here?"

Her lips quirked up, "I wanted to check on you and make sure the rest of you were alright."

"Why?"

"Because I care about you all."

"Did you want to see if Chaoji stayed in the ravine?" She laughed and he flinched. It echoed. It wasn't her. Cold. He didn't like it. Even Bookman looked alarmed. She nursed her flask.

"No. Well yes, but that's not why I came. I wanted to make sure that you and the others survived. Chaoji staying where he belongs would just be an added bonus. She was drained. He could see it all over her.

"Luca is that you?" Marie's voice drifted through the piece on Lavi's ear.

"Hey Marie."

"Did you really do it?"

"Do what?"

"Help Kanda."

"Yes. He's free Marie, when Allen wakes up he and Alma will be allowed to go anywhere. No ties to the Order or it's war. They can do whatever they want." She could hear him crying on the other side.

"That's good. I'm so happy for them. For both of them. I hope they find peace and happiness."

"I'll pass on your well wishes."

"Luca you need to leave. The orders have already come out." His voice turned somber.

"I know. I was just checking in. The Order won't be seeing us. I won't let them or the Noah have Allen. He gets to do as he pleases."

"I know. I can't and won't turn you in, but you need to go now. Don't let them know where you are or where you're going."

"I won't."

"Lavi go with them." Both Luca and Lavi turned to Bookman.

"Gramps?!"

"The Fourteenth's side, he holds all the answers. The Walker siblings are they only ones who will ever know him and the truth. The Destroyer of Time and the Moonlighter. What an odd pair you two make. I look forward to what you will do. Please take Lavi with you. Your side, it is the side that truly needs to be recorded."

"Aren't you coming Gramps?"

"No. I have another matter to take care of. I will meet up with you at a later date. For now record the Walker siblings and their side." With that the man vanished leaving the pair to stare at where he had been moments ago.

"Luca you have to go. I'm gonna have to report Lavi and Bookman MIA I need you to be gone before the golem gets back. Now Go!"

"Okay. Good luck Marie." Sighing Lavi pulled the ear piece off and let it fall into the sand. He followed the girl into the ark and the sudden change of his life once again.

"Luca, where are we going?"

"Elsewhere."

"And right now?"

"Allen is still unconscious. I told Kanda and Alma to get some sleep and I need to do the same. Using Hunter and my magic together has consumed all of my energy."

"Who's Alma-Wait! You can use magic?!"

"Yeah and I'll introduce you to him tomorrow. For now find a bed and get some sleep. Good night." He watched her disappear into a room. He peaked in just in time to see her collapse face first into the bed. She was asleep before she even hit the pillow.

"Just what the hell happened to you guys?" Lavi asked nobody in particular. The rest of the ark's new occupants were asleep.

* * *

The ark gate opened allowing the Noah to tumble out. They all fell into a tangled pile on the floor. Each hissing as their burns where jostled. Tyki was the first to free himself from the rest of his siblings. Everything hurt. His ribs, his scars, his burns, and his heart. It ache in a way he had never felt before. He got up. He couldn't stand to listen to Sheril's wails. They were grating on his ears. He stumbled towards his room as best as he could, scrubbing his eyes to rid himself of the tears pouring from his eyes. Though who it was Joyd was mourning he didn't know. Feedler? Maybe. Probably. It didn't feel like just Feedler. He himself didn't know the other Noah that well. Silently he admitted that the tongue thing had creeped him out too. He had only been thankful that he hadn't been Noah's Corrosion. He pressed his hand against his side, it hurt his burns but his ribs were the more pressing matter. He knew he should wait for somebody to help set them but he couldn't be around his family at the moment. He phased through his door and slid down it unable to go any farther.

"ALLEN!" Tyki slammed his hands over his ears. "ALLEN! WAKE UP!"

"Stop it!" Tyki demanded. Begging the voice to stop. To go away. He couldn't hear her now. It was bad enough to hear it the first time. To see the look in her eyes. To know that he caused it.

"ALLEN!"

"No! Stop it! Please." He clutched his head, nails digging into his scalp. No matter how hard he gripped his head, covering his ears he could still hear her. Hear the desperation in her voice, the panic, the pain. Hear her begging her brother not to give in. Into the darkness lurking inside his head. It was only a matter of time before that darkness consumed him. The thing that he had helped awaken. His ribs throbbed but he barely felt it. The look in her eyes had hurt more. The look of betrayal. He gave an empty chuckle at the irony. He had asked if he was one of the people she trusted. He knew what they were going to do, why did he ask? Yet the look in her eyes said that she had trusted him. "God, why am I so stupid?" Nobody answered his question. Joyd whimpered in the back of his head.

 _But...ter...fly? Whe...re...Butter...fly? Where...Butterfly?_ Tyki sighed at the question. Of course the memory didn't understand.

"She's not here. She's not coming back. I don't think she's ever coming back. She's never coming back." He looked down at his hands and clenched his fists. "Not to me."

 _Find...Butt...er...fly_ , the memory tried to shove his host up but the man remained seated on the floor. His body hurt far too much to move. He could feel his ribs healing but they weren't healing correctly. The Portuguese man couldn't find it in himself to care.

"I can't. She won't want to see us. We fucked up. We fucked up bad. We fucked up so bad."

 _Find...Butt...er...fly_ , Joyd repeated.

"No."

 _Want...Butt...erf...ly!_

"What part of NO do you not understand?!" Tyki jumped to his feet and immediately crashed to the ground. His entire body was on fire. A knock sounded at the door. He didn't answer it. He wasn't in the mood for company. The person knocked again. And then again.

"Tyki?" Road's voice drifted. He didn't answer her. He didn't want to talk to her. He didn't want to talk to anyone. Not even her. Sighing he sat back against the door and looked down at his necklace. Slowly he flipped it over in his fingers. Road tried the door handle. "Tyki unlock the door." He ignored her. She'd go away eventually. "Tyki please."

"Go away Road."

"Tyki, you need to let the Earl set your ribs. They're gonna heal the wrong way. That will only make things worse."

"I'm fine Road. Just leave me be."

"You're not fine." She protested and then sighed. "Tyki I know you're hurting but please at least let me look at your ribs. She broke a lot of them."

"All of them." he chuckled dryly. He hadn't seen her move. Only felt the pain. The burning pain. She had kicked him right in the scar. The entire fight she had done her best to avoid his scars but not that time. "I'm fine Road. I just need to get some sleep."

"I-I can't fix it. You didn't have a choice. We have to do what the Earl says. You had no control over his plans or your part in them. We just want to make him happy. The Fourteenth, he'll make the Earl happy. Even if it..." she trailed off. "Please open the door. Please Tyki." He looked down at the pendant in his hand again. The metal was warm from his skin yet he felt cold.

"ALLEN!" He slammed his hands over his ears again.

"No! Stop it!"

"ALLEN WAKE UP! ALLEN! ALLEN! ALLEN! ALLEN!"

"TYKI!" his hands were pulled from his ears, blood running down his face from where his claws, when did those get there, had dug into his skin tearing at his scalp. Road knelt in front of him, her door behind her. Gold eyes filled with worry.

"I told you to leave me alone."

"And I told you that your ribs need to be looked at." she looked down at his hands, unable to look at her reflection in the pendant that hung around his neck. She knew where it came from. She also knew that he was inseparable from it. Nobody was allowed to touch it. "You're hearing her aren't you?" At first he didn't do anything then slowly he nodded.

"I hear her calling for him. Begging him not to change. I keep seeing her. The look in her eyes. She looked so betrayed. She had trusted me and I threw it back in her face again. I've lost her."

"That's not true."

"She won't forgive me."

"She did last time."

"It was my only chance. She'll never forgive me. Not for this. Allen survived. That's why I was forgiven. But this, we harmed him. We actually did him damage. He was almost gone. She just barely pulled him back. She won't forgive me for this. You should have seen the look in her eyes." He started laughing cold and unhinged. Road sat with him quietly on the floor.

"You can't ignore this Tyki. You can't let her go. If you really love her than you have to fight for her even if you have to fight her every step of the way."

"Should I even do it? Maybe I should just let her go. I," He paused clenching his fist, nails digging into his palms until they bled. Road pulled at his fingers, uncurling them away from his palms. "I hurt her. Her brother is everything to her. I knew that and I did it anyway. I knew that the Earl wanted to awaken the Fourteenth, I knew that it would erase Allen. I looked her in the eye and plotted against the one thing she cared about more than anything in the world. I forced her to release that stranger lurking beneath her skin. God that person, it scares me Road. That's not her. That, that, that **thing** it's not her. It can't be her. Yeah she's not innocent, she's willing to kill others who threaten her life and her brother but that one, that one is completely cold, dark and unfeeling. It doesn't care about anything only works with Luca's priorities. Nothing else matters to it. Not her other comrades, not how many of us or akuma there are, hell I don't think that thing would even care if it was up against the Earl. Even I don't matter to it. Only Allen."

"Tyki,"

"How does that phrase go? "If you love someone set them free. If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were." Or was it "If you love something set them free. If it come back they're yours; if it doesn't, it was never meant to be."?"

"Tyki, I-" she placed a hand on his shoulder as he curled in on himself causing a hiss of pain to break free from his lips he grabbed the broken bones desperate to quell the pain. "Tyki you have to let me look at your ribs!"

"Maybe I should let her go. What if there's something better out there for her. What if I'm being selfish? What if I'm holding her back from it? What if she can't find happiness because I won't let her go?" Road's heart ached. Her uncle whom she loved more than any of the others, was hurting and she couldn't help him. Nobody could. The one person who could ease his pain was the one who had caused it. She cursed fate and the false god. How dare they punish him for doing what God had destine him to do. How dare they taint the one he loved with innocence. How dare they make the one person she would give anything for, even her own heart and life, the one person who they had to kill to get their wayward family member back. How could everything have fallen apart so quickly? It should have been simple, knock Luca out, destroy Harlequin, have Kanda wound Allen, awakening Neah, destroy Crown Clown and then bring them both home. Luca would have never known that Allen was gone. She would have stayed where she was safe in Tyki's room. The Earl wouldn't have cared. Without her innocence and separated from Allen she was harmless. Or so they thought. How could she have missed the fact that Luca could use magic?! She could see and sense aura! That should have tipped her off! Had Tyki's battle with Allen really distracted her so much that she couldn't see the power lurking beneath the girl's skin?

"I'm sorry." He looked up at her.

"Why are you sorry?"

"I should have realized that she could use magic. If we had known we could have prepared for it. Luca's ability to use magic changes the equation. I should have realized it back in the ark. She noticed when Allen hit critical. She saw his aura change. I was so stupid to ignore it.

"It's not your fault. I was surprised by her new evolved innocence. We can't take it from her. If we tried to destroy it we'd most likely kill her. I can never have her." He could see her blood staining his hands.

"Oh." Road didn't know what to say. She couldn't believe that once again Luca and her relationship with Tyki had left her speechless. The last time it had been like this was after Tyki left Allen for dead in the bamboo forests of China. Luca had reacted similarly and almost killed him then. He had been equally upset, no it was worse this time. He knew she was gone. He was never going to get her back. NO! Road wouldn't let the girl slip from her uncle's fingers like water. He deserved happiness and he was going to get it. She'd make sure of it. Tyki started coughing, blood dripping through his fingers. "Please let me fix your ribs."

"I just want to sleep."

"You can sleep after I fix your ribs."

"I hurt the woman I love. I deserve all the pain she inflicted on me." He paused before looking at her with wide eyes. "I love her. Road, I love her."

"I know. You've loved her for a long time."

"Road it hurts. I love her so much it hurts. It hurts so much." He looked so much like a kicked puppy right then and there. It was moments like this that Road even cursed the existence of the war. What would it have been like without the war? Would they have met on the street? Would she have charmed him with her smile and whimsical nature? Would he have chased her, choosing her over the woman lining up to dance with him in the futile hope that they'd catch his eye? Would Sheril have complained about her? Not because she was an exorcist but because she carried no title, no assets for him to use, no money, no land, no political connects but Tyki would fall in love with her all the same. The way she smiled and laughed, her free nature that had lead him to call her Butterfly in the first place. Would Sheril have thrown a fit when he found out that she was nothing more than a traveling sorceress from Hungary, happy with what she had? Perfect for Tyki who much preferred to travel around with his hobo friends. Sheril would say no. He'd forbid Tyki from seeing her. But it wouldn't matter. He'd hunt her down. Bring her flowers and just be cheesy. He'd ask her to run away with him. Travel with him and his friends. She'd agree readily. Content to go anywhere with no martyr brother holding her back. She be happy, she'd help with the sick little boy that Tyki was friends with. In a few days he'd be fine, running around like any other boy his age. Tyki's friends would stare at her in wonder and ask what she had done but she'd just smile cryptically and ask what's for dinner. Tyki would ask her to marry him. Not in a big church nor like the big event that Sheril would make it, just them and his friends, her in a beautiful white dress, though it'd have some color, maybe red or purple. She'd be stunning and they'd be happy. There would be no pain, no mourning, no fighting, no life or death situations, nothing would separate them. They'd both smile brightly, truly happy. There would be no darkness lurking behind their smiles. Only joy and pleasure. But it would never happen. The war had been going on for 7,000 years. Maybe in another life...

"I'm so sorry." It was all she could say. Slowly she pulled him to his feet. Numbly he let her tend to his ribs. Putting them back into place so they'd heal properly. He didn't even feel the pain of it. Once she was done, he crawled into his bed and went to sleep. Road pulled the covers over his body and stepped through her door leaving her uncle to sleep off his heartbreak, not that it would do him any good. It would still hurt when he woke up. No matter how long he slept.

* * *

"Out of my way!" The Black Order was in complete chaos. Scientists ran around, CROWs moved back and forth spell tags flying around, Finders tripped over each other trying to get out of everybody's way. The communication's center was swamped. Exorcists and finders alike stranded without the ark. "Get out of my way you fools!" Lvellie stomped through the halls. Several CROWs rushing behind him. "How did this happen?! How did we not know that Walker could use magic! Where the hell is inspector Link?!"

"He's still in North America. Without the ark there's no way to get him back to the branch. He'll have to take a boat to get back over now! Get him here immediately! I want his explanation right now!"

"Yes sir!" One of the CROWs rushed off.

"Supervisor Komui!" The Chinese man sighed but turned to him.

"Yes inspector Lvellie?"

"Did you know?"

"Know what?" He questioned.

"That Walker could use magic! If you have been hiding this I'll have you removed from your position this instant!"

"I knew nothing of the sort. I knew that Cross could use magic but it never occurred to me that either of the Walkers did. I assumed Cross would have told me."

"Cross. Tch. That bastard wouldn't tell you anything straight even if your skin was purple. I'm not surprised. He lied about everything else why not this. He knew what she could do. I bet he put her up to it." He turned to one of his CROWs still following him. "I want every file on the Walkers! Ever single one! Every file that even mentions them! NOW!" Two more CROWs went running off.

"You really think they've been plotting this?" Komui asked.

"I believe that Walker has been blocking me at every turn so I wouldn't put this past her. I need to know what else she's hiding. They've been hiding things since they got here."

"Inspector where are you going?" Lvellie stomped up the stairs. He stopped at Luca's door.

"I want this room torn apart. I need to know everything!" He grabbed the door handled but stopped.

"Inspector?"

"It's locked! Get me the keys!" A few moments later a scientist ran up and handed the keys to Lvellie who snatched them away angrily. Shoving the key into the lock he twisted and tried the handle. It jiggled but didn't budge.

"What's going on?" Komui questioned. Lvellie tried unlocking it. Again nothing happened.

"It won't open."

"Maybe you aren't doing it the right way?"

"I know how to unlock a door Supervisor!" He shoved the key into the lock again only for it to snap off." The CROW standing behind Lvellie stared at the door.

"Inspector! Don't!" The CROW's warning was too late and the man's hand hit the door and the magic sent him flying back. The CROW dove to catch the man but only succeeded in being taken to the ground along with him.

"What was that?!" Lvellie demanded jumping to his feet.

"It appears Miss Walker has warded her door."

"Well get it open!" The CROW moved forward to inspect it. "Well? What's taking so long."

"Forgive me sir but this isn't anything I've ever seen before."

"What the hell does that mean? I thought we trained you from a young age! You should be able to undo this right now!"

"It's old magic sir." Lvellie's eyes narrowed.

"How old?"

"Older than the Black Order itself."

"That's not possible!"

"The Black Order is over a century old!" Lvellie glared at Komui, not appreciating his input.

"Where," he growled through his teeth, "would she even get that kind of magic?"

"I don't know sir but I'll have to work on it. As you saw," Lvellie glared at the CROW, "the door is enchanted. I'll have to proceed slowly and carefully."

"Fine! I doubt Allen Walker's room would have anything in it. Link was in there too so nothing useful there." He groaned and pulled his hand down his face.

"Supervisor!" Reever ran up to them. "Lenalee is on the phone!" Komui nodded and went back to his office leaving Lvellie to fume at the door that refused to open despite his power and demands.

"Brother! What happened to the ark? Is Allen okay? What about Kanda? Why did all of the Noah suddenly start crying? What's going on?!" Komui sighed as Lenalee fired multiple questions at him.

"Lenalee please calm down." he removed his glasses, setting them on the desk so he could rub his eyes. He looked at the papers spread across his desk. The file of the exorcists. Luca and Allen's both newly stamped WANTED is bright red. The ink wasn't even dry. Neither was the ink of Kanda's, Lavi's, or Bookman's. All printed MIA. How did it all go wrong so quickly?

"Komui!"

"I'm listening!" He shouted coming out of this thoughts.

"Komui what happened to the ark?"

"Things went badly at the North American branch. Luca bound the ark with magic. We cannot use it anymore. Even the CROWs can't get it open. It's magic that hasn't been seen in hundreds of years."

"Why would she do that?"

"Luca and Allen have fled the Order. Allen is a Noah and Luca a traitor."

"NO! Komui you know that's not true! How could you say those things?!"

"Lenalee he transformed right in from of an entire group of our staff."

"Then they're liars!"

"Johnny? Reever? They're liars?"

"They're mistaken!"

"Allen would never let the Fourteenth win! Neither would Luca! She'd do anything to save Allen!"

"She has. It was Luca who fled the Order. Allen was unconscious. According to reports, after Kanda wounded Allen with his innocence Allen took on Noah features. When the Fourteenth began to awake Luca used a never before seen spell tag to push him back. Allen fell unconscious and Luca release a massive attack against the Earl and his Noah. She severely wounded them and the Earl, apparently it's a suit. The attack destroyed it. Using magic she opened the ark and dragged everybody in. She threw the others out but kept Kanda. As of now Kanda is MIA, Allen is a Noah, and Luca a traitor."

"NO! That's not true! Komui! Stop lying to me! Stop making up these horrible lies! They're not funny!"

"I'm not making things up Lenalee. You need to be rational. I know they're your friends but this is how-"

CLICK.

She hung up. Komui pulled the phone away from his ear to stare at it. She just hung up on him. His beloved Lenalee just hung up on him. She hung up. On him. Her older brother. She hung up. ON HIM. How could she? He knew she was upset but he was her beloved older brother.

"Chief! You had better come quick!" Reever burst in causing Komui to set the phone down and come running out. His heart sunk as the Australian man lead him back to the exorcists quarters. _Oh god please don't go where I think we're going_ , his silent begging went unnoticed as Reever lead him right back to Luca's door. Lvellie stood cursing, covered in soot and blood. The wall around and across from the stubbornly closed and unyielding to everything that had been tried. Komui stopped and stared at the scene before him.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"The magic incinerated my CROW! Where the hell did this magic come from?! Get me another CROW! Clean this up!" Finder began rushing around, all trying to get away from the man barking orders angrily.

"It incinerated the CROW?"

"Yes! There was no fire or warning! He just exploded!"

"Exploded?"

"Yes! Must I keep repeating myself? He exploded!" Another CROW rushed up. "Open this door! NOW!"

"Yes Sir!" The CROW knelt down by the door, reading the runes written on the door only to watch them vanish. "How old is this girl?" the man asked looking at it in wonder.

"17." Komui answered in a daze. How could that other CROW be dead? Would Luca really have placed a spell on her door that would incinerate somebody that tried to break in? Had it always been active or had it only activated when the Walker siblings had defected? What was she hiding behind that door? More magic? Information about the Fourteenth? Secrets of the Black Order that shouldn't get out? Would she blackmail them? She knew things. Things that would ruin them. She could overpower Lenalee. Would she kidnap her and hold her for ransom or just hostage in general? Would they kill the exorcists sent to apprehend them? He had to reevaluate everything he thought he knew about the Walker siblings.

"What's this?" The CROW drew the man out of his thoughts as he wiped some dirt away from one of the runes when it exploded. Once again the walls were sprayed with blood.

"Again?!" Lvellie demanded ignoring the blood all over the hall.

* * *

Luca pushed herself up out of the bed far sooner than she wanted. She wanted to sleep forever. Still she got up, swirling what was left in her flask around. Trudging out of the room, whichever one she had fallen asleep in, and back to the room she left Allen in. She smiled, leaning against the door frame, when she saw him sitting up and looking around. She put her flask back.

"Good morning Sleeping Beauty."

"Lu, what happened? Where are the Noah? Why are we in the ark? What about the others? Are they okay? Johnny? Reever? Tokusa?" She sighed.

"The Noah are gone, probably crawled back to whatever hole they came out of," she spits angrily. "Johnny, Reever, and the others are back at the Order. Kanda and Alma are asleep somewhere. I didn't really give them rooms. We'll need your sword to turn Alma back to normal." Allen nodded.

"Why are we in the ark?" She looked away, she didn't want to meet his eyes. "Luca, why are we in the ark?"

"You lost control. The Fourteenth took over."

"I remember. I met him. He said the Earl was insane-"

"Wow. That tells us so much. Like we didn't already know that."

"He also said that I was insane. He called me an insane puppet. I don't know what he meant by it."

"Crazy Noah don't have to make sense; Al, they're mad, they're all mad. The Fourteenth included."

"That doesn't explain why we're in the ark."

"Why do you think we're in the ark? We can't go back."

"Luca-"

"No! Listen to me Allen, listen to me and listen well. We cannot go back. They've already labeled you a Noah. We are being hunted. They're hunting us like animals. If we went back now or even when it first happened, you'd be imprisoned at best and at worst put to death. I would be a traitor. They'd separate Kanda and Alma and go back to using Alma as a test subject. I didn't have a choice."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I just..." he trailed off looking down at his bloodstained hands. Luca walked over and sat on the bed next to him. She held his hand in hers despite the pain. His eyes drifted to hers. They were covered in thick leather gloves unlike her usual fingerless ones.

"I know it's hard. We lived there for a while. We cared about the people there and they cared about us, well most of them. Unfortunately Lvellie can brand you as a Noah and me a traitor. Komui, he," she didn't know how to say it. "In his eyes you are a Noah. There's nothing we can do about it. The Order isn't safe for any of us. I know that you wanted it to be our home, but it's not." _I don't think we'll ever have a home_ , she didn't add the second part. It would do no good. Only serve to harm Allen more. It was the one thing he longed for most. She knew she could never give it to him. No matter how hard she tried.

"So now what?"

"We finish what you started."

"What?" he looked up at her in confusion.

"Well you wanted to help Kanda and Alma, right?" He nodded dumbly causing her to smile fondly. She pulled him to his feet. He swayed for a moment but smiled when she was immediately there to steady him.

"Yeah. I can at least do that much."

"Oh Allen. You've done so much more than that." He smiled but she could see it didn't reach his eyes causing her to sigh. "Come on let's go find Kanda and Alma."

"They're still here?!"

"Well yeah. I couldn't just leave them somewhere. I figure that we can drop them off somewhere once they can be free." He nodded, a true grin on his face. "Are you guys awake?" Luca knocked on the door. Nobody answered her. Slowly she opened the door.

"Not a word." Kanda growled.

"Aw, I think you look cute." Alma was curled up on Kanda, fast asleep using the other's chest as a pillow.

"I'll kill you Luca."

"Nah, you wouldn't."

"God, I wish I had Tim, he could be recording this." Allen snickered. Luca pointed up to the golem flying by Allen's head. "Tim! You're here! I missed you." Allen nuzzled the golem affectionately.

"As cute as you all are can I ask what we're gonna do next?" Lavi questioned.

"Lavi? What are you doing here?" Allen questioned.

"The old man wants me to record your side. Says only you and your sister will ever know the Fourteenth and the secrets he carries." Allen looked at Luca in confusion.

"I told him that Lavi could tag along. I don't see how it hurts."

"What secrets? He wants to kill the Earl."

"He may know more than he lets on. We'll know as soon as I figure out how to tear him apart." Luca answered with a shrug.

"So is that Alma?" Lavi nodded towards the only one of them still sleeping.

Luca nodded, "Yep." She walked over to him and shook his shoulder gently, ignoring Kanda who was glaring holes into the back of her head. "Alma, it's time to get up."

"Don't wanna. Five more minutes."

"Nope, time to get up now."

"Five more minutes."

"If you don't get up now you'll miss breakfast." The boy shot up.

"No! Not my breakfast! I'm up! Don't take my breakfast away!" He looked around in confusion and then pouted at Luca who was giggling. He threw himself into Kanda's lap. "Yu~! She's being mean to me!"

"She's not gonna actually take your breakfast away, idiot." He grumbled trying to sit up with little luck. Luca smiled at him.

"Kanda's right. I just needed you to wake up."

"So I can still have breakfast?" Alma asked.

"Yep! We'll have breakfast right after Allen turns you human again." Alma looked away from her. His anger seeping back into his eyes.

"Not human. I never was."

"Says who?" He looked up at her in shock.

"Everyone. All the scientists. The CROWS. All of them."

"Bah. What the hell do they know? Hmmm? I say your human. Besides does it really matter what they say or what your family says?"

"I don't have a family." He mumbled quietly. Luca smacked him upside the head.

"What are we? Chopped liver?" Alma blinked at her in confusion.

"She's saying that we're your family, Alma." Allen explained.

"Really?" He eyes sparkled and then it stopped. "Wait, why would you want to be my family? I tried to kill you all. Well expect for you," he waved at Lavi, "I don't really know who you are." The other three started snickering as Lavi flailed and wailed about the response.

"Everyone makes mistakes. It's okay." Allen managed to get his laughter under control first. Luca sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Alma, in your situation any of us, with the exclusion of Allen because he's weird, would have done exactly what you did. When I figured out what they had done to you. Ty-," she paused the name dying on her lips. Her fists shook until she managed to steady her breathing; instead focusing on Alma's face, "They guy I was with ask me if I would have killed them all I answered yes. Allen is a weird creature capable of unfathomable forgiveness. Not all of us are like this. The Noah manipulated you and your emotions. Living through that once was hard enough. You didn't need to see it a second time. It's okay to feel the way you felt. We don't hold it against you. So please, let us help you. You don't have to go back. You already told Kanda who you are. You two can go anywhere. No Order, no innocence, no Noah and no akuma. You'd be free to do whatever you wanted with Kanda. Just let us turn you human." Alma turned his gaze to Kanda.

"Akuma doesn't suit you." He huffed causing the others to roll their eyes.

"Awww Yu~! That was so sweet!" Lavi cheered throwing his arms around him in a hug. Kanda's eyebrow twitched and he grabbed Mugen. Luca yanked Alma back just in time.

"Stupid Rabbit!" Kanda unsheathed Mugen causing Lavi to scream and run away though the other gave chase.

"Are they always like this?" Alma asked pointing at the pair. The Walker siblings nodded, resigned to their fate of idiot friends.

"So will you let us help you?" Alma looked at Luca. She seemed nice enough but so had Doctor Edgar and the others. Just thinking of them made his hate bubble and burn. He clenched his fists. A smaller hand laid itself over his. "Alma you're only hurting yourself by letting your anger control you. Your anger won't hurt them. Only you and the people you love. As hard as it is the best thing you can do is let go of it. Live your life as best as you can doing what makes you happy. That's the only way to get back at them. Prove they have no control over your life." Alma looked at Allen.

"Can you really turn me back?" Luca smiled as her brother nodded. "Will it hurt?"

"Probably. I'm not gonna lie to you. It will probably hurt." Alma smiled at Luca.

"Okay."

The hallways of the exorcists quarters were quiet. Hours and hours of attempts to open the door of Luca Walker had resulted in no less then 30 CROWs dead. At which point Lvellie had stomped down to Allen Walker's door only to find that it too was seal shut. 15 more CROWs died in the process of trying to open it. The blood sprayed on the wall had yet to dry. Nobody noticed the glow from under the door. Luca stepped into her room silently. She could smell the blood in the air, the iron on her tongue. She washed it down with whiskey.

"Idiots. If you were meant to be in here than you wouldn't have died trying to break in." Moving around her room she gathered what she need, clothes, books, magic notes, "So much to do so little time" she sighed before going back to gathering her things. "What else do I need? Right! My stuff from the other room too." she swept all of her mechanical pieces into another box and set it down next to her books. She ran her eyes along her room trying to mental catalog everything she would need and what she already had. They settled on familiar hats pinned along the wall.

"Luca do you need any help?" Luca didn't budge as Lavi stepped thorough the ark gate. His eyes soften as she continued to stare at them. "Hey," he laid his hand on her shoulder gently. "Are you okay?" She sighed.

"Yeah. It's just a lot to take in." She wiped her eyes before he could see what was happening in the low light. "I thought I would have more time to prepare for this." She emptied her flask. She needed more.

"Prepare? You were expecting it to come to this?" She turned to look at him, once again thankful for her Master's neglect and her good night vision, and nodded.

"Of course. You didn't?"

"Of course I did. I just didn't expect you too. I guess I forget that you aren't like Allen. He saw the Order as his home and family. You on the other hand," he chuckled though it was empty, this was his bookman side, "you don't. You've always known. You don't trust anybody. Nobody with the exception of Allen. He's all that matters. The rest of them are insignificant in comparison to Allen. You knew from the moment we returned for Japan that you were gonna have to leave didn't you?" She didn't answer him. "Didn't you? Luca answer me!"

"Yes! Okay. Now keep your voice down or do you want us to get caught?"

"Sorry." he mumbled. He was glad his mentor wasn't there. He would've smacked him for losing his temper with the girl. Allowing his emotions to take control like that.

"Now be useful." She dropped the box full of books in his arms startling him.

"Yeah okay." He disappeared through the ark gate. Biting her lip she quickly grabbed the hats from the wall and shoved them into a box along with the lone shoe. She sealed the box up before she could really think about it. Grabbing the whiskey stored under her bed she filled the flask again and placed the rest of the bottles in another box. She winced as her finger brushed along the edge of the box. She rubbed them trying to ease the pain. She tugged at her gloves, beginning to slide them off, she wanted to check on it again. "Anymore boxes?" Luca yanked the gloves back on and dropped her box of whiskey into his arms.

"Be careful with that please." Pushing her bed away from the corner and pulled up the fake piece of floor with a simple spell. She pulled two black cases from the secret compartment.

"Anything else?"

"No. The rest I can carry. Sneak into your room and gather what you need and what the Order shouldn't have."

"Easier said than done Beautiful."

"I know. Just do the best you can." He nodded and snuck down the hall. Allen's room was simple enough to pack up. His personal things were few and in between. Most of it was clothing. A few sentimental items here and there. Her other room was next. She stopped in Kanda's room. It was already barren. Granted there hadn't been much to begin with but she knew that he had cleaned it out. "Good enough for me." Herbs, spell tags, notes, potions, rare magical items all were placed gently into the box. Getting up she gathered the magic book and paperwork she had stolen from the Kamelot household. "I wonder if he's noticed that their missing yet." she mused. They too went into the box. The room was empty before she knew it leaving her with one place left to go. Getting into Komui's office was easier than it should have been. "Honestly you would think that they would at least lock it." She huffed. Picking the locks on the cabinets she pulled out their files. Anything on her, Allen, and Cross. Sliding the mock files into their place she slipped out after gluing every drawer shut. Petty but she couldn't bring herself to care. Silently she slipped back into the ark without looking back.

* * *

"Where are those files I wanted?!" A CROW ran up to Lvellie who was still shouting. He thought about mentioning the unhealthy looking vein throbbing in the man's forehead but thought better of it. "Do you have my files or not?!"

"No sir!"

"Well did you get those doors open?"

"No. We've lost 17 more CROWs to it though."

"That wasn't what I wanted to hear!"

"Sir," the CROW winced at the look he received but continued anyway, "have you considered the possibility that Miss Walker did this all just to mess with you and waste our time trying to get the doors open?" Lvellie whirled around on the man, face bright red. "I'm just saying that," he quickly added on before he lost his head, "the longer we try to open the door the longer they have to run. The farther they get the harder it will be to find them." The CROW struggled to not stutter. He didn't feel like dying today

"Then what would you suggest we do?"

"Forget the doors and what's behind them. There won't be anything in their rooms. We should be out chasing them. Even if they stay in the ark, they still have to get food and money for food. They are also limited to where Walker knows. We should start looking in the places we know that they have been." Lvellie was quiet for a moment and the CROW was sure he was dead.

"Very well. Gather some of the others and begin crossing off locations. Find them as quickly as possible."

"Yes sir!" The CROW turned to flee the room and gather his unit.

"Oh and Rehlen," the CROW froze and turned to face the man.

"Yes sir?"

"Do bring me promising results."

"Of course sir." Rehlen nodded and left as fast as he could without running. Lvellie stood, glancing around the room. There was nothing of any particular interest. The office was filled with papers. None of which could help him locate the Walkers or know what their next plans were. Though that wasn't quite correct, Allen Walker was a boy on the run. Nothing more than a mere boy. It was Luca Walker that was dangerous. Her secrets, inner knowledge, and who knows what else given to her by Cross. Despite their pact Cross had to have told her something. Something he hadn't told Lvellie.

"That lying son of a bitch. Pact my ass. How dare he lie to me. What did he tell her? Did he tell her everything? Or did he leave things out for her too?" He slammed his hands down on the desk. "I must know what she knows." He looked down at the desk again. He had asked for the files yesterday yet he still did not have them in his hands. Stalking to the door he wrenched it open and shouted, "Where the hell are those files?!" A scientist came rushing in looking rather pale.

"We couldn't find them,"

"What?!" Lvellie roared in the shorter man's face.

"But-but-but-but we managed to locate them today. It looks like someone tried to hide them." Lvellie snatched them away.

"Get out!" The door slammed shut after the scientist went scurrying out. "Idiots. All of them. How do they get anything done around here?" He rolled his eyes and opened the first file. The lack of information on the Walkers when he first arrives was absolutely flabbergasting. There was nothing in their files. The Supervisor knew positively nothing about them, other than that they were trained by Cross. His brow furrowed as he began to read the files.

* * *

"Are we ready?" Luca looked around at her new family. Odd group they were. Her and Allen. Always together. She'd never let anybody or anything separate them. Now with the addition of Lavi, Kanda and Alma. The others nodded.

"Then let's go." Allen breathed out a sigh. The ark gate opened normally but still he hesitated. Luca reached out and grabbed her brother's hand giving it a comforting squeeze. He smiled at her and they stepped through together. The streets of Diekirch were quiet, though it was almost 3 in the morning.

"Where are we?" Alma asked looking around.

"Luxembourg. It's a very small nation between Germany, Belgium, and France. We should find a place to stay for the night and then move in the morning. We should head east. The church won't be able to reach as far. The farther we get from Italy the safer we will be. We'll never be safe but it will be harder for them to find us there." The others nodded. Lavi located the inn first. Luca broke away from the group. Luxembourg was beautiful but she had other plans. The office was big and empty except for one room. She let herself in.

"Hello? Is somebody there?" A man's voice called out as he got up from his chair to look around. His secretary had gone home hours ago. "Hello?"

"You know you akuma get pretty good at faking humans pretty quickly." The man whirled around to find a girl sitting in his office chair, feet propped up on his desk. Her dirty boots all over his clean papers.

"My my. An exorcist?" He grinned but she didn't move.

"Got any money?"

"Why would I tell you?"

"Cuase I asked nicely."

"That's it?"

"Is there really anything else?"

"How did you know I was an akuma?" She looked up at it rather bored.

"Oh a little birdy told me."

"Is that so?"

"So, money?" Luca questioned hopefully.

"You'd have to kill me first! All of the money I make is for Master Sheril!"

"I know." She smiled as Hunter shot through his forehead killing him.

Getting up she raided the office for the safes she knew would be hidden around, "They're coming for you. They're coming for him. There's nothing you can do. They will reclaim their brother. The Fourteenth will be with his family once more. They're coming for you." The akuma gurgled, choking on it's own blood. Luca vanished from the office, leaving nothing behind other than the a white orizuru stained with red on the desk.

"Counting on it."

* * *

"Today my forest is dark. The trees are sad and all the butterflies have broken wings."

– Raine Cooper

* * *

 **Well there you go! Walker and co. out in the wild! Their first night! How will it go? Luca and Tyki both deal, sorta, with their feelings and the aftermath of the battle for the 14** **th** **! I think we can agree that it went poorly and they've got some issues. Tune in next time for the appearance of the eldritch horror! Tune in next time! Cheshire's out~!**


	47. There's No Happy Ending

**Welcome back my lovelies! I hope you're all ready for the next chapter! Classes are still going for me, I have a bit of a troublesome partner but I'm working around her and learning everything I can. I know that I'm posting earlier in the day than I normally do but we're hosting a job fair and that's a lot of food to make so I need to get some sleep tonight...and try really really REALLY hard not to get sucked into this new tv show. Anyway I'm interested to see where you guys think I'll be taking the story from her. Let me know~! Onto the reviews!**

 **Dear SheuOgama, You need to share some of that energy, even with coffee I'm like a zombie except at like 3 in the morning when I'm supposed to be asleep which isn't really helpful. Allen might actually eat scooby snacks. The boy eats pretty much anything. They are indeed officially on the run. Things are only going to get harder from here. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, Yay! Welcome back! I missed you! I'm really glad you loved it. I hope you like this next chapter too!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, Yep! The siblings are now on the run with their little group, I need a name to call them so I'll have to think about that. Feel free to pitch in ideas. There's a reason for the way Lvellie responded to the magic Luca has displayed. I'm not done with him yet. Tyki is Road's favorite, okay maybe he's just everybody's favorite, so obviously she'll help him. She's also aware that love is not something that can be controlled. I was actually pretty worried about the Earl's scenes. He's a hard character to portray. PM me with what you think Neah will reveal about Luca. I'm super excited to hear what you think! P. S. Tricia will reappear in 4 chapter! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, I know what you mean. I couldn't stand the way it ended for Alma in canon. It was just so sad. I cried. Alma always makes me cry. Plus Yule got me even more attached to him and I just couldn't let him die. The thirds volunteered for the jobs. They're just as at fault as Lvellie. Tyki has a lot of work to do if he wants her back. Kanda is a difficult character but I think knowing the truth and having Alma by his side would settle him down a bit. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Puella Lector, Thank you so much for all of your praise. It means so much to me. It's wonderful to hear that the chapter lived up to your expectations. As for Tyki and Luca well you'll just have to wait and see. Tyki messed up pretty badly in North America. I look forward to hearing from you again.**

 **Dear Cam, Awesome! I love being the best. It's a lot of fun. Alma definitely deserves peace and happiness. So does Kanda. Tyki is upset but he did it to himself. Lvellie doesn't like being told he can't have something so knowing that there's something behind Luca's door and he doesn't know what it is will and is driving him crazy. Thanks! I'm glad you liked reorganizing it. It wasn't working for me the original way. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Zon Yokai Blade of the Spirits, Thank you very much! That's a nice thought you've got there but it won't be happening for a while. Luca's very pissed at Tyki at the moment. Neah and Luca will be an interesting match I can guarantee you that. I wouldn't count on them making up any time soon. We're in for a long ride. Thanks for the well wishes. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Bunny~chan, Yeah things are starting to crash down on him. Road is trying to help. Bunny~chan please don't challenge Luca. The girl can hold a grudge like you wouldn't believe. I love Star vs. the Forces of Evil by the way. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Destiny's Gem, There you are! I hope you enjoyed the last two chapters! Yeah Tyki's really not doing so hot right now. He did it to himself but you can understand how it would upset him. They've got a long road ahead of them. Luca's not really in a forgiving mood towards anyone really. You are entirely correct that she probably won't be thrilled with that information. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear WinterYule, I wasn't actually all that happy with Alma's confession personally but I ran out of time to fix it and I didn't really know how to do it. I rewrote it several times but it didn't really go the way I wanted. I may rewrite it later if I come up with something better. Kanda and Alma falling asleep together was adorable. You made me more attached to them than I already was so this is partially your fault. Again I wasn't really happy with it which is why it came off as cheesy. It needs work but I don't have any clue on it at the moment so for now it stays but I do agree with you. Poor Lavi he's just left out. Alma is adorable. Tyki's part was hard to write. He was so sad. At least he isn't still wondering why he feels the way he does. It wasn't a reference to the modern au but a world where there was no war, they probably would have met that way. Luca hiding her magic is like second nature to her for . . reasons. Lvellie's part does effect the story down the line. I still don't like writing him though. As for Luca's hands, well, you'll see. ;D P. S. Get some sleep please! . Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, Yes we are leaving canon for uncharted territory. You'll find that Luca says "screw you" to a lot of people pretty often. It's one of her favorite phrases. Allen being put in the dungeon always pissed me off. It felt like such a slap in the face for all the work he's done for them. Their most loyal exorcist before they screwed up that is. He would have fought for them until he died but they were too scared of Neah to realized that. Lvellie is used to getting what he wanted that he tends to throw a tantrum when he doesn't get it. Yes Tyki is throwing himself a pity party. You'd have to find the ark to attend though. So good luck! Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me."

– Randell Terry

* * *

The clacking of heels on cobblestone was the only thing heard. Diekirch, Luxembourg was quiet in the early hours of the morning. Nobody was awake to notice the girl walk through a wall. The ark was blinding white as always. She winced at the sudden change but continued on. The door swung open and she stepped in. The boxes were still strewn about. She hadn't cared enough to do anything with them. They were in the ark if they needed them. Things like clothes and money were in their bags.

"We won't be using the ark after this! I'm finding my own way."

"An interesting choice Allen. Some days I swear I'll never understand you. For now I guess it will just be a warehouse. A waste really, but it does belongs to you." Pulling forward the mostly empty box she allowed the tabs to open. She stared down at the hats and shoe sitting innocently in the box. She hated them. She hated him. She hated them all. Her fists trembled. She could feel the bloodlust pulsing through her. "All of them. I'll kill all of them. Then you'll know. Then you'll understand what it's like to be all alone." She laughed. She looked up at the mirror. Her reflection blinked. "These feelings, are they mine or yours?" Her reflection didn't answer her, merely continued to stare at her. Again it blinked. "I guess I'm not gonna get an answer. Well it's not like that's anything new. When have I ever gotten a straight answer? From anyone?" Her hands reached back up and she pulled it free.

Luca dropped the necklace in the box and walked away.

* * *

"Where are you going?" Lulu Bell froze. Slowly she turned to face Sheril. He was still covered in bandages. Her blood boiled. Once again the Walkers had harmed her family. Luca Walker had humiliated her in battle. Allen Walker gravely injured Tyki. Then they humiliated her once again by destroying the egg and then once again they had harmed their family. Allen upset the Earl with the Fourteenth and Luca had murdered Feedler and injured the others again!

"I would say for a walk but you wouldn't believe me would you?"

"Not one bit. You've got that look again. This is about _them_ isn't it?" The name Walker was now taboo in the ark.

"I'm going to find and kill them. I've had enough of this. I will happily accept whatever consequences the Earl deems fit when I return."

"Is that so?" He smirked at her.

"Are you going to try and stop me?" She tensed and slid into a battle stance.

"Heavens no, Lulu where did you ever get such a ridiculous idea? I'm all for your plan. I love it. I had wanted to gather more information on the Fourteenth before disposing of him but that didn't pan out. Both Bookman are in the wind. Fee-" he stopped. The name dying on his tongue. Both blinked away tears. Their Noah were still sore about their deceased brother. "He," he settled on. He couldn't manage to say the name. "Was suppose to bring them back." She nodded.

"Would you like to come with me then?"

"No. I don't want to leave Tyki yet. He's still acting funny."

"Be careful. That little bitch has a hold on him. You're going to have to remove her claws from him one at a time without him realizing it."

"Yes, I noticed. He still hasn't come out of his room. I think her tantrum upset him. Though she did injure him. He's still not 100% better yet."

"He may never reach there Sheril." The man's eyes narrowed. "The damage runs deeper than we know. He wasn't the only one injured. That blasted sword injured Joyd too. That's all."

"I know," Sheril sighed, "but I'm not going to give up on him. He's my brother. So I won't be coming with you but I'll gladly cover for you." Lulu Bell smiled at her Noah brother and vanished through the ark. Sheril turned on his heels and walked up the stairs. He wanted to get Tyki to eat something. He needed to make sure that he was eating. He needed the energy to heal. He found himself in front of his brother's locked door far sooner than he realized. When had Tyki started keeping his door locked? "Tyki?" He rapped his knuckles against the wood of the door. The sound echoing in the hallway. "Tyki are you awake?"

"Go away Sheril. 'm trying to sleep." Sheril sighed at his brother.

"Tyki it's past noon. You need to eat something. I know sleeping helps speed up the process but you need to eat so you have energy to heal."

"I'm not hungry."

"You still need to eat."

"Leave me be Sheril."

"Tyki, please stop this."

"Go away." How long had this harpy been digging her claws into his very soul? Could he really do nothing to help his brother?

"Is he still in there?" Sheril glanced over at Road.

"Yeah, he won't even agree to eat anything."

"Maybe we should just let him rest for a while."

"He still needs to eat."

"I'll try to get him to eat." Sheril pouted but nodded and left. Perhaps Road would be the better choice for the job. He glanced back as Road's door disappeared from the hall.

"Please hurry up Lulu."

* * *

Morning came far too early for Luca but as usual Allen's stomach woke her. She sat up and rubbed her eye, trying to scrub the sleep away. The room was too small for the five of them. Kanda and Alma still slept in the other bed across from the one that she and Allen were currently curled up in. Lavi, still dead to the world, hanging out of the armchair with all his limbs which were far too long. She grumbled and pulled out a map.

"Is that what it's gonna be like every morning?" She looked over the edge of the map at Lavi.

"Like what?"

"His stomach waking us up."

"Oh that. Yeah probably gonna wanna get used to it. It's how I got woken up when we were training." She went back to the map.

"So what now?"

"We find a place that sells a lot of food at dirt cheap prices to feed ourselves before we start traveling. We have a lot of ground to cover. The farther away we are the better."

"Will we ever be safe?" She didn't answer him immediately. "Tell me the truth Luca."

"Most likely not. It's best not to think on it too much."

"That doesn't give a lot of hope for the future."

"I never took you for one who hoped."

"Yeah isn't that your job?" She snorted as she examined the map. It didn't have the information she wanted.

"Nope! That's Allen's job. I'm the realist. I make things happen."

"Right. Of course. How silly of me to forget."

"You'll get used to it. Don't worry."

"How do you switch so easily?"

"This was how we were before we came to the Order. The only difference was that Master chose where we were going." Her eyes stopped focusing on the map in front of her.

"Your Mas-"

She cut him off, "Cute aren't they?" He followed her gaze to where Alma was curled up as close as possible to Kanda who looked peaceful for once.

"Beautiful, I'm not you. I could never get away with that. He would actually kill me."

"And here I thought you had a death wish." He made a face at her but she just smiled and stood up. "So I guess you don't want to wake them up then?"

"No thank you."

"Then you can go out and get breakfast!"

"I hate you. You led me right into a trap."

"Only a little one."

"That's not fair."

"Life isn't fair." Lavi winced. Her tone changed again as her eyes narrowed. He'd reminded her of something else again. "But those are your choices. Find breakfast or wake Kanda and Alma. Or you can come with me and help me carry breakfast and I'll wake the others." Lavi thought about it for a moment.

"Deal!"

* * *

"That was good!" Alma cheered as breakfast finished. The five teenagers were still strewn about the small hotel room. Luca laughed from her place on the floor, leaning against the bed. "It's been so long since I've had real food!" He paused to think, tapping his chin as he did so. "Though it could have used some mayonnaise." Kanda sighed. He had almost forgotten the monstrous concoctions that Alma used to make and eat when they were children. The other three wrinkled their noses.

"I've been all over the world but I have never heard of putting mayonnaise on sugar doughnuts." Lavi answered.

"Yeah I gotta agree with Lavi there." Alma pouted at them while Allen patted him on the back.

"We won't stop you from eating it as long as you don't try to make us eat it." Alma beamed at Allen. Luca sighed, breakfast was finished which meant that it was time to get moving.

"Okay," Placing her hands on her knees she pushed herself to her feet, "since everyone is done it's time to get to work. We've got a lot to do. I've already split up the supplies that are needed." The others nodded. "Kanda you and Alma are going to get camping equipment." She handed him the list, her messy scrawl on it.

"Camping equipment, Beautiful are you sure?" Lavi questioned to which she nodded.

"We won't always be able to always be staying at a hotel. We're gonna have to sleep outside sometimes. It's best to have things ready when we do." They nodded.

"What's camping?" Alma asked.

"Oh boy." Luca sighed realizing that they'd be explaining a lot of things to Alma. "Kanda can fill you in while you're buying the stuff."

"Okay!" He chirped missing the glare that was shot at the girl.

"Lavi, you're on food and a first aid kit. You guys need to be back here in four hours."

"Lu what about us?" Luca turned to Allen.

"You're gonna hold still while I tend to your stomach wound. You were so tired that I haven't been able to deal with it." Allen nodded. The other three got up and left with the money she gave them.

"Lavi! Don't forget the mayonnaise!" Alma shouted as they parted ways. Luca snorted and shook her head.

"Alright take off your shirt and lay down." The siblings were quiet as Luca worked. Allen opened his mouth then closed it. He repeated the process several times. He didn't know what to say it or even where to start. How do you apologize for uprooting somebody's entire life?

* * *

Luca slapped the hand that was wandering towards her butt and glared at the man. He grinned lecherously at her.

"Come on Sweetcheecks, I'll make ya feel real good."

"Oh are you going to drop dead?" He blinked at her a couple times and she walked away. She dodged another fight breaking out as she stepped up to the bar. "Refill these please and pour me a glass of whiskey." The bartender looked from her to the flasks she pushed towards him.

"Sure thing." She sipped at the glass as she looked around at the rundown bar and it's patrons, if they could even be called that. They were more like rats.

"Klaus please you're drunk. Please come home." Her eyes darted over to a young woman with blonde hair making an attempt to pull a man away from a poker ring.

"Are you really gonna let yourself get told what to do by your bitch?" One of the other guys hiccuped. Klaus stood and backhanded the girl across the face.

"Go home and wait!" he yelled. Luca pushed herself up off the bar and walked over.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you to behave around a lady?" Klaus looked at her with disgust as she placed herself between him and his wife.

"Who do you think you are?"

"You should be thankful she married you." He glared at her. "You obviously can't care for yourself. I bet she has to do everything huh?"

"That's it!" he slurred swinging his fist at her. Rolling her eyes Luca kicked him through the wall. She bent down and offered her hand to the woman still on the floor.

"Are you alright?" The woman took it.

"Yes, thank you."

"Hey Miss, your whiskey is ready." She nodded at the man.

"My name's Luca. What's yours?"

"Sophie. Thank you for helping me."

"It was my pleasure. Say Sophie would you like to go somewhere quieter?"

* * *

"So you came home late last night." Lavi's eyes slid over to Luca. She shot him a smirk as she picked up a waistcoat to look at it.

"Yeah I found something pretty interesting. Kept me occupied for a while."

"Is that what they're calling it these days?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"So was he cute?" Lavi was looking at a shirt for himself. Across the store Allen was helping Alma find clothes as Kanda had been, unsurprisingly, unhelpful.

"Yeah. She was adorable, soft spoken but not meek. Though she wasn't so soft spoken after we got started." Luca examined the pinstripes on the waistcoat. Would it accentuate her figure or her height? She didn't want her height accentuated. She hated it. Being short sucked. It soon occurred to her that Lavi didn't answer. She glanced over, "Lav?" He stood frozen, face red, mouth hanging open like a fish, just staring at her. "Lavi? Are you okay?" Still he didn't move. "Hello? Earth to Lavi?" She waved her hand in front of his face then rapped on his head with her knuckles. "Anyone in there?" There was no reaction. "Guess not." Shrugging her shoulders she went back to the waistcoats. She could use a few more. She hissed as her gloved hand hit the wrack. Frowning, she rubbed it.

"Wait! So you hooked up with a woman?"

"Finally back?" Luca snorted placing her hands on her hips.

"Just answer the question please."

"Yeah. Her husband was a jackass though."

"Wait! You had a threesome with a couple?!" Luca winced as Lavi yelled. Every head in the store turned towards them. Allen looked horrified while Alma just looked confused. He turned to Kanda who wouldn't meet his gaze.

"No you idiot!" She smacked him upside the head. "The husband was being a jackass. He was drunk so I put him in his place and then one thing led to another." She shrugged.

"But you still slept with a married woman?"

"Yeah I guess," she shrugged again, "I wasn't really thinking about that." His mouth hung open for a moment before snapping shut. She moved over to a different rack with more waistcoats.

"I didn't know you were into girls." Lavi moved over to her, his voice was at a normal level this time.

"Yeah, there something wrong with that?" He could see her watching him out of the corner of her eye.

"No. Not at all. I just didn't know." She didn't say anything for a moment, her eyes darting to the other patrons.

"I guess you missed my flings at the Order then."

"No, you're pulling my leg." He accused narrowing his eye at her.

"Nope."

"Who?"

"I never kiss and tell."

"Luca!" he whined but she simply smiled and winked.

* * *

Luca's heels clacked as she walked down the cobblestone in the dark. Even though she had changed her gloves she swore she could still see Allen's blood staining them. She had even thrown those gloves away. She looked down at her hands. They were shaking. She rubbed her knuckles in an attempt to easy the pain coursing through them. Music drew her out of her thoughts. It was late in the night who would be playing music? She grinned when she saw the tavern.

"Yeah I could go for a drink right about now." Veering right she walked into the tavern and up to the bar. "Whiskey on the rocks please." Nodding the bartender walked off. Settling down on a stool she turned to watch the band. Noting when her whiskey was placed at her elbow. She nodded her thanks at the man and took a sip enjoy the feeling of the burn from her throat all the way down to her stomach. Her foot tapped along to the beat of the music. It was pretty good in her opinion. She shifted as something pushed on her mind. Glaring she pushed the bricks back into place. Something else moved in her mindscape and it wasn't her or anything that belong to her. She forced it back, slapping more seals in place. Still it wormed in. She plugged the hole but could see the cracks forming in it. Her mind raced for a spell to plaster them with. It was too late, she felt something wash over her.

" _Come here."_ A voice drifted through her head. Her eyes darted around. That was the last thing she had been expecting.

"What the hell?"

" _Come here."_ Again the voice was there. Her ouroboros ring heated up causing her to glance down at it before looking around the tavern. It was mostly filled with drunken men who would no doubt be staggering home or to the nearest alley in the morning. " _Come here child."_ Her eyes narrowed at that.

" _Don't call me a child."_

" _You certainly have an attitude."_

" _You're in my head. I think I have the right."_

" _I am not your enemy ch-"_ they caught themselves off clearly about to call her child again.

" _Speaking of which why are you in my head?"_

" _Come sit down. This is taxing on my powers."_ Luca glanced around slowly reaching out with her ki. She felt the jolt of power when the other ki connected with hers. A woman sat in the farthest booth in the back of the tavern. " _Over here."_ Luca waved at the bartender and he filled her glass again. She sat down in the booth across from the woman.

"How did you do that?" Luca asked immediately causing the other to smile.

"Always in search of more knowledge are we?" Luca nodded.

"I have been studying magic for a long time." She raised an eyebrow as she noted the striking red hair still vibrant. "Creating a fountain of youth was my first project. I am far older than I appear. Something you know well."

"How did you do it though? It's been a long time since somebody got past my walls."

"More experience. As you grow and use magic more you'll learn weaknesses and be able to spot them quicker. You're incredibly tenacious though. I'll give you that. That was by far my longest struggle. I'm very impressed for someone so young."

"Why did you call me over here?" Gold eyes smiled mischievously.

"Are you always so hostile?"

"You just tore through my mental defenses like they were made of mud. I believe I'm allowed to be apprehensive about you."

"You've got a good head on your shoulders Luca."

Eyes widened as she gasped, "You know my name?"

"Yes. You don't have much time, Luca-"

"How do you know my name?"

"That part isn't important. You need to listen to me."

"How can I trust you if you won't even tell me how you know my name?"

"Because it doesn't mean anything."

"Then just tell me."

"You're not listening to me."

"You aren't answering my question."

"Lucaria! Listen to me!" She froze hearing her full name. "The crystals are not what they seem. Prepare, they can still see you."

"What?" She asked. Looking around the woman was gone. Jumping to her feet she saw red hair in the crowd. Luca tried to chase after her but the staggering drunks made it impossible. She stood defeated in the middle of the tavern. Grumbling under her breath she grabbed her glass and went back to the bar for another drink. She was still nursing her third drink when another woman walked up to the bar and sat on her left, her long straight brown hair was pinned up.

"It's not often I see another woman in here." Luca's eyes darted over to the woman.

"Yeah I guess it's rare. Most are married probably." At that thought Luca glanced down at the woman's fingers. Bare.

"I can't say I see the appeal of that."

"I agree with you there sister." Luca turned around to face the bar, putting the woman on her right. She copied her actions. The woman took a sip of her drink.

"I take it you're not married then."

"I doubt I'll ever get married. Love isn't for me."

"Marriage isn't about love."

"For some it is and for some it isn't. Either way, marriage isn't going to happen."

"So why isn't love for you?" Luca smirked at the woman.

Why do you ask? Are you interested?"

"In you?" The woman asked coyly. Luca nodded causing the woman to give her a sly smile. "Maybe."

"I'm flattered. I didn't know I was your type Lulu Bell." The Noah froze, turning to her with wide hazel eyes, flecks of gold and green in them.

"How did you know?" She hissed through clenched teeth. Luca smiled pleasantly at her.

"You can change your appearance all you want. What you can't change is your aura. I will always know it's you. You can't fool me with my ki."

"You can use that?"

"Yep." She popped the p and took another sip of the whiskey. Swirling it around in the glass a bit. The two women were quiet for a moment. "I suppose you're here to kill me or perhaps you were genuine in your flirting, which needs some work by the way. You don't have much charm. You need to be smoother in your approach and not so robotic." Luca never thought she'd find herself sitting in a tavern giving advice to one of her most hated enemies on flirting of all things. _What an odd day today is turning out to be._ _Oh well_ , she shrugged her shoulder, _when has my life ever been normal?_ she didn't have an answer to her question.

"Kill you. Why would I flirt with you?" Luca shrugged again.

"Dunno. People are weird. You never know what they're gonna do."

"Is it really so hard for you to speak properly?"

"I don't really think about it much. Why? Does it bother you?"

"Yes."

"Huh." Another moment of silence pasted. "So can I finish my drink first?" Lulu Bell rolled her eyes but nodded. The girl downed it in one go, stood and left some money on the bar by her empty glass.

"Where are you going?" Lulu Bell demanded as the other left. Getting to her feet she stalked after her. "You won't get away from me!"

"Relax." Luca turned to face her, one hip cocked out to the side. "You'll get your fight. I figured we'd go somewhere without things or people to get in the way. Last thing I need is a big commotion." Silently Lulu Bell followed her. Was she leading her into a trap? No, it didn't seem like her. She liked to fight her own battles. Still a field was a bad idea. The alley was empty enough. The whip snapped out at the dark haired girl who just barely moved. "Attacking my back, I thought that was a dirty trick." She mocked.

"I know you won't play fair and would do the exact same thing. Why should I follow the rules if you won't? Are you going to draw your weapon or not?" Her eyes drifted across the girl's shoulders, exposed by the peasant blouse that she wore. Last time the girl had pulled the liquid innocence from her arms but this time they were bare.

"I suppose I should." She rolled the heavy cuffs of her gloves down again revealing two stigmata on the inside of her wrists. "Invoke!" The blood poured from the wounds and floated around the girl just as it had done last time.

"That's new." The Noah's eyes narrowed. Instead of the pitch black as it had been before it now held a red sheen. "Is that really your blood?"

"Not quite. It creates an unidentifiable metal using my blood fused with with the innocence."

"That's disgusting."

"Whatever you say."

"Stop shrugging off everything I say." The girl shrugged again much to the other's fury and sent the innocence flying. The woman dodged, dropping to the ground in the form of water.

"Oh great. You're not gonna do that the whole time are you? Seriously if you are I'm gonna leave. I didn't sign up to fight a puddle." Slowly the woman took shape again.

"I will not make the same mistakes as last time. I am well aware of what you can do with a bladed weapon in your hand. Even your gauntlets are dangerous. You are dangerous." The woman transformed into a large black dragon.

"That's no fair! That's my trick!" Luca protested. The large tail snapped out. She jumped over it landing on her feet. "Release! Level 2: Harbinger!" The gauntlets wrapped around her arms and she just barely caught the large paw intending to slam her into the ground. She moved her feet wider for better balance but still struggled as the Noah leaned her weight down on her. She swung her tail out again. It connected with the other's stomach knocking the wind from her and allowing the giant paw to hit the ground pinning her down. She applied more pressure waiting for the symphony of the brunette's ribs breaking. She'd shatter the ribs one by one until every bone in her chest was broken; just as the girl had done to Tyki. Her stupid, stupid Noah brother. She'd free him from this vixen's hold.

"I remember our last fight. I won't give you the time need to allow you to use that ability again. I have learned from my mistakes."

Luca smirked despite her lack of air, "You don't understand Hunter's abilities. Reap, Nightmare's Mark!" The energy exploded knocked the dragon off and sent her hurtling into the wall destroying most of the building. Luckily it appeared to be empty housing. Lulu Bell staggered out of the wreckage.

"I don't understand. You just released your power how can you have the energy? You just released your second level."

"If you haven't figured it out by now then you never will. I will admit I am surprised that the Earl didn't explain what happened last time." The girl shrugged.

"I know what you did!" Lulu Bell snapped angrily, "You murdered one of my brothers in cold blood."

"He attacked first. I was just defending myself. This is war. People die. I warned him anyway; gave a disclaimer and everything. Besides," her eyes narrowed dangerously, "you were trying to kill my brother. They got what they deserved." Shrieking in rage the woman attack. The whip snapping out with a loud snap. The innocence met it head on shielding the girl. Cracks filled the air as the whip hit the wall again and again.

"You have no idea how it feels! To mourn your brother! I couldn't stop crying no matter what! I wasn't the only one who cried! Lustol cried! Our Noah mourns the loss of a brother too!"

"You think I don't know what it feels like to lose somebody? That's bullshit!" The innocence snapped out sending the woman crashing into the wall. Lulu Bell got to her feet.

"It's physically painful! Clenching my heart as if somebody was squeezing it." She clutched her heart as if she could actually feel the pain at the very moment.

"That's called grief! We all feel it! No matter who we are! I've felt in many times. I know exactly how it feels. Don't you dare try to tell me what I have or haven't felt! You know nothing about me!" The brunette was in front of her before she could react. Hands wrapped around her throat slamming her into the wall. The innocence crackling like lightning restrained by her veins reacting to the girl's raging emotions. Her green eyes blazed with her fury as her chest heaved. The woman stared at each other for a moment neither breaking eye contact. The air between the two was scorching and Luca swore she could feel the heat on her skin. Her blood coursing through her veins like fire. Lips met lips feverously. Limbs reverted back and innocence slid back into veins. A tongue shoved past slightly parted lips. Lulu Bell gasped as warm metal brushed against her top lip and clipped her teeth. Did she have a piercing in her tongue? She moaned as it ran along the roof of her mouth. The rogue tongue exploring every inch. Her fingers grabbed the curly locks yanking the ponytail free harshly allowing the locks to fall past round hips. They parted only for Luca's lips to attached to her neck, nipping and kissing down towards to her collarbone. She gasped loudly as the girl bite down particularly hard before sucking at the wound as she shoved her into the wall. The older woman couldn't move or think. The girl's mouth was wicked and sinful. It felt heavenly. How long had it been since she had let go? Her hands moved down the girl's back, feeling every curve as they went, pulling her closer as she groped the girl's butt squeezing it earning her a loud moan. Long fingers threaded into blonde hair and wrenched it back for better access. The action pulling a groan from full lips. She could feel the hickies forming all along her neck, the jagged bricks digging into her back roughly. Her jacket was ripped from her body, the buttons that popped off were ignored.

"The bricks, Ugh, the bricks." Lulu Bell whined breathlessly as the girl's hands slid under her vest gripping her breasts.

"Deal with it." She yelped when the woman pinched her butt hard.

"Move." It was clearly an order.

"Fine. Inside." Luca tossed the Noah onto the bed ignoring the dust cloud that came from it. Lulu Bell let out a gasp slightly winded but the girl was already on top of her and her own fingers were popping the buttons of the indigo waistcoat above her and shoving it off slight shoulders.

* * *

Luca stirred lazily. She had yet to open her eyes but already had the feeling that she had made a stupid and god awful decision. Slowly she pushed herself up feeling the musty sheets, that would have been nice if they had been new, slip down her bare body. That was a bad sign. A really bad sign. Slowly she turned over as to not wake her unwitting partner. Her eyes bulged out of her head as she saw Lulu Bell asleep next to her. She was also naked.

"Oh fuck me." She whispered, hiding her head in her hands."I can't believe I did that. I am so screwed," she paused and sighed, "again. Definitely a regrettable decision. She needed to get out of here. Sliding out of the bed she dressed stealthily keeping an eye on the Noah to make sure that she stayed asleep. She looked around in the low light she felt like she was missing something but couldn't pinpoint what it was. Shrugging her shoulders she grabbed her utility garter belts and tip toed out the door her boots in hand. Once outside she stepped into her boots and made her way back to the hotel in the early light of twilight. She hoped she'd get back before the sun rose. She would be in so much trouble if they found out where she had been. _How did that even happen? What the hell was I thinking?! With Lulu Bell of all people? Ugh! Noah! What the hell! Oh gods above and below help me_ , she moaned silent in her head as she fixed her belts into place making sure that straps around her thighs were secure.

* * *

Lulu Bell woke leisurely. Gradually she realized that her sheets were grainy and smelled stale. They couldn't possibly be her sheets. Sitting up with a start, her eyes flashed around the room as she tried to figure out where she was and what happened. Clothes were strewn about and she looked down, she was naked. The room was small, chunks of of the walls were falling apart. Immediately it all came back to her. She had hunted down the Walker siblings but had only managed to locate Luca. She approached the girl in disguise and flirted, hoping to lure her away and kill her when her back was turned but the girl had known it was her. Exposed by her ki. Dressing with haste, she slipped back into the ark, walking as quickly as she could without running. She passed a mirror and stopped. Covering her exposed skin were hickies. They were everywhere. Her tie had been ripped and the buttons on her vest were gone. Buttoning her shirt all the way up rapidly and headed for her room.

"Lulu," she froze. Eyes widening before snapping shut, she bit back a whimper, "you're back." Sheril stood behind her. "How did it go?" He paused and she could feel his eyes roaming her figure. "What happened to your clothes?" _How the hell do I explain that I went to kill the enemy and ended up sleeping with one of them?! What would the others say?_ the thoughts raced in her her head.

"They uh, got away. My clothes got destroyed in the battle."

"Ah. That energy blast right?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to face me?"

"I'm not feeling too well. I'm tired and sore. It was a long and hard battle. I'm going to go lay down." Sheril's eyes narrowed as she hurried away. That was weird. What was going on with his family?! He weighed his options. Should he go after his Noah sister or give her, the space she wanted. He hadn't noticed any wounds so was she lying? Why would she lie? The thoughts swirled around in his head as he just stood in the hallway pondering the strangeness of his family.

* * *

"We should probably move out today." Lavi spoke as they sat around eating dinner. The cramped hotel room was getting oppressive.

"What? Already? But we just got here." Alma whined.

"No, Lavi's right, we shouldn't stay in one place for too long." Luca sighed, she had managed to sneak back in without anybody noticing that she had been out all night. Only that she had been out late. "If we do the Noah or the CROWS could find us and we don't want that." She left out the part that a Noah had already found them. They didn't need to know that.

"So where to then?" Kanda asked.

"East. Away from the Vatican. I said that when we got there. Maybe towards Belarus. We'll probably wander all around Europe and Asia but we should let things settle down before we head back west." She answered easily looking out the only window in the room. Allen reached over and grabbed her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She smiled at him, silently thanking. The words hung heavy in the air and the rest of the mean was silent. Luca snuggled into Allen as Lavi turned the lights off.

"Luca," Turning her head, green eyes landed on the tall form of her teacher. Luca turned to face him even though he was facing away from her. It was common for him, an attempt to distance himself from the pair of children who depended on him so he didn't get attached to them. "How many times do I have to tell you?" he didn't pause long enough for her to answer him. "Don't get attached to Allen. You aren't listening to me."

"Why Master?" she took a couple steps towards him through the tall grass. "You keep saying that but you never give me a reason. If you think that he's going to die then train us more. What's so bad about having a family, I don't care if he's not my blood. Real family is the people who are there for you." Cross sighed letting a stream of smoke past his lips.

"Just do as I say brat."

"That's not an answer Master." Luca protested ignoring the nickname, having long since been used to it.

"Brat-" He was cut off by a silver blade being driven into his back. Luca screamed.

"MASTER!" The man fell to the ground unmoving, his blood dyeing the golden field a deep crimson.

"It doesn't matter how you struggle. You will never escape. All of your efforts are futile. You will die in vain just as all of those before you have. Just as he has done." The tall blonde woman looked at the body in boredom nudging it with her foot. "What did I tell you, Liebling? None of them survive. I can save you. Come with me. Embrace your bloodline."

"Luca!" Allen's voice calling out to her distracted her from the woman and her Master's corpse. Spinning towards her brother 's voice Luca found him standing right in front of her.

"Ahh!" Involuntarily shrieking Luca couldn't stop her fist in time before in connected with her brother's face. "Allen! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit you." She offered her hand to pull him back to his feet.

"It's fine. I should know better than to be so close without you knowing." Accepting her hand Allen let's her pull him to his feet.

"So what was it that you needed? Was it Master?" Allen didn't even look over her shoulder at their master.

"Remember what I said Luca." Upon hearing her master's voice again, she looked behind her again for him. Still there was nothing behind her.

"The crystals are not what they seem. Prepare, they can still see you." She knew that voice yet she couldn't place it. Where?

"I think I'm losing my mind." Luca sighed after finding herself alone with her brother.

"Master?" His voice changed. "I don't have a master. Nobody tells me what to do."

"Allen?" She asked looking at her brother. Why would he say that? To her horror Allen's eyes turned gold.

"No!"

"Oh yes."

"No! Give him back! It's not your body!"

"It is now."

"No it's not you son of a bitch!"

"Yes it is."

"Give him back! Give him back right now!" Tears pricked at her eyes in frustration. She couldn't breathe. She wouldn't allow him to have Allen. He'd have to kill her before she would stop. She'd never give up! "Give him back!" She grabbed him by his exorcist jacket and shook him violently as if that would wake him up.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Allen is gone." Instead of pushing her off him, he pulled her into a hug. She tried to struggled but was unable to move. Her body wouldn't listen to her commands. "Don't worry Lulu," her eyes widened and she started shrieking.

"Don't call me that! NEVER call me that! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO USE THAT NICKNAME!"

"Hush Lulu, it's going to be okay. You're my sister. It's a term of affection. We'll get through this."

"I'm not your sister and you're NOT my brother and you will never be my brother!" He released her and smiled.

"Of course you are." The shadows licked at his feet like fire then began to crawl up his form and the fourteenth disappeared with Allen's body

"Allen!" Luca shouted trying to call her brother from the darkness that had consumed him. "Allen! Come back! Allen!" Looking around Luca found herself completely and utterly alone. Allen and Master were both gone. Suddenly she could no long breathe. The darkness was closing in on her. She sank to her knees and covered her face. There was no escape. She was trapped. Her family was gone. She was alone. So very alone.

"Why are you crying Butterfly?" Luca looked up to find Tyki standing in front of her. What was he doing here?

"What are, what are you doing here?" She spoke slowly. She didn't understand. Where did he come from?

"Why are you crying Butterfly?" he repeated his question as he knelt down in front of her.

"My brother. He's gone. Master is dead! And now Allen is gone too." He wrapped her up in his arms. She rested her forehead against his shoulder. His presence, ironically, was comforting. "NO!" she shot to her feet and away from him. He frowned.

"What are you doing Butterfly?"

"NO! Stay away from me! I don't want to talk to you."

"Come now. Don't be like that."

"Leave!"

"Don't say that. You know you don't want to be alone." He walked closer to her attempting to hug her again.

"NO!" She shoved him away, and he stumbled from the force used. "This is all your fault! You and your damn family! You couldn't just leave us alone!"

"But-" she cut him off.

"I HATE YOU!"

"Oh Butterfly, he's gone because you failed. The fourteenth has consumed him whole and now he's gone. You didn't save him. Your futile attempts were disastrous. All you did was speed up the process. You've made everything worse. As usual." Luca bit her lip, she wanted him to stop talking. His words, they stung.

"What? No, I haven't tried anything on him yet. How could it have sped up?" She was confused and scared. "No, that's not possible. Stop it! GO TO HELL! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" Tyki snorted and glared at her in a way she had never seen before.

"I thought you didn't want to see me again? You're going to hell too."

"STOP!" Fire began to consume him.

"I guess I'll see you there."

"NO!" Luca shot up in bed, flailing as she tried to untangle her limbs from her blankets. It was too hot. She needed out! Everything was closing in on her. She was suffocating. There was no way out! She fell off her bed and onto the ground. Immediately the lights flicked on and people began to yell.

"Aaahh! What happened?" Alma asked eyes wide.

"What's going on?! Who screamed?" Lavi jumped up from the floor where he had fallen, woken from his sound sleep.

"The hell Luca?" Kanda demanded furiously. Luca heard none of this as she skittered back against the wall and away form the loud noises. Slamming her hands over her ears and screwing her eyes shut.

"Lu! Luca! Luca!" Allen called trying to pull his sister out from where she was huddled beneath the window sill curling up as much as she possibly could. "Luca! Luca it was just a nightmare. Whatever it was didn't actually happen!"

"Is she okay?" Alma asked prodding Kanda in the side gently. His question didn't get an answer. "Yu? Is she?" Slowly Kanda shook his head. Alma frowned. He didn't like that answer.

"Luca!" Allen yanked the girl out from her hiding spot and into his arms. She struggled violently.

"NO! No! NO! Get off me! Get off me! No! NO! No!"

"LUCA!" Green eyes shot open and looked around wildly. Upon seeing Allen she stopped flailing and threw her arms around him. Allen could feel his sister shaking in his arms. "Shhh. It's okay. It was just a nightmare. It's not real. Shhh. It's okay. Whatever it was, it's not happening. You're safe. I'm safe. We're all safe. Shhh. Shhh" He smoothed her unruly locks and waited for the trembling to stop.

Breakfast was eaten in silence. Nobody spoke of the sudden awakening. Luca fidgeted the whole time. Her leg bounced at high speed. She did her best to ignore the worried looks she was receiving.

"Okay! So how are we getting out of Luxembourg?" Lavi asked when he could take the silence no more.

"By train." Luca answered quietly. "We'll hop a train which will take us through Germany all the way to the border of Poland."

"Poland is a long way from here Beautiful, especially without the ark. That'll take several days. Why the long haul?" She turned away from them, her eyes moving from the window, to the ground and then to the window again.

"I just really want to get through Germany." She was shaking.

"You bought train tickets?" Kanda asked in disbelief breaking the awkward silence. "Why the hell are we sharing a crummy hotel room if you have the money for train tickets?" She glared at him.

"I said hop a train. We're getting on illegally. We'll hide out in the baggage car and get off before they unload. It's how migrant workers and vagabonds usually move. We're saving money and sharing a crummy hotel room so we can feed ourselves. No food, no energy, no escape." She snapped. Alma grabbed Kanda's hand and gave it a light squeeze. "We'll be living in tight quarters," She stood up brushing herself off and headed for the door, "so you may want to get used to it. I'm going out. I have a few things to pick up."

"I'll come with you!" Allen jumped up and rushed over to her.

"The rest of you be ready. The train leaves at 3:45." The other three nodded and the siblings left only one aware of the extra footsteps. They were silent for most of the way. Finally Luca spoke, "Does it bother you?"

"Does what bother me?" Allen asked, secretly hoping that she was talking about the nightmare. He wanted to know what had scared her so badly last night, well this morning really. She never flailed the way she had when he had first tried to comfort her. His brows furrowed the more he thought about it.

"Train hopping?" His face fell but he masked it quickly.

"No. Not at all. I understand you're doing the best you can Lu. I know you weren't expecting the others to tag along. What would have lasted us 4 months will maybe, maybe last us 2 now if we're lucky."

"Which we never are." She snorts, a slight smile spread across her face. He didn't notice the quick glance behind them.

"Yeah I'll agree with you there." He chewed on his lip for a moment. "What did you dream about last night?" Instantaneously the smile disappeared and the frown was back.

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"Lu..."

"Please drop it Al." He looked away at the begging tone her voice help. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." He sighed in defeat. The only noise between them was a light ringing. Allen looked around for the source. Finally he found it. A small bell was tied to the black and purple taupe striped ribbon holding his sister's ponytail back. "That's new."

"What is?" She looked around. He chuckled and gave a light tug to the tail end of the ribbon, careful not to pull it free.

"This."

"Oh, yeah. Do you like it?"

"I do." He paused, "What happened to the other one?" Her mind drifted back to the box where the ribbon now lay with the necklace.

"I got rid of it. I didn't want it anymore."

"Really?" She could hear the doubtfulness in his voice.

"I've decided that I don't want anything to do with him." He smiled and nodded.

"Good. I'm proud of you Lu. I'm glad to hear that you're moving on. I was starting to get worried it was serious."

"There's no need for concern. He was nothing more than a phase; that's past now. We're all good."

"Excellent." Green eyes glanced over her shoulder. They moved from shop to shop. Allen wasn't even sure what it was they were buying. Or if she was buying anything. With Luca it was entirely possible that she was just wasting time, like spending 40 minutes looked at different cookware that they couldn't possibly use, not wanting to be in that hotel room anyway. He didn't blame her. "Luca what are we doing here?" Allen looked around the small stand.

"Getting supplies," her eyes slid past him, "obviously."

"Supplies?"

"Yes, dear brother. Supplies."

"What kind of supplies? This looks like grass to me."

"Aaahh," the woman chuckled lightly, "he's not one of us is he?" Allen glanced between the owner and his sister several times.

"What?"

"No, he's sweet but he knows nothing about the Earth and her gifts to us." Luca answered as she picked up the greens smelling them.

"Oh! You're an herbalist." The woman nodded and smiled, mischief twinkling in her honey colored eyes.

"That I am young man. Your sister is very intune with our home. If you let her take the time to gather the herbs she needs and or wants they will save you in times of need. You never know what you'll need and when, but Mother Earth will never leave her children unprepared even if we don't know it."

"Can I have these please?" Luca held out a bunch of different herbs that Allen couldn't tell apart. They all looked the same. _Sure some of the leaves were shaped differently but not all the leaves of the same tree were uniform right? How does she keep track of all these? No only does Lu keep track of what they look like and the names that go with them but also what they do. Wait where is she keeping them? Are they in one of her little pouches? Does she have a bigger box that holds different ones? What happened to that thing she had in that extra room of hers? She had used it to crush up those other herbs_ , the thoughts swirled around in his head. "Oh no I couldn't."

"Please I insist. It's so rare to meet one of my own kind now a days. You simply must let me give you the discount." Luca pouted at the woman but nodded.

"If I really can't change your mind."

"You can't." She smiled and handed Luca the bag.

"Thank you!"

"Have a nice day Dear." Luca waved and headed off. The woman grabbed Allen by the wrist before he could get very far. "Your sister is gifted, do not let your guard down. Others will try to use her for their own selfish gain." Allen nodded startled as she released him. "Don't forget what I said. Guard your sister." Eyes jumping forward Allen jogged after Luca who stood several meters away looking confused. She cocked her head to the side.

"What did she say to you?"

"I, uh, I had a leaf stuck to my sleeve."

"Oh. Okay."

"We should start heading back. We don't want to miss the train." She didn't answer him. "Lu are you alright?" He turned to look down the street. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary. "Luca what are you looking for?"

"Huh? Oh nothing don't worry about it. Why don't we look around for a little bit. I doubt it's all that late yet."

"Too cramped?" She nodded.

"It's gonna be like that. We're gonna have to make some money in Poland too."

"Yeah I figured we would. It's a long trip to Poland and with our own food too."

"I know," she rubbed the back of her left foot along her calf, "I just really want to get through Ger-"

"You don't have to tell me. You never have to go back there." He pulled her into a hug. "I won't let her have you. I promise."

"Thanks Al, I-" Allen's cry of pain cut her off and he fell to the ground clutching his head. His skin turned dark and his eyes, though hazy, gold. "No! No no no no no no no no no no no! Allen wake up. Don't let him take you. You're stronger than him." Diving into her back pouch she fished around for the other spell tags. She dropped to her knees next to him eyes widened and mouth gaping spell tag forgotten as large white feather like appendages like the ones she had seen on Alma's innocence began to protrude from his arm.

"Aaaaggggghhh!" Allen's wail echoed drawing attention from all around them. Luca snarled as one man came closer.

"Stay away Cardinal." Scooping Allen up she shot into the alleyway her brother tossed over her shoulder. She could hear the man following them. Darting this way and that she ran farther and farther away from the crowds yet still he persisted.

"I can help him. If you let him fall asleep he'll be gone forever. Let me help." She ignored the man and ran harder ignoring the man and his lies. The church couldn't be trusted. She had always known that but they proved it with the whole Third exorcists debacle. Her boots skidded along the ground as she came to a dead end.

"Fuck!" She set Allen down, resting his back against the wall. "Just hang on," she placed her hands on either side of his head to look him in the eye, "I'll be right back. I promise." She stood and turned to face him.

"I only want to help."

"We don't want your help." She hissed back.

"There's no reason to be difficult. You're wasting what precious little time he has left."

"What are you? You don't feel human." He was in front of her before she could blink. She just barely blocked his punch. "You're fast." Hooking her foot around his ankle, she yanked his feet out from under him. Pivoting on the same foot she planted the other one in his chest throwing him back down the alleyway. "Is that all?" she asked when he didn't reemerge from the dust cloud.

"I don't have time for this." She was smashed through the wall as she register his voice, her head and heart pounding.

"Aaaaggggghhh! Ughhh! Aaaahhh!" Allen's screams echo in her head. Her muscles move, pushing rubble away tossing it uncaring. Only one thing mattered. Her brother. He was in pain and she needed to stop it. No matter the cost. Launching herself at the strange creature she threw him into the wall.

"Allen!" Rushing to her brother's side she tried to break the white feathers off ignoring the pain as they sliced her palms and fingers open. "Allen wake up!" The largest feather threw her off and into the wall. Blood poured from the new wound in her shoulder. "Allen you have to control Crown Clown!" She leapt back to her feet ignoring it. Hunter quickly called the blood back into her veins.

"You're stronger than I thought." Abruptly her heart spasmed violently causing her body to convulse. Through her blurry vision she could see his feet from her place on the ground. She struggled to control her innocence which was spiking through her heart wildly. Burning and freezing in her veins sending fire and electricity through her entire body. Her own power turned inward and against her. "I will say that I'm impressed that you're still conscious. Most would be dead from that." He walked passed leaving her to suffer. "Everyone has been so worried about Allen. Especially the Heart." Green eyes widened and instead she reached into her own soul. The cardinal froze straining against the magic that now wound around him.

"I understand now. So you're THAT thing huh? I should have realized it earlier. You have no ki." He looked over his shoulder following the chains back to her hands planted firmly on the ground. He glared at her.

"So that traitor told you too?" Her eyes narrowed.

"I would be careful what you say."

"I'll just have to dispose of you too. Traitors will be executed." Once again Crown Clown's feathers jumped to life impaling into the ground where she had been moments before.

"Damn it. Köcsög (Motherfucker)!"

"That spell was strong but stationary."

"So you made me move."

"I'm surprised you can move in the first place." He reached out with his hand and she felt Hunter strain against the seal, blood continued to pour down her chest.

"That trick won't work on me. Not this time." His foot connected with her ribcage snapping several bones out of place forcing a scream from her lips.

"STOP!" Crown Clown spears through the man's head in a desperate attempt to save the girl. Allen froze as he realized he killed a man. Slowly he walked away from the girl's body, unfazed by the innocence driven right through his head.

"You truly do possess amazing spiritual power, still being able to move after all that. There is noone more deeply connected to innocence than you." The man cupped Allen's face lovingly with a smile causing the boy to shiver. It reminded him too much of how Luca would do the same. His eyes widened. Luca! "You grew up to be a beautiful exorcist, Allen. There's no need to be afraid." Visions began to flash before his eyes. "You're going to become one with me." Allen howled as pain and feather exploded through his eyes.

Luca scrambled out of the ruins of the wall. Pain flooded her system. It was all she could feel. Her breath ragged and uneven, chest screaming with each gasp of air taken. Still she pushed forward. She staggered to the side grasping the jagged piece of wall to stead herself. The ground beneath her feet moved like the ocean, yet her head was stuffed with cotton. A door appeared. A white blur shout out of it.

"Need a hand, Boy?" The large blast of dark matter blinded her momentarily but she could still hear Allen's ragged distressed breathing. She needed to get to him. Even if she couldn't fix what was wrong she wouldn't let him deal with it on his own. The Noah wasn't important. She'd kill them once Allen was safe.

"7,000 years. After 7,000 years. I finally found it." Luca froze. That voice. It broke through the pain. She remembered that voice. She had nightmares about that voice.

"ALLEN?!" Was that Road? Her vision was blurry. "It's okay! It's okay now." Allen's panting ceased.

Tyki watched Road comfort Allen for a moment before a smell stole his attention. Whirling around he found Luca slumped against the wall. His body moved before he realized it. Joyd pushing to go to her as they saw her injuries. Arms wrapping around her he cradled her against him. She let out a cry of pain her fingernails digging into his skin. A hand was pressed against her ribs and ragged breathing. _Something's wrong with her ribs! She can't breathe properly_ , a hand slamming into her ribcage and something snapped back into place with a loud click. He held her as she did it again. And again. He winced with each pop. Her gasping evened out. He looked her over anxiously. From her busted lip to the blood gushing down her chest, staining her shirt red and waistcoat brown. It rolled down her face and into her eye. He ignored the markings on her fingers as he inspected the deep lacerations carved into her palms and fingers as if she had been playing with knives. Tyki easily tucked her under his chin listening to her steadying breathing as Joyd rage in his head. Listing every way they would slaughter whoever had harmed their mate. She trembled slightly causing him to pull her closer uncaring of the red liquid that now stained his white uniform and cloak that draped over her small frame. It didn't matter. It never did. Not in comparison to her. A series of cracks had them all turning. They watched as the man twisted and popped limbs back into place. Tyki glared at it, noting the blood that stained it's shoes and she was the only one bleeding.

"Noah? By God do you think that you own the world? This has nothing to do with you so leave." Luca's lips pulled back into a snarl as it spoke.

"This presence? Innocence? An accommodator?" Allen asked unaware of what he was seeing.

"That thing," Luca took a step forward only for Tyki to pull her back with the grip he still had on her hip. She couldn't fight this thing. He wouldn't let her. No matter what, "is not an accommodator. It's not even human." She spat the venom dripping from her lips.

"She's right," he pulled her closer, "this is an independent piece of innocence that exists solely to protect the Heart. The Millennium Earl calls it Apocryphos.

"Apocryphos, we finally meet. For 7,000 years I have been searching for you. A clue to the Heart." Road spoke eyes level with it.

"A clue? No, my existence is more like that of the Grim Reaper to the Noah."

"Idiots." All eyes turned to Luca. Hers didn't leave the innocence. "It is so much more than that. More than you will ever comprehend." Magic crackled at her fingertips, crawling up her spine, coursing through her entire being. Power emanating from her. The innocence glared at her.

"How much have you been told?"

Lips pulled up into a smirk, "Wouldn't you like to know?" Apocryphos lunged for the girl. Tyki swung out of the way shoving Luca into Allen's lap, just barely missing Road. Allen looked at the blood is horror while Luca glared at the Noah's back for a moment before she turned to face Allen. Road watched her curiously though she kept an eye on Tyki and the innocence. Luca was in the most danger with her back exposed.

"Lu! Are you-"

"I'm fine Allen. It's just a little blood. You need to hold still." He stopped at the abruptness in her tone as she yanked his sleeve rolling it forcefully up his arm. She wound spelltags around it rapidly. "Ura, mara, avata, on, Sleep!" The feathers retracted and his whole arm felt a little numb but nothing compared to the feeling when the CROWS had done so and he could still move it. Apocryphos hit the wall causing small rocks to rain down on them. Allen dove over Luca who shrieked.

 _Butterfly!_ Joyd shouted. Tyki's head snapped over to them.

"Tyki! Watch out!" The innocence was behind him and Road's call was too late. He whirled around only for the foot to connect with his face sending him crashing into the wall. A punch to the center of his scars made him cry out as Joyd howled in his head. The innocence pinned him down. He struggled to push it off.

"Don't believe for a moment," feathers pierced through Tyki's hands pinning him to the wall, "that I am like that immature innocence that you've destroyed so far."

"Son of a bitch." Tyki hissed out as blood ran down the wall as he fruitlessly tried to free himself. Apocryphos pulled away leaving the man pinned to the wall.

"I wonder, how much do you remember?" He ran his hand down the side of Tyki's face, almost lovingly. "Do you know how many times I've killed you? Hmmm?" Gritting her teeth Luca blasted him away, she was on her feet again. She steadied Tyki's arm, forcing him to stop trying to break away from the wall. Energy crackled from her, through her fingers, and into his.

"Luca! Look out!" Her head snapped over.

"Butterfly move!" Tyki tried to pull free again.

 _Danger! Butterfly! Danger! Danger! Kill! Kill! Apo...cry...phos! Kill!_ Joyd bellowed forcing Tyki to wince but try to grab her anyway. Allen's hand grabbed the innocence before it reached the girl.

"YOU KILLED MY MASTER!" Luca's head snapped over to where her brother was.

"What?"

"Allen! You can't be near Apocryphos!" Allen ignored Road.

"I saw it! You bestowed Judgement on Master!" Luca's magic flared searing the innocence from Tyki's flesh.

"Master?" His eyes widened as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Oh. I see," the innocence smiled as if it wasn't pressed against a wall with a hand around it's throat, "when I tried to absorb you, you peered into me."

That seemed to jar Luca awake, "Allen! Get away from it!"

"That man, Allen, he tried to sacrifice you to the fourteenth like a lamb."

"I don't want to hear it from you." Allen's face twisted. "Crown Clown? Allen questioned when nothing happened.

"You can't use it! Crown Clown is asleep Allen!" Luca shouted rushing forward to pull him away. Feathers rose out of Apocryphos' chest rushing through the air. Luca brought her arms up expecting her blood to shield her only to remember that Hunter too, was asleep. Yanking her out of the way Tyki took the hit for her; the force sending them smashing into another wall. She pushed herself up, her hand slipping in his blood. He broke her fall?

"Uniting with you makes me want to retch!"

"Allen!" Luca leapt up dragging Tyki to his feet with her.

"Retch you say?" Apocryphos yells.

"Allen! Get away from it!" She couldn't move fast enough. Nothing in the world could move fast enough.

" **ALLEN!** " Candles shot into the innocence, though it did nothing to stop the punch that smashed into Road who threw herself in the way.

"Road?!" Allen just barely caught her as they both fell to the floor.

"The ninth disciple?" Apocryphos asked in disgust as he removed one of the candles from his eye.

"Avata, ura, on, ri, ka, masarakat, voro, gatar, mara, Astri Furor!" The entire alleyway exploded. Tyki huffed, his chest heaving as he stared as the flames. Everything was burning, the ground, the buildings, even the air itself was on fire. Allen had Road's unconscious form in his arms. He wouldn't look at the damage. Luca didn't wait, grabbing Allen by the hand she ran across the rooftops. Tyki followed after her.

"Luca! Luca slow down!" Allen did his best to balance Road and keep up with the rapid pace his sister was setting. Tyki was just behind them.

" _ **You can't run from me.**_ " Both siblings swung looking around wildly for the man.

"Was that in our..." Allen trailed off glancing at his sister. Luca merely turned and ran.

Luca rubbed her temples, slumped against a wall trying to catch her breath, as Allen and Tyki argued about Road who had yet to wake up. Tyki wanted to take them back though Allen was venomously protesting. How the hell did they fight something that could control their very weapons? She rubbed her shoulder which had finally weakened to a trickle. Her hands ached and burned. She rubbed them together though it did little to help.

"Your left arm told him where you were."

"Don't blame Crown Clown for this!"

"It's the truth! He can find you using that thing. I'll slice it off!"

"Stop!" The yelling grew in volume.

"You're still depending on it?"

"Stay away!"

"Are you stupid?! That thing nearly killed your sister!" Allen glared at the Noah. "Did that thing, Apocryphos, look like pure innocence to you?"

"Like you Noah are any better. You lead akuma, recklessly kill people and even enjoy it. Don't forget I know you and what you've done Tyki Mikk. You're worse. And don't you dare bring my sister into this! You nearly killed her more than anything else!" Hunter stirred again causing her to block them out again. _It's getting closer. We need to go. We need to get out of Dietrick. Out of Luxembourg. Now!_ these thoughts forced her up off the wall.

"You're the worst of them all Allen Walker." The bickering stopped when she moved.

"Butterfly?" She ignored him.

"Time to go Al."

"Didn't you hear me Butterfly? It can track you through your innocence. Either you get rid of it or it will find you and kill you." Luca grabbed Allen's wrist and began to tug him away from the Noah. "Butterfly?" Nothing. "Butterfly!" He snatched her wrist pulling her back towards him. She smacked his hand away, sharp glare piercing into his soul.

 _Butterfly...?_ Joyd whimpered. Even Allen was taken aback by the response or lack of one as it was.

"We need to leave. Now Allen." Apocryphos appeared at the end of the street.

"Butterfly?" She disregarded him. Sighing he focused on Allen, "Teach those monsters inside you right from wrong. You'd be no fun to play poker with the way you are." Tyki turned to Luca who refused to even look at him and then ran tackling the innocence to the ground.

"Don't stop, keep walking." Both heads snapped over to where Road rested against the wall. "Those are the words Neah left for Mana."

"Road..?"

"Neah fought for Mana, but that's a secret, okay?" She vanished right before their eyes. Without waiting another moment Luca grabbed Allen and rushed towards the train station. The other three didn't say anything even as they helped tend to the wounds in the safety of the baggage car. Lavi looked at the hole in Luca's shoulder. He glanced up at her but with eyes glazed over she was galaxies away.

" _Luca? Luca can you hear me?_ " Road's voice echoed in her head.

" _I thought you disappeared Road._ " She didn't even blink.

" _I did. I need time to heal. For some reason I seem to still be able to connect to you. I don't have much time. I need you to listen to me._ "

" _Yeah what is it?_ "

" _I'm sorry. I really am._ "

" _Yeah, you and everybody's mother._ " Luca snorted. Her eyes drifted closed.

" _Don't be angry with Tyki._ " The girl didn't respond. " _It's not his fault._ " The Noah pressed.

" _Of course not. It never is._ "

" _We can't deny the Earl anything. No matter what he asks of us._ "

" _So?_ "

" _He didn't want to hurt you._ "

" _Yeah well too late for that._ " She huffed.

" _You would have done the same thing for Allen._ "

" _I would have never lied to him about it._ "

" _He didn't want to do it. He never did. Please Luca. He never meant to hurt you._ "

" _If you say so._ "

" _Please don't be angry with Tyki. Please._ " The Noah's voice faded away and Luca allowed the shadows that licked at her mind to fully consume her.

* * *

Tyki glanced back just in time to see dark curls whip around the corner. She was gone. He frowned. Stupid as it was he had almost expected her to be standing behind him, that look of her's plastered across her face. Loudly declaring that she wouldn't leave him to face it alone. She wouldn't let him fight it by himself even if he was stronger and she couldn't use any of her weapons. She'd still be there, but no. She was gone. He took another hit to the face. Lips pulling back into a snarl he blasted the innocence with dark matter. It didn't have nearly the effect he was hoping. He phased through the wall, running as he looked around for the ark gate. When it appeared he darted through. The lacerations in his side were the most pressing matter. _That damn innocence was really going for her. She really upset it_ , he sighed pressing one hand against the wound to staunch the bleeding.

"Tyki!" A hand grabbed his shoulder. He jumped twisting the arm behind the person's back and slammed them into the wall. "Tyki that hurts!" Sheril's voice cut through his thoughts and he let go. Sheril rubbed his wrist as he looked his brother over. "What was that?"

"You startled me." He mumbled as he walked down the halls. He didn't really want to talk and was hoping Sheril would get the hint.

"I startled you?! I called your name 7 times! You've been off in the clouds lately. You're getting to be as bad as Wisely."

"Hey!" Said Noah just happened to be sitting in the dining room. "What did I do?!"

"Exactly my point! You don't do anything! Just laze about all day. Honestly!" Tyki rolled his eyes as they started in again. _I wonder if it would have changed if I knew. If I knew that we'd end up here? Would I have just killed her or would I have wanted to see what I fell in love with? The joke would be on me. It was everything_ , he sighed he needed a smoke. Badly. "Now my darling Road, she wasn't lazy. She was always so cute." He stepped through the ark and out into Sheril's regular house making his way to the garden. Sheril told him the smoke was bad for Tricia's health. He played with the poker chip pendant that still hung around his neck. "Tyki?"

"Hmmm?"

"Where is she?"

"Where is who?"

"Road. Where is my dear Road? The Millennium Earl said he let her go with you."

"She, uh, disappeared." Sheril smiled at him tightly as he lit a cigarrette taking a deep breath.

"What do you mean by that?" Even Wisely was paying attention now.

"She protected Allen Walker from Apocryphos and disappeared. I don't know what happened to her. He was a lot more trouble than I was told. I barely laid a scratch on him."

"That's concerning." Wisely noted, most likely having already gone through his head and seen everything.

"The Walkers got away but I think he'll follow them anyway."

"Why would she disappear protecting Allen Walker?! My dear dear Road! My dear dear Road! My dear dear Road! My dear dear Road! My dear dear Road! My dear dear Road! My dear dear Road! My dear dear Road! My dear dear Road! My dear dear Road! My dear dear Road! My dear dear Road! My dear dear Road! My dear dear Road!" Tyki groaned, flipping the chip over and over again in his fingers, as Sheril got hysterical.

"Calm down, her dreams probably just broke for a little while. If she had died, our Noah would have sensed it. You said it yourself that you cried when Skinn died. You didn't even know why. She's not dead."

"Road just needs rest." Wisely piped up from the back of the balcony.

"You're in contact with her?" Sheril asked hopefully.

"Yes. She says she needs rest. It's temporary she promises." Tyki let the conversation drift past him. She had ignored him. Luca had blatantly ignored him the whole time. It hurt. It hurt more than he would have thought His thoughts swirled dangerously. _I expected her to be angry. Yell at me, hit me. Call me names. Anything. Why did she ignore me? Was she really just going to pretend that I don't exist? Angry I can work around. Nonexistent is much harder. What do I even do with that? At least when she's angry with me I can still get her to talk. How can I fix things if she refused to acknowledge my presence? My very existence?_

"Tyki!"

"What?!" he snapped turned to glare at Sheril.

"You aren't listening to me again! What is so important that you're ignoring us for? Road is gone! My dear dear Road!"

"Wisely just said she was fine. That she just needed sleep! Why are you still freaking out?" His hand clenched around the chip. Wisely raised an eyebrow at him. Taking a deep breath he dragged his hand down his face. Willing himself to calm down. Arguing with Sheril would do him no good.

"You're thinking about _**her**_ again." The older man snarled venomously.

"What?"

"Walker. You're thinking of her again."

"You're delusional Sheril."

"No I'm not."

"You know," Tyki didn't like the tone Sheril's voice now held, "I couldn't figure it out. You never accepted presents from woman. No matter how many were sent. No matter how much I begged you to. Yet you picked three. They all had the same wrapping. I couldn't understand what it was about _**that**_ color but I do now." Sheril snatched the necklace from around his throat before he could blink.

"Give it back Sheril. Now." Tyki demanded holding out his hand for it.

"You never buy anything. You're completely comfortable in whatever you can get your hands on. Either Road or I have picked out everything you own. Yet I never bought you this necklace." He inspected the pendant thoroughly. "It's nice too. Custom-made too. Isn't it?" Tyki didn't say anything. "I thought so. It's from _**HER**_ isn't it? ISN'T IT?!" His face contorted and Tyki dove for the broken chain hanging between his brother's fingers.

"Give it to me Sheril. Right now. I'm not playing anymore!" He commanded.

"I'VE HAD IT WITH THIS TYKI!"

"GIVE IT TO ME SHERIL!"

"NO! _**SHE**_ AND IT ARE BOTH TOXIC!"

"SHERIL GIVE ME THE NECKLACE BACK RIGHT NOW!" Sheril glared at him.

"I WON'T LET HER POISON YOU ANYMORE!" Pulling his arm back Sheril flung the necklace out as far as he could. Tyki dove for it but missed.

" **NO!** "

* * *

"We're all killers.

We've all killed parts of ourselves to survive.

We've all got blood on our hands.

Something somewhere had to die so we could stay alive."

– Unknown

* * *

 **So a lot of stuff happened in this chapter. Not sure where it all came from. Luca and Lulu Bell definitely took me by surprise. I can't wait to hear what you all think of it. Did you see it coming? I sure didn't. Luca really can surprise me sometimes. Anyway please review! I'm gonna need all the reviews I can get. My class is catering a job fair so it's been all hands on deck all week! I love your thoughts and comments. I'll see you all in a fortnight! Cheshire's out~!**


	48. Anywhere But Here

**Welcome back my lovelies! I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine' was far too short but they always seem that way. Thankfully I've finally gotten back into the routine of classes. I still hate getting up for them but I mostly enjoy them except for one classmate but hey what can you do? Unfortunately I do have some bad news for you all. Next week we will be studying for out exam which will be on the Monday before the next update of this story. I am canceling that chapter. I need the time to study and I just wouldn't have the time to both write and study. I always do my best to upload my best version of the chapter and I know that it wouldn't be my best version. So there will be no chapter on the 30** **th** **. The next chapter of Veil of Ink and Gold will be posted on April 14** **th** **. Thank you all so much for understanding and supporting me as I write and take classes to better my life. Your encouragement is greatly appreciated! Now onto the reviews!**

 **Dear Adripadher, Awww you're making my blush. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the story.**

 **Dear Leofrick, So you think Luca is becoming unstable? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on that. Like how she's becoming unstable and what you think is the cause of it all. I look forward to your thoughts.**

 **Dear Guest, Tyki did not smell Luca on Lulu Bell for a reason that will be explained in this chapter but worry not! He won't be in the dark for long! ;D**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, You never cease to amuse me. I love your "I can't even" it always brings a smile to my face. Sheril is sick of Luca and the effect she has on Tyki. So that make sense to him anyway.**

 **Dear Alexc1209, Haha drama moves the story my friend. You wouldn't want to read the story if there was no drama. I'd be interested to hear what the most dramatic scene was to you. Neah does know things about Luca, whether he's willing to talk or not is another story. I freaking love you calling Apocryphos p** **sycho priest! Yule calls him Apocreeper which also makes me laugh. Road will have a part to play with our story I will tell you that much. Also Tricia will reappear in two chapters. Three if you count this one.**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, Yep Sheril did not make himself popular with that move. Apocryphos doesn't make much sense but lately neither is innocence. We obviously don't have all the information. Hopefully we'll get some soon. Hey I can dream can't I? I will neither deny nor confirm any ships. Thanks for the encouragement.**

 **Dear Cam, I'm glad you liked the chapter. I'll admit that Luca and Lulu Bell surprised me too. Sometimes I have no idea what Luca is even doing. That was one of those moments. As we drifted into my own story line Luca's past will be revealed. Yeah things aren't going well for Tyki, she says as if it's going to get better for him, but it's also his own fault. Don't worry about translations you're doing very well.**

 **Dear Zon Yokai Blade of the Spirits, All I can say is blame Luca not me. That was completely and utterly her decision. At this point I'm just the person who puts the story into words. She's in control here not me. That must sound really weird huh? I will admit to being excited that she surprised you. Without how many things Luca represses they have to reach her somehow. I find that when I ignore something it shows up in my nightmares. You are right about the Noah though it will be tense.**

 **Dear NixiePixieStix, Of course you can say that it's your favorite Tyki/OC pairing of all time! I would love it if you did! I really do try my best to allow both sides to grow as the story changes. Your environment and the things that happen to you are what shape you and the person you become. You are correct they were very much having angry/hate sex whatever you want to call it. As for the thing about the other Noah not understand what's going on with Tyki and Joyd it's a bit complicated but this biggest piece is that they don't have all the information. Most of them don't know a lot about Luca. Tyki kept her a secret from the others because he didn't want to share. He wanted to be the one to break her. It didn't work out for him though. The only one who has seen Luca's scar is Lulu Bell who wasn't exactly thinking about it at the time. Tyki himself isn't even aware that he gave her that scar. I hope that clears things up for you.**

 **Dear WinterYule, I'd like it if you were never sleep deprived in the first place! It's not good for you, she says as if she isn't sleep deprived at the very moment of writing AN, and you should take care of yourself. You're one to talk about a character's troubles never ending. Poor Qin! *Sobs for eternity* I don't think anybody wants Sheril's help. I know I wouldn't. He's not exactly helpful. To anyone. Not even Tyki. Maybe Road. Pretty much nothing goes according to plan when Luca is involved. Yep, Luca's used to the stomach alarm clock. Now she has one of her own. There is no escape as you said. Luca doesn't want to think about much in the past at the moment. A lot of wounds that haven't healed because she "doesn't have time" yes that is a quote from her but you probably aren't surprised. Yeah Lavi and Luca have been butting heads lately. Alma is gonna make everybody sick with the way he is with mayo. Probably any of them would cry upon seeing a mayo filled doughnut. You have to remember that Luca's known since they got back from Japan. She's been planning and planning. She knows what they need...mostly. Obviously she's had a few surprises. I'll be interested to hear what you think is up with the ring and just who this new sorceress is. As for Luca and embarrassment well, we'll see. Who knows with this girl. Sheril doesn't take anything to do with Luca well. So the beginning of the dream? I'll keep that in mind. Those can be hard to write so it's something I'm still working on. Thanks for the input. The woman will be revealed but she's not the one who inflicted the wounds on Luca's back though than man will show up too. Yes Luca took Lulu Bell's ribbon and bell as a trophy though is was mostly because she couldn't find her own ribbon. Allen does know about her and he doesn't like her. Yeah Apocryphos makes everything worse. He was just what they needed. Sheril is always a dick, especially when Luca is involved or let's face it even mentioned. Things are just falling apart left and right.**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, I'm delighted to know that you enjoyed the roller coaster ride. Luca is definitely like that. It's absolutely wonderful to hear that you experience it just as I do as I write it. At first I didn't see the chemistry but when I went back I found that they did have it just not the way Luca and Tyki do. Luca and Tyki actually enjoy each other's company. Most of the time anyway. Luca's pretty mad at him at the moment. I do agree with you though, he just barely got a kiss from her before everything fell apart but Lulu Bell got everything. Yes Tyki and Joyd will find out. I apologize it seems I've confused you. That wasn't Neah talking to Luca. It was apart of a nightmare Luca was having. Mixing the threat of Neah with some things from Luca's past that she doesn't want to think about. Yeah Tyki's not really getting a break. Instead things keep getting worse for him. Nothing goes as planned and he can't even keep the last thing he has of her. You are right though he is sorta acting like Lizzy from Black Butler.**

* * *

Angels walk among us.

With crooked halos and shattered wings,

they walk among us and try to remember what it felt like to be holy.

Stretching out their arms and reminding themselves of what it felt like to soar.

– Unknown

* * *

Winter refuses to die, the bitter cold clinging to everything and everyone. The night was dark and frigid. The new moon brought no light to the world and the stars smothered by the clouds let the shadows roam. Trapped in a dark alley siblings huddled together. White feathers fighting against pale blue fingers magic glistening around them. Feathers stretching out towards the sky, calling towards the master of all. People passed by, running this way and that, unaware or uncaring of the trouble of the teenagers. Alone on the streets, the weight of the world on their shoulders. Magic flickered and died out as one of theirs eyes drifted close for a moment.

"You there," a little girl's voice cut through the monotonous noise of the city behind her. She leaned over the junk that filled the alleyway, "are you angels?" Neither spoke merely placed a finger to their lips. Smiling brightly she nodded and repeated the action. "Shhh?" They nodded and she smiled.

"You will NOT escape." The voice echoed in their heads again. A constant reminder that nowhere was safe, not even the ends of the Earth.

The rebels scurried down the street. It was too cold to camp out and still keep all their toes and fingers. Feathers constrained and hidden away. They could only hope that the akuma would stay away. They'd be gone by nightfall. The past months have been hard. Hands buried in empty pockets desperately with no luck. It is too late and they too tired to argue and place guilt. Puffs of air and red noses force the decision. A small empty wooden shack is all that can be found. Eyes struggling to stay open they all duck in and try to settle down for the night, ignoring the rumbling of their stomachs and the tingling of their throats. Silent praying and begging for everyone to wake up in the morning. Light filters in through the dusty windows as the sun rises. The pile of sleeping bags put together on the floor moves as the uninvited guests stir and wake. The train whistle sends them running, things are packed, thrown into bags and out they go. The baggage car is empty and safe but freezing. The five teenagers huddle together desperate for heat. Slowly eyes drifted shut and they dream of happier days.

* * *

The train whistle startles Luca awake. She looks around to find that the others got the same rude awakening. Grabbing their things they get off. Alma struggles to stifle a yawn causing the rest of them to yawn. _I wonder if they regret agreeing to come with us rather than be free on their own. They could have settled down instead of all this running around_ , Luca questioned silently as she watched Kanda and Alma. She was glad to be out of the shack and away from the crawling writhing shadows. It was a small comfort but with so few these days she was grateful for it.

"So now what?" Lavi asked tiredly.

"We're broke again. We need money and shelter. Al are you up to some poker?" The boy didn't answer his sister, merely stared straight ahead, his mind so far away. "Al?" She grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him a bit.

"Huh? What?" The others watched him with worry evident in their eyes. "What?"

"Nothing. Why don't you go check us into a hotel room and get some sleep?"

"Don't we need-" She cut him off.

"We got it. Just go get some sleep." Allen made a face but her furrowed eyebrows and frown sent him off to find the cheapest hotel.

"Are you sure that's wise Luca?" She glanced over at Alma before her eyes darted away. He was older. Less childish. Life on the streets were hard. She knew that first hand. "We're tight on money."

"He's exhausted. You can see it in his eyes. He's fighting two battles."

"I know it's just..." he trailed off.

"I know. We need more money. Here," she handed him and Kanda most of the money they had left. "You two go and get us some dinner then meet up with Allen at the hotel. It's too cold to sleep outside anyway." She rubbed her numb fingers trying to feel them again. "Lavi and I will go make some money. We'll catch up with you later." They nodded and split ways.

"Beautiful I don't mean to rain on your parade of taking care of your brother, which don't get me wrong he needs but, how are we going to make that much money? You only have a couple guineas on you."She sighed at him.

"Oh Lavi, you simply must remember. I'm not my brother," with ease her small hand slid into the pocket of the man passing by on her left. His eyes widened as she retrieved the wallet. "Now we have something to start with. He's got a decent amount of money in here."

"Poker?"

"No. We need to stay under the radar. Getting in trouble with the mafia and debt collectors is the last thing we need to do. So something just as lucrative but much more discreet."

"So what would that be?"

"Something the scum use to make some quick cash."

"And how do we find that?" She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and turned them down the alley covered in shadows.

"Ask the scum." At the end of the alleyway three men had a pair of kids cornered. "Oh boys~! Care to help me with something?"

"Are you sure about this Luca?" Lavi asked looked at the group standing around.

"Of course I am. You bet and I'll fight. Just trust me. I've done this before."

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel much better."

"Is anyone willing to step into the ring with this beast of a man?" The presenter shouted out, drawing more of a crowd. Luca handed her vest over to Lavi.

"I'll take him on." She called tossing her white top, leaving her in her undershirt, into Lavi's face who frowned at her. The fighter frowned when she stepped into the ring, his stance slackening a little as he took in the sight of her. The roar of the crowd was deafening as they grew rowdy waiting for the fight to start.

"I don't fight girls." he said in a low growl of a voice.

Her lips curled up as she replied, "Too bad, because I fight boys." She knocked his legs out from under him with a quick round house.

"Would you look at that! Don't let her petite size fool you! This one is a spitfire! Let's see who will win!" The presenter cheered as the man got back to his feet.

"That was a lucky shot. It won't happen again."

"Whatever you say dear." She smiled at him. He growled again and swung at her but she simply moved out of the way, catching her foot around his ankle sending him back down to the ground. He lunged only for her to dance out of the way with a giggle. Getting to his feet he took and deep breath and fell into his stance again. "Finally have your head back?"

"You're quick but with your small size you won't be able to keep up with me. You can only dance around for so long." She smiled mischievously.

"If you insist."

"You think you're cute don't you?"

"I'm adorable."

"Yeah sure kid." She struggled in his headlock before jabbing her knee into his kidney repeatedly. He let her go with a cry, staggering back. He glared and charged. Sliding her foot back she squared off for a strong punch to the face. He grabbed her by the arms pinning her against the wall. "There, now you can't do anything."

"I am sorry to disappoint you but I am stronger than I look." Bringing her leg up she smashed it down on his head sending him crashing into the floor. She moved away allowing the presenter to get on the ground next to the guy.

"1!" Smack! "2!" Smack! "3!" Smack! "4! 5! 6! 7!" He hit the ground with his palm with each count. Slowly the man got to his feet.

"I'm not done yet." He wiped the blood away from his broken nose with the back of his hand.

"Works for me."

"If you think that you can distract me with your pouting lips and big boobs enough to win then you have another think coming."

"Now you're just being rude." She glared and kicked him into the wall, watching in boredom as he hit the wall and then the ground. The presenter was next to him in a heartbeat.

"1! 2! 3! 4! 5! 6! 7! 8! 9! 10! He's out!" Jumping to his feet he rushed over and grabbed Luca's arm. "And the winner is the spitfire!" Her unconscious opponent was dragged out of the ring. "Now will anybody else step into the ring with this beautiful bruiser?"

"I'll give the little lady a shot." Another man, taller than last stepped into the ring with a confident smile.

* * *

Tyki glared down at the rock as he hacked at it with a pickaxe. The rock split and he waved the dust away with one hand, setting the ax down with the other.

"Does smashing things with an ax make you feel better?" He looked up to find Wisely in civilian clothes leaning down to watch him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to get you."

"Not interested."

"Tyki!" He turned and forced a smile for Momo and Clark.

"Hey guys, how's it going over there?" They grinned at him.

"Fine. Who's this?" Clark asked nodded at Wisely who smiled pleasantly plastering his fake smile on.

"This is my nephew Wisely."

"I thought you had a niece." Momo responded scratching his head through his wool cap.

"I do, her name is Road. My brother just adopted Wisely a couple of months ago."

"Back in December. Picked me up right off the streets. Best Christmas present I ever received in all of my little life." Wisely smiled angelically clearly enjoying Tyki's pain.

"Well that's nice. Road is adopted too isn't she?" Clark asked. Tyki nodded.

"Yeah, Tricia is rather sickly."

"Father would never want to risk her health like that." Wisely chipped in.

"So both are adopted." Tyki finished lamely rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Anyway, what are you doing here, oh dear nephew of mine?" Wisely continued to smile.

"Ah yes down to business. I've been sent to get you. It's time to go home." Tyki's features twisted up into a snarl.

"No thank you. I told Sheril I needed time to cool off." He picked up his ax and started heading away from his nephew.

"Come to think of it you were in a pretty bad mood when you got here. What happened?" Clark asked.

"Don't wanna talk about it."

"Father threw something that was precious to Tyki away." Tyki glared at the boy.

"Really? I didn't know you owned anything precious." Clark remarked. Tyki would have stuck his tongue out at the man but he was busy warning his nephew not to continue. Silently listing all the ways he would kill the boy if he did it.

Wisely smirked, "It was from a girl. Father didn't like her though. Said she wasn't good enough." Tyki twitched at both his friends burst out laughing.

"I told you it was girl!" Momo shouted triumphantly holding out his hand to which Clark, disgustedly, put several coins in.

"Wait! You two were betting on me?!" He was too surprised to actually go through with killing his nephew.

"Well duh. You've been moping around for the past three months. Something had to be up."

"Anyway, as fun as it was to meet you we really should go. We have to be back in time for dinner."

"I already told you no." Tyki stalked back towards the group's living quarters.

"I wasn't sent by Father." Tyki froze. "HE says it's time to collect our wayward brother."

"Fine."

"Are you leaving again Tyki?" Eeez asks quietly looking up at him. Tyki sighed and ruffled his hair.

"Yes it looks like it. I'll try not to be gone so long this time."

"Please don't get hurt again."

"I'll do my best not to."

"Have a safe trip!"The three waved as the two men left.

"Jeez," Wisely starts once they're away from the group, "are you still angry?" Tyki glared at him. I'm going to take that as a yes. So what is it?"

"Hmm?" Tyki grunted.

"Her ignoring you," The man soured but his nephew continued, "or Desires throwing away the necklace?"

"Why'd they send you?"

"Well Road still hasn't reappeared, you and Desires are fighting, the twins would never do it nor would you ever agree to go anywhere with them, Feedler and Skinn are dead, Mightra never leaves the ark, Tryde and Mercym still aren't great with people, and Lulu Bell has been oddly antisocial with the family as of lately. She hides in her room mostly. Sometimes I hear her weeping."

"What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know."

"Why not? Am I the only one who's privacy you invade?"

"You are the easiest to read, but no. Lulu Bell had Mightra put magic wards around her room. What's weird is it's not to keep me out, I mean it does but, that's not the main object of those spelltags."

"What are they for?"

"Keeping people out."

"Wow. That tells me so much."

"Well you'd know more if you hadn't interrupted me." Tyki rolled his eyes but motioned for the boy to continue. "Specifically people who can use magic."

"I don't see how that is that much of a difference."

"A spelltag designed to keep people out won't have much of an effect on somebody who can use magic. They're different and then of course there's the fact that they could just change it themselves." Wisely explained as Tyki changed allowing his shabby miner clothing and back into a suit. "Then of course there's the problem of muscle. As we saw with Luca Walker, her innocence utterly destroyed the barrier. I don't even want to know what speed that hit the barrier at."

"Fast. It hit fast. Fast and hard."

"I thought so. I don't think I'd like to fight her."

"You don't fight."

"Exactly. She's scares me."

"She should. She'd snap you in an instant. Long before you realized you were in danger."

"I love that you have more confidence in her than me."

"It's the truth." Wisely made a face at that.

"So you never answered me," he switched topics.

"About...?"

"Why you're upset. And before you even start it's radiating off you. Even your human friends could tell. I can practically hear Joyd throwing his tantrum from here." Tyki mumbled something unintelligible causing Wisely to raise an eyebrow. "You get mad at me for reading your mind but I didn't understand a word you just said." Again the man mumbled something. "What?" Mumble mumble. "Okay if you don't start speaking normally I swear I'm going to..." Wisely let the threat hang in the air.

"The necklace." Tyki sighed then mumbled something else. Wisely's eyebrow drew up again.

"What was that?"

"I said the necklace."

"And the last part?"

"If I'm being honest I'm lucky all she did was ignore me."

"You saved her and her brother's asses."

"I think that's why it didn't come to a fight between us. It's no less than I deserve." He grumbled the last part, eyes cast to the ground.

"She really means that much to you?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

"Yes she does."

"It's not just you either is it?" Wisely prompted.

"No. Joyd, he," he sighed dragging his hand down his face. Whether it was to compose his own emotions or to get a better handle on the memory. "He feels the same way. He mourned her when we thought she died. He wants to hold her and never let her go. Keep her locked away in the ark where she'll be safe from the rest of the world. He doesn't want to share her. Doesn't like it when other people look at her."

"Don't you mean men?"

"No. Anyone. Her brother used to be okay but now that we know that he's..." he trailed off. "That he's..." he tried again. The man's hands were shaking, and Wisely could feel Joyd struggling for freedom. But not for the sake of being free.

"He's afraid that she'll die by his hand?" He nodded, looking pale despite having shifted into his Noah form. Wisely was silent as he watched the older man struggle with the memory. He'd never seen him so pale before.

"And,"

"And she won't see it coming because it's her brother?" Again the man nodded. "Like we didn't?" Tyki paused at Wisely's words.

"I don't remember it."

"I know."

"He does though. It makes him angry, and and and-"

"Scared?"

"Yes." The rest of the walk to the ark was silent. Neither knowing what to say.

* * *

Dinner, needless to say, was rather awkward. The frigid air between the brothers was clear. Road was still injured and unable to manifest a physical form and Lulu Bell looked like she wanted nothing more than to be swallowed up by the Earth. She fidgeted in her seat, pushed her food around, and wouldn't meet anyone's gaze. Tyki ignored the twins allowing all the rolls they threw at him to phase through or batted them at Sheril. Wisely sighed as he ate. Feedler's chair now sat empty next to Skinn's. Sheril glanced mournfully at Road's chair which sat next to Wisely.

"Okay that is it!" The Earl slammed his hands down on the table.

"What's wrong Lord Millennium?" Wisely questioned even though he already knew the problem.

"What is going on with you guys?" The Earl demanded. Nobody answered him. "I'm expecting an answer." Mightra shrugged at Tryde.

"What do you mean Lord Millennium?" Mercym asked.

"I mean we're family so why are you acting like I'm forcing you to eat dinner with the exorcists?"

"I think SOME of us would rather eat dinner with exorcists than their own family." Sheril sniped under his breath.

"Well maybe if others didn't throw away things they had no right to throw away things that aren't theirs and were important to their family members then they wouldn't feel the need to leave." Tyki snapped back.

"Or perhaps they should thank them for being concerned about them and their toxic relationships."

"It would be none of their business."

"It is if it's toxic and they are too wrapped up to get out."

"It wouldn't be up for them to decide that."

"They're allowed to make their own opinions about a person and relationship."

"They are, that's true but they aren't allowed to do anything about it unless asked for help."

"Sometimes they're under a spell and it needs to be broken. Even if it hurts them. They'll thank their family later." Sheril hissed through clenched teeth.

"Or they won't speak to them again because they had no right to get rid of it." Tyki snarled back.

"OR-" Sheril started only for the Earl to cut him off.

"ENOUGH! It's obvious you two are fighting! My question is what about?" Neither met his gaze both looking down at their food. Tyki pushed a bit of it around with his fork. "Well?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about My Lord." Sheril answered though he couldn't bring himself to look at his leader.

"I asked what it was about, not if I should be worried about it." The minister clamped his mouth shut. The Earl's gold eyes darted between them. "Do these questions sound rhetorical to you?!"

"No My Lord."

"Then answer me! Losing Feedler was hard. You cried, I cried, we all cried! I know that without Road things are more tense but we're family for god's sake!"

"Tyki is making stupid decisions." Sheril answered.

"That's not for you to decide." Tyki cut in.

"I don't need to decide it! I know it's truth. If it was anybody else you'd agree."

"No I wouldn't. Being on the outside you don't see everything. You're probably missing something."

"I never miss anything."

"Right I forgot because you're perfect."

"I'm not perfect but-"

"Well clearly you're an impostor. The real Sheril would never admit to not being perfect." Tyki snarked back.

"You are being impossible!"

"So you admit to thinking you're perfect?"

"Tyki that's not what this is about!"

"You're right it's about you being a control freak."

"I am not a control freak! Luca Walker needs to die!"

"Leave Luca out of this! You are a control freak! This is about you butting into my life!" Wisely raised an eyebrow at the fact that Tyki had actually called the girl by her name though he noticed Lulu Bell had winced both times it had been said.

"This is about Luca Walker?" The Earl asked.

"Yes!"

"No!" The brothers shouted at the same time before returning to glaring at each other.

"Who's Luca Walker?" Mercym asked.

"She's that bitch who needs to pay!" The twins snapped together. Mercym raised an eyebrow.

"That didn't answer my question in the slightest." He pointed out.

"You wanna die?!" They demanded shoving their guns in his face. He pushed them away with one finger.

"No, not really." He turned to Tryde. "Do you know who Luca Walker is?" Lulu Bell twitched again.

"I believe Luca Walker is Allen Walker's older sister and the exorcist who killed Feedler."

"She needs to die!" Sheril snapped looking towards them for support.

"Yeah!" The twins leapt from their seats. Normally Sheril would have shuddered at the thought that he was agreeing with the twins but he didn't have time for it.

"She's not what this argument is about!" Tyki snarled.

"She's the root of the problem!"

"The problem is that you won't just let me live my life!"

"Luca Walker tried to kill you! She murdered Feedler! No! She didn't even just murder him, she annihilated him! There wasn't even a body left! She fed him to her innocence like he was nothing more than a piece of meat! As if that wasn't bad enough she used his life energy, his soul, the very essence of his being against us! He died in agony! Writhing in agony!"

"Actually Feedler didn't feel it at all." Wisely piped up. "He fell asleep and just didn't wake up." Sheril turned to glare at him.

"And how exactly, do you know that?" The man hissed.

"I wanted to know what she was doing. She was freaking me out. So I looked into her mind. Then I switched over to Feedler's but he was already asleep. He had succumbed to the lullaby long ago."

"Lullaby? What lullaby?" Sheril demanded. Wisely smiled cryptically.

"It's not something I can explain. You'll know what I speak of when you die. We all hear it when our time comes. By violent or peaceful means it matters not. The lullaby will always be there."

"Wisely is right. The lullaby is inevitable." The Earl explained. They stared at the man for a moment. He seemed to be deep in thought.

"Nevertheless!" He jumped back into his rant. "Luca Walker needs to die!"

"Luca is not what the argument was about in the first place!"

"She was the cause of it!"

"No she's not!" Tyki slammed his hands down on the table, rattling the entire thing. Silverware and dishes crashes to the floor shattering. "You caused this! You being unable to keep your nose out of my business is the problem!"

"I wouldn't have to if you wouldn't make such stupid choices and just kill her!"

"I never stopped trying to kill her!"

"You haven't been trying to kill Luca Walker in a long time! You're the family assassin! A simple exorcist shouldn't have been a problem!"

"You haven't fought her! You know nothing about her, her abilities, or how her mind works! She'd think circles around you!" Wisely looked at Lulu Bell.

"This is getting out of hand." Mightra noted.

"Are you calling me stupid?!"

"Lulu Bell are you okay?" Wisely asked the woman who continued to fidget. "Your face is white."

"ENOUGH!" The Earl silenced all of them. Both men dropped into their seats, eyes cast to the floor. "That is enough! No more arguing at the dinner table. Miss Walker is not to be discussed at the dinner table. We will deal with her when we find them. As it is the Walker siblings haven't been seen in three months. Not since Apocryphos attacked them. For now I want her alive." Sheril scowled at this information, grabbing his goblet he began to drink his wine; silently wishing that the dark red liquid was the girl's blood and not what it was.

"Why do you want her alive My Lord?" Wisely inquired curiously.

"I have some things I'd like to discuss with her."

"Then she too is off limits?"

"Yes."

"How odd. Luca Walker-" Wisely was cut off by Lulu Bell shouting at the top of her lungs.

"I SLEPT WITH HER!" As soon as the words left her mouth she squeaked and clamped her hands over it. Sheril choked and spit out his wine, the liquid spewing all across the white table cloth. Wisely's mouth hung open. Tryde and Mercym just stared at her eyes wide. The twins dropped their guns to the floor as Devit choking on the dinner roll that he had stuffed in his mouth. Next to him Jasdero began freaking out frantically slapping his twin on the back in an attempt to dislodge the bread. Mightra blinked, unable to comprehend what their sister had just shouted. The Earl and Tyki stared at her, mouths gaping like fish as the woman's face burned.

"What?! When?!" Wisely was the first to recover. Mercym jumped to his feet, stirred by Wisely's shout, rushing over to help Jasdero.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW IT HAPPENED! ONE MINUTE I WAS TRYING TO KILL HER AND THEN THE NEXT MINUTE WE'RE KISSING! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO STARTED IT AND THEN HER HANDS WERE-" Sheril cut her off.

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO MORE INFORMATION! WE DON'T NEED ANY MORE INFORMATION!" Sheril waved his hands frantically, desperate to get her to stop the rant. He had red wine dripping down his chin and staining his dress shirt and vest. It looked like he couldn't decide what to do with his hands. Clean up the wine or cover his ears. The Earl just sighed and sank into his chair. It was over. Dinner was done. He couldn't save it from this. Mercym had managed to get Devit to spit the roll out, right into Tryde's face of course, though the twins make up was now running. The tears streaming from their eyes spread the black goo everywhere. The table cloth was utterly ruined. He knew that even the akuma couldn't get the stains out. Tryde was picking bits of bread off his face and wiping the spit away. Whether he was contemplating killing Devit or Luca the Earl didn't know. From the look the man was shooting Lulu Bell it may have been her. He'd have to tell Tryde that having a fling, no matter how disturbing said information was, with the enemy was not grounds for punishment. From the look on her face, or rather the lack of one as she was hiding it in her hands, Lulu Bell was mortified. The twins were yelling at her too. Mercym began to chastise them for it. Tyki sat in his chair mouth hanging open, golden eyes glazed over as if he couldn't believe what Lulu Bell had confessed. He'd yet to move or even change facial expressions. For a moment the Earl wondered if the Portuguese man was breathing. Perhaps this would dislodge the clutch the girl had on him. He sighed again. He found himself slowly understanding why Cross Marian drank so much. He was currently debating if he wanted to pick up the habit himself.

" _You shouldn't drink so much. It's not good for you._ " A new voice rang in his head. One he hadn't heard in a long time. " _You should try a more natural remedy._ " NO! He didn't want to hear her voice. Not again. She was just as bad as the rest of them! She had helped take Neah away! Had helped them escape. Taking his Neah farther and farther away! One of his own, betrayed him. They were suppose to- The glass of wine he had picked up during his thoughts shattered in his hand.

"Lord Millennium, are you alright?" Wisely asked, the rest of them looked at him worriedly.

"Yes I'm fine.

"Are you sure?" Sheril questioned having managed to clean himself up somewhat though his clothing was still stained.

"Everything is careening off script. We need to get things back on track but Neah," he sighed, "as per usual, has things thrown into frenzy. His reappearance, I was not expecting it but having our family be whole is far more important. I just wish he would stop whatever it is he's on about. He can be very dramatic. It's probably something silly. Finding them is the problem now. Apocryphos must have forced Neah to go back into hibernation and with Luca's magic skills I'm not surprised that tracking spells have failed to find them."

"I'm so sorry My Lord." Mightra apologized but he waved it off.

"As I said, I'm not surprised in the slightest. Cross Marian was an expert in disappearing and magic. It's no surprise that he would teach his proteges how to do the same. That spelltag Luca used was custom-made. She's incredibly advanced. Writing your own spells can kill you and your subject if it's not done properly. Gazella was the same way. Impossibly talented and a taste for freedom. Neah vanished the moment she joined him."

"Who's Gazella?" Tyki finally spoke. Of course it would be Luca Walker who jarred him out of it.

"A friend of Neah's. She helped him in his quest. She was a sorceress of the highest skill. I have yet to find anybody of her skill to this day. I also believe that she is Luca's mother. They have the same eyes."

"Are you sure?" Sheril asked, something about the name stirred in his mind.

"Yes. You don't forget eyes like those."

"Does this mean Miss Walker will get more powerful?" Tryde asked.

"Oh I have no doubt. She's hardly even dipped into her potential. I suspect that Marian ordered her to hide her abilities from the Order. Innocence accommodators aren't the only ones they took. Magic users were kidnapped, bribed, and even murdered in some cases. Give us your magic or die so it can't be used against us."

"Will she go to her mother for help?" Sheril questioned.

"She's dead." Tyki spoke, his voice hollow.

"What?"

"Luca, she, she said her mother died twelve years ago." Tyki answered.

"Yes Gazella is dead." The Earl confirmed.

"Did you kill her?" Mercym spoke for the first time. "If she helped the Fourteenth, did you kill her for it?"

"No. She vanished. I had heard that she died but it wasn't 12 years ago. More like 18 ye...ars ago...," he trailed off as something seemed to click in his mind. "Clever woman. You sly devil." he grinned as if he was proud of something. "You both are so clever! She's clever!" He shouted jumping to his feet rushing away with the others chasing after him. Rushing into the library he yanked a book from a shelf. "However when you try to be too clever you can leave yourself open to other more obvious ways! Mightra go get these things!" He thrust a list at the Noah who ran off.

"What are you thinking My Lord?" Tryde asked.

"I've tried to track them as people. From the dark matter in Alma Karma to Allen Walker's aura and even Luca's own magic signature but I never tried to track Neah! Gazella managed to hide them but Luca wouldn't know about it as it's not Neah's body. Still as my brother my blood should be able to find him without alerting Luca!" They stood back and the Earl began to throw things into the bowl before dripping his blood into the bowl. Words spilled from his lips causing the smoke to form a picture. The Earl gave a cheer as the Walker siblings appeared in the smoke. Strolling down the street Allen was in the process of stuffing what looked to be a sandwich into his mouth while Luca rolled her eyes at him though still she smiled. Her spine stiffened and she stopped causing Allen to do the same. Her head whipped around as if she was looking for something.

"Lu? What is it? Is something wrong?"

"We need to get off the street. Do you see any signs that say where we are?"

"Uhhh..." Allen looked around but Luca grabbed him and they bolted into the alley away from people and other prying eyes. "Luca! What's going on? Is he back? He almost caught us back in-"

"Hush!" She slapped her hand over his mouth. "Not another word. We aren't alone."

"Who's following you?" The Earl asked concerned. His eyes darted around the picture for signs of other life. He found none.

"Luca-"

"Find the others. Get on the next train out of here. Go. Now."

"Okay." Concerned Allen nodded and ran off. Taking a deep breath Luca turned around.

"Don't you know it's rude to spy on people. Metallic green met gold. The Earl's eyes widened.

"You can see me?"

"I can see all of you. Can't a girl get a bit of privacy? Honestly. No manners these days. I guess I'll have to teach you them myself." Immediately magic began to wind around her hand, he saw the markings on her fingers and hit the bowl, sending it through the smoke, destroying the picture, and crashing into the wall. The blood mixture splattered across the wall. He whirled around to them.

"Did any of you see where they were? Anything that could tell us where! Even just the country would make it easier to find and corner them!" They all shook their heads. The Earl sighed, dropping his head defeated. "I thought I had them! I swore I had them! How did she know?! What did you teach her Cross?!" He whirled on Tyki. "You said 12 years ago right?" The man nodded. "She's what? 16? 14? 18?"

"17 but she said 12 before she was 17 so it would be 13 now."

"17 – 13 is what? 4? There's no way Gazella even told her anything about the war never mind what a Noah is or how to hide them! Cross! What did you do?! How does she know this?"

"My Lord calm down." Sheril tried to pacify the man. "We'll find them. They can't hide forever. All of the akuma are looking for them. Even the Order is looking for them. There's nowhere that they can be hidden forever."

"What if the Order finds them first! They'll kill Neah! Why do you think Luca ran?! She knew! She knew they couldn't be trusted! They fear everything they don't understand! Luca and Neah fit that category perfectly! They'll kill them both! Murdered! Their blood everywhere! Everywhere! It will be everywhere! I can't do it again! I can't see it everywhere again! Not again! I won't do it! Not again! Never again!" Wisely walked over to the Millennium Earl slowly, as one would approach a wild animal.

"You should lie down Lord Millennium. You're not making any sense." The man nodded his chest heaving and allowed the white haired boy to lead him back to his room as he continued to rant under his breath.

"What was that?" Sheril asked. All sets of wide gold eyes stared after them.

"I think we better get a move on finding them. He's falling apart faster and faster. If we wait any longer he may not be with us anymore." Tyki noted.

"We should hurry." Lulu Bell nodded.

"We should split up." Tryde said.

"Agreed."

* * *

"Luca what was that?!" Lavi demanded, as soon as she dropped in, pacing around the baggage car of the train. "Why the hell did you uproot us? We just got there! We hardly have any food!" Gambit warned Lavi, chittering angrily as he fluttered towards the redhead who backed away.

"I know!" She snapped back. "I know! I know! Do you really think I don't know?! I'm hungry too!"

"Then why the hell did we run?!"

"They found us! The Noah had found us! I felt it!"

"Is that what that was?" Allen asked tilting his head to the side.

"Yes. The Earl was using a spell. I broke it off but I have no idea how much they saw! We can't afford a run in with them! Even I'm not that stupid!"

"Well how did they do it?!"

"Lavi the man has been alive for 7,000 years! He knows more than I will ever know! Yes he is bat shit crazy but he is intelligent! I don't have an answer for you!" Scor nuzzled her mistress in an attempt to calm the distressed girl.

"You said you had it covered!"

"I said I had the ORDER covered! I cannot anticipate the Noah! I don't know what spellbooks they have! What resources they have! I don't even know all of their names! I haven't met all of them! I don't have any of my own spellbooks, or notes. The only supplies I have are the ones I can carry on me! I am doing my very fucking best but I cannot do everything!" The world around Luca swam and she swayed. Her knees buckled beneath her sending her careening backwards. Only Allen catching her at the last moment stopped her head from colliding with the metal bottom of the car.

"That's enough!" Allen shouted ending the argument. "We're all tired and hungry. We need to eat when we get off the train. A real meal too. It's been too long," The boy cradled his sister in his lap, her head resting against his chest. She could feel his ribs through the fabric of his coat. Her eyes opened and closed slowly as she struggled to stay awake. "Luca is doing the best she can, we all are, but things happen that we can't control. This was one of them." He turned his glare to Lavi, "That being said we didn't make you come with us. You chose this. You knew what kind of life this would be. So either help out with the problem or leave. It's your choice. We're getting off at the next station. We need rest." Silence fell over the car, the teenagers spread around it. Allen kept Luca close to him, stroking her hair as she dozed in the corner. He didn't have much body heat himself but what he did have he shared with her. Her fingers were blue. His eyes kept darting to them and the dark marks that marred them. They made him uneasy. He couldn't help but wonder, _How did it all go so wrong?_

* * *

Blending in to the richer crowd was harder than it had been a few months. They were too skinny now, their hair unwashed with dirt on their faces, and clothing that wasn't perfect with dirt and rips. Luca could feel their eyes on them, burning into their backs. Eyes drifted down to her legs covered by pants instead of a dress. Still it served her well enough, busy staring at her legs they took no notice of her cold aching fingers slipping into their pockets, relieving them of their wallets, watches, jewelry, and other valuables. _Can't they just hurry up and go to numb?!_ Luca whimpered rubbing her hands to warm her fingers up.

"That place looks promising." Allen pointed out a restaurant that closely resembled a tavern.

"Good enough equipment to feed us and our voracious appetites but not high end enough that the sheer amount of food we consume will be noticed." Lavi observed. "We'll just have to eat in sections instead of ordering everything on the menu seven times over at once. If we do that we should be able to eat our fill without being noticed."

"Let's hurry then." Alma grinned and started towards the tavern.

"We have to get the money first." Luca pointed out, her hands tucked beneath her arms.

"Aww man!" Alma pouted but followed Lavi's lead to the pawn shop.

"Don't worry Alma. It won't take long. We'll be eating to our heart's content in no time!" Luca smiled brightly at the boy just as Allen's eye activated.

"Akuma!"

"The universe just loves to prove me wrong doesn't it?" She groaned as Hunter slithered from her veins. "Alma hide!" The boy nodded and bolted to cover.

"Just another Monday in our lives!" Allen shouted to her as his claws tore through a level 2 without even looking at it.

"I think I'd like somebody else's right now. This is getting old!" Hunter sliced through a row of level 1s before rounding on the giant akuma coming from the ground below her feet.

"I sense him! The Fourteenth! I sense him!" She dodged the huge hand reaching out for her as it called out.

"Put a sock in it!" She twisted through the air and out of it's way. Transforming into a scythe Hunter cut through the akuma like butter. Immediately she swung around and beheaded a level 3 and then another one. The scythe whirled around killing akuma left and right. "Jeez they never end!" She complained as she leapt up to slice a rising giant to pieces.

"The Fourteenth! He's here! I feel him!" Her vision swam as colors, shapes, and shadows blurred together in a garish collage. Soon her other senses melded together as if she were on a carousel. She didn't even feel her innocence deactivate in the chaos. Something smashed into her, sending her hurtling from the sky and into a building.

"Luca!"

 _"_ _Get up child."_

"Luca! Luca! Are you okay?" She lay sprawled among the rubble. Everything hurt. Her head rung, her limbs ached when she tried to move them, muscles screaming in protest. Her stomach growled

 _"_ _If you don't get up you're going to die."_ Her world continued to spin like a ride at a fair or festival. The voice sighed then said, _"Your brother is going to die if you don't get up."_ His words jarred her to her feet.

"Eternal Hunter! Activate!" The whip snapped out, splitting one akuma in two before grabbing another one and flinging it into a different akuma.

"Luca! Are you okay?!" Allen landed next to her, his claws slicing another akuma apart.

"Yeah. A little dizzy but okay."

"Did Hunter deactivate?!"

"I think she might have! I'm okay for now!"

"This is getting ridiculous!"

"The akuma?"

"I meant our life in general." He sighed.

"Fire Stamp!" The fire spread across the road, raging against the akuma. Luca staggered with Allen yanking her back away from the fire. He held her steady. Hunter speared through an akuma sneaking up on Allen from behind before deactivating. Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Luca groaned as her head ached like the beat of a song.

"LAVI!"

"Sorry guys." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly while Alma came out from hiding launching himself onto Kanda's back. The other grunted and then made a sound of complaint though it was ignored by his friend.

"Guys can we eat please? I need the world to stop spinning." Luca groaned holding onto her head. Massaging her temples did little to help her newly acquired monstrous headache.

* * *

Green eyes snapped open. Sitting up Luca found herself alone in bed. Lavi slept in the bed across from her while Alma was splayed out across Kanda who seemed to have fallen asleep on the couch in their current room. Allen was gone. With her head still pounding Luca pushed herself to her feet, sliding them into her boots and padded out of the room. Looking around she quickly made her way outside. He hadn't gotten very far.

"You know it's considered rude to steal other people's bodies." He stopped, glancing over his shoulder with gold eyes to see her glaring at him disapprovingly with her arms crossed.

"Nobody ever accused me of being polite." He retorted with little interest. She regarded him coolly.

"That's for sure."

"Is that all you wanted?"

"You know the answer. There's no way you did what I've been told that you did by being stupid. Give him back. It's not your body."

"He offered it to me."

"No he didn't."

"Yes he did."

"He's too young."

"Yes that stumps me too. I will admit to that at least." His eyes narrowed as he examined her. She raised an eyebrow as he chewed on his lip. Slowly she released her bottom lip from her own teeth. _What are the odds of that?_ she wondered.

 _"_ _Slim to none."_ The voice reverberated off the walls of her head ever so helpfully.

"Did you grow up with him?" He finally seemed to decide to ask her the question.

"Yes? Why do you ask?"

"How long?"

"What does this have to do with you giving my brother his body back?"

"You've got a one track mind huh?"

"Because coming back from the dead and stealing a body from an innocent teenager is considered completely normal tactics to gain one's life goal of murdering his brother."

"I suppose I have to give you that one. You wouldn't understand my reasoning for it though."

"Try me." He glared at her but she just giggled.

"What's so funny?" He demanded.

"Allen doesn't really glare. You're pouting more than glaring."

"Yeah he was never very good at it either." She watched his face twist into several different expressions before returning to a passive look of displeasure. "It will come with time."

"How long are we going to pretend that we both don't know what will happen?" She shifted her weight to one leg.

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I put you back once and I'll do it again. So why don't we sit down and talk about this third side of this war. Master said I should ask you."

"No." He turned away from her, "I don't have time for you nor would you be of any use to me."

"How cold." She mocked. "I'd think you'd take all the help you could get. You failed last time and all of your allies are gone."

"Cross is dead? Huh, I didn't think it was possible."

"He's not dead. Hiding," she shrugged nonchalantly at him, "slacking off, probably drinking and fooling around but not dead. Not even death can kill Master."

"I don't think that's how that works," he noted, "though I do agree with you. So what you're saying is he's abandoned me with you."

"No. Master can only offer suggestions at this point. I stopped listening a long time ago. I'm willing to come to an agreement with you."

"I doubt you could help me. What I need would be your mother but the fact that you're smack in the middle of this only says that she's gone. Pity. She was a useful ally." She kept her gaze level, not allowing him to get under her skin. "Goodbye. I'd say it was nice to meet you but it wasn't, so I won't." He waved halfheartedly at her over his shoulder. She rolled her eyes and allowed her magic to flow through her. He was gone before she could blink. "Did you really think I'd let you do that to me again?" He voice sounded in her ear, one arm wrapped around her shoulders, the other gripping her head ready to snap her neck.

"Ura, oni, avata, Strike!" The electricity pulsed through her body into his. He cried out in pain and released her. Whirling around she took him down to the ground with her.

"I didn't expect you to electrocute yourself to get to me. That was gutsy. You could have passed out or stopped your heart, or my heart, or both of our hearts." He panted, hair splayed around on the ground. She panted from where she sat on top of him.

"It was a possibility." He kicked her in the stomach sending her crashing into a wall. Dark portals began to open up. "Shit!" She shot forward spelltag gripped in her fist. "Chaining Wings!"

Neah struggled fruitlessly as the magic wound around and around. Dragging him back to the cursed chair. The runes etching themselves into his skin, not Allen's but his. They burned like the few times Gazella had used her magic on him yet it was nothing like the vile, unnatural abomination the Order used. It had made his skin crawl even though it was Allen and not him that it was affecting. The smell made him nauseous and caused his head to swim. Despite his best efforts he once again found himself in the chair, chains latching back into place. New chains appeared. Stronger, thicker chains pinned him against the uncomfortable back of the chair. Where it had even come from or what it was doing there he didn't know.

"Release me!"

"Tell me about the third side."

She watched him impassively as he struggled fruitlessly against the magic. He snapped glaring at her, "Go to hell."

"Struggle all you want. It's all in vain anyway." She leaned down, hands on her hips, metallic green met gold, "We have all the time in the world. Oh yes, one day you will tell me everything." She straightened up and turned away from him. He glared holes into her back yanking at the chains. She waved to him over her shoulder then stepping off the earth she fell through the water and disappeared leaving only her voice echoing painfully, "Until then, enjoy your stay."

Luca gasped, gulping in as much air as she could. Glancing down she saw Allen beneath her, still unconscious though now Neah was too. Allowing her lungs to replenish her body with oxygen she rolled off her brother, for a moment she just lay in the dirt next to him. It was getting worse. Neah had been awake significantly longer that time. She hadn't noticed immediately. The necklace wasn't as effective. Her mind swirled with these thoughts. Sighing she got to her feet. Picking Allen up from the ground she carried him back to the hotel. They were running out of time. She was running out of time. He was running out of time.

* * *

Smack! A punch connected with her jaw. Place to place. They all soon blurred together. Staggering back Luca rubbed her new sore spot. She could already feel the bruise beginning to form. She lunged for her opponent. They had moved from one place to another. They moved so many times. She swung her fist and missed. Sending the man across the ring with a good kick instead. At first she had tried to keep track. Tried to keep track of everything. Where they had been, punch, where they were going, punch, where they hadn't been, punch, where they couldn't go, punch. She hit the ground. Her body ached but it was her pride that hurt the worst. She could feel Alma's worried gaze on her as she got up again. She refused to fall. To fail. She had failed in so many other ways. She had failed to keep Allen safe, punch, she had failed her master, punch, she had failed her mother, punch, she had failed to see what HE really was, punch, a sleazy, low down, punch, lying, punch, manipulative, backstabbing, punch, traitorous, punch, son of a bitch, PUNCH! Her opponent crashed into the wall. He slowly wiped blood from his face.

"Not bad kid. You got spunk. I'll give you that but you aren't good enough to win against me." He knocked her down again. She got up and knocked him down. He got up. They went around and around. Soon old wounds began to ache too. She considered staying down. "Stay down, Princess. You're just a little girl. You can't save anyone." Eyes wide with fury she leapt and took him to the ground with her. Sitting on him she repeatedly punched him in the face even after he was bloody and unconscious. Alma pulled her off the man. Her chest heaved.

 _"_ _Breathe. You can't let your emotions control your every action else sooner or later somebody will use them against you."_

They were right though. She was just a little girl. She hadn't saved Allen. She wasn't even able to slow the fourteenth down. He was still growing strong. She was growing weaker. Failing at every turn. At every test. Still it stung to have them voiced. Her knuckles dripped blood. She didn't know if it was his or hers. She wanted it to be both. She deserved her punishment. She deserved everything she had gotten, but not Allen. She didn't deserve Allen and he didn't deserve this fate.

"I'm done for the day." She declared taking the towel Alma offered her. She wiped the blood and sweat away. Not that it mattered. She was dirty anyway. She hadn't had a shower in weeks. Not since Neah had woken again. March was almost gone. Nothing had changed. They were still running. Still trapped like rats. Like the street rat she was. She pulled her shirt and vest back on and they left. Alma carefully guarding the money she had earned. He watched her from the corner of his eye. "You can ask. I know you want to."

"How did you know that?"

"You're expressive." Her heart ached at that word as she thought of another who had been expressive.

 _"_ _He betrayed you."_ The voice hissed. Her heart hardened and the burning rage consumed her mind once more. She pushed it away. HE wasn't here and Alma didn't deserve it. The other hadn't done anything wrong.

"It was written all over your face." He laughed sheepishly at her answer and rubbed the back of his head.

"How much longer are we going to live like this?"

"You don't have to. You and Kanda can leave whenever you choose. We really won't make you stay."

"We want to stay. I wasn't asking because I want it to end for us. For all of us. I asked because I'm worried about you guys. Allen's been spacing out for hours on end. You never sleep. Always scribbling on whatever paper you can find. Sometimes on yourself and even us when you're desperate enough." Her face fell and she looked away.

"I didn't mean to worry you. I'm fine really."

"No you're not. I know you Luca. You're not fine. Don't say you didn't mean to worry! You told me that first time that we're family well, I'm holding you to that! Family worries for each other so I'm going to worry!" She smiled, reaching over and ruffled his hair.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome!" He shouted indignantly before stalking ahead while she giggled. He hadn't heard it in a long time. She hardly did it, as long as he had been apart of their family he had only heard it a handful of times. Her laughter cut off suddenly. He looked back to find her ridged and deathly pale like a porcelain statue. He reached out to touch her face then pulled back. What if she broke beneath his fingertips? "Luca?" He called uncertainty. "Luca, what's wrong? Why are you making that face?" Slowly his fingers ghosted along her cheek. She didn't move. "Luca answer me." His hands moved from her face to her shoulders, fingers wrapping around them hesitantly. "Luca answer me. Answer me!" He began to shake her as she stared far ahead. Not seeing him or anything. "Luca!"

"Alma," her voice was soft yet the fear evident, "find Kanda and Lavi and get to the edge of the town where the forest is. Hide. Go. Now." He didn't move, only looked at her with befuddlement. "NOW!" Jolting back and away from her he nodded and ran. She took off in the opposite direction.

* * *

Some days Tyki wondered if the Earl secretly hated him. Or maybe it was just the universe. Maybe his entire life was just one big joke meant to entertain somebody. Whoever it was, it certainly wasn't Tyki. He was NOT laughing. The Fourteenth had resurfaced once again, bringing with him Allen Walker. Though they had lost the boy in the crowd. The Earl hadn't been happy. Tyki still hadn't found the boy or the traitorous Noah though it was the same body which was pretty confusing if he said so. Hopefully the Earl had calmed down a bit while he had been gone. _Wisely probably didn't let him get too out of control. He's like Road. They're both uniquely able to understand how he's feeling and deal with it accordingly_ , he thought doing his best to ignore who he knew would be hot on her brother's heels. It still hurt. Her ignoring him and pretending that he didn't even exist. The injuries from Apocryphos hurt less. He didn't even want to think about the fact that she had slept with his sister. Joyd raged within his head. Demanding an answer from their mate. An answer for her unfaithfulness, her infidelity. Childishly, he knew, he had refused to listen to Lulu Bell at all yet Luca, Luca he wanted an answer from. The urge to lock her up somewhere safe rose again, stronger this time. Yet now the ark didn't seem so safe anymore. If that wasn't safe for their mate then where was? He shook away the thoughts and opened the door to the carriage. Only Wisely sat inside. He looked around.

"Wisely? Where's the Earl?" The boy didn't answer him, only continued to sleep."Wisely?" Again no answer. He glared at the boy.

"Neah." His eyes widened when the boy spoke. What was that? Was that a name? The Earl had said it. Called the Fourteenth that. Was it his name?

"Hey." Wisely didn't move. "Hey." The boy shifted slightly causing Tyki's eyebrow to twitch. "WAKE UP WISELY!" The younger Noah jumped and then closed his eyes again. "Don't go nodding off! Move it! Where is the Millennium Earl?"

"Huh?!" Wisely asked still not opening his eyes, "Isn't the Millennium Earl knitting right next to me?"

"WHERE?!" Tyki demanded. Did his nephew really not know where their Master had gone? Finally Wisely's eyes snapped open.

"I SAID RIGHT NEXT TO ME! KNITTING..." he trailed off looking at the seat beside him. Sure enough the Earl's knitting needles were there sitting innocently on the seat but the Earl himself was gone. No trace of him or clue to where he had gone and how long he had been gone. Tyki facepalmed. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!?" Wisely yelled pulling at his hair while Tyki just sighed.

"I was a moron for leaving him with you."

"Master Noah," the bee akuma floating slightly behind Tyki called out.

"Yeah what is it? Do you know where the Millennium Earl is?" It flinched under his glare.

"No sir, I have merely been informed by my counterpart that Master Sheril, Jasdevi, and Mercym have captured Apocryphos! They request that-" The akuma was cut off as Sheril's voice came through instead.

"Tyki! Come! We've got the foolish piece of innocence! Come!" Tyki sighed. It all seemed too easy to him.

"Should I tell them the Earl has...um...taken his leave?" The akuma asked in uncertainty. Instead of answering the akuma the Noah yanked his nephew from the carriage to shake him violently by his jacket.

"FIND HIM, WISELY!"

"Demonic Eyes, Activate!" Despite managing to lose their patriarch the younger Noah was clearly enjoying his uncle's distress. Though the boy did find the Earl. Greatly upset by the Fourteenth of course.

"Wisely," the Earl began to sob in the boy's embrace, "Neah, he's gone mad. He's gone completely mad. I'm not Mana. He's broken. I'm not Mana. I'm not." he protested not having the strength to do anything but cry. Tyki looked around but didn't see the Fourteenth.

"Let's go home Millennium Earl. You'll feel better after you've rested in bed for a while." An ark gate opened under the pair. "It's time to go home." Tyki pondered the name that the Earl had uttered. _Where have I heard that before? Who said it? Was it Butterfly? Or perhaps it was her brother?_ "Back home we go, Earl." Wisely spoke softly. _I cannot allow the Fourteenth to meet the Millennium Earl again_ , his thoughts were cut off by a new voice.

"MANA!" Allen Walker, no the Fourteenth in Allen Walker's body, stood atop the building to his left. "See you later Mana!" He called far too cheerfully.

"Neah," The Earl called looking up to his brother.

"Next time, I'll visit you. I'll come and kill you." Tyki glared as the Earl began to cry again. He moved between the two, blocking the Earl's vision. He wouldn't let the Fourteenth torment the man anymore. He didn't care who he was. To his surprise the Fourteenth froze when he saw him.

"Joyd, the twins have captured Apocryphos. Don't keep them waiting."

"Got it," Tyki exhaled the smoke of his cigarette, "Now take the Millennium Earl home." He paused for a moment to think. "When I get back tell me about Mana. That's the name he just said wasn't it?" Wisely's face was blank and didn't give him an answer. The Earl reached out for Neah as the pair sunk down into the ark and vanished. The Fourteenth smiled and reach back out like he was going to grab the Earl's hand. Tyki exhaled once more to calm himself. He needed to finish this quickly. And everywhere Allen went Luca was sure to follow. He couldn't afford a fight with her at the moment. "Jeez, what was that all about?" He didn't like having to look up at the other. Stepping up he began to climb through the air. "So you're the Fourteenth huh? We didn't get to talk last time, Butterfly put you back to sleep before you even spoke. It's very disconcerting with you wearing that boy's face. It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much. You didn't waste any time making the Earl cry. Though it's partially Wisely's fault. He was supposed to be watching him." He stopped when he was on even ground. "How about we go back together? We'll sit down and eat together as a family. We'll hear what exactly it is that you are. So how about it, the traitorous Fourteenth?" He was taken aback by the face the Fourteenth made at him. Where had he seen that face before? It certainly wasn't one that Allen Walker himself made.

"Everybody is always "Fourteenth this and "Fourteenth" that," he held out his left hand allowing the bright light to envelop it. Tyki raised an eyebrow. He wasn't actually going to try using the boy's innocence was he? "You all call me that so nonchalantly, but I personally don't care for it one bit. The previous generation of Noah gave me that nickname out of spite." The Fourteenth smiled though there was no joy or kindness in it. It was all dark and malicious.

"That so? Everybody calls you that." Tyki pointed out though still watching the innocence.

"You're rejected. You and that inspector over there. Despite claiming himself my ally. You're all rejected. Listen up and listen well blockheads, my name is Neah D. Campbell. As for who I call my allies or family is up to me and me alone. You have no say in it." His face shifted from the bright smile he had been wearing to a sneer. "Besides," his voice was sweet in a saccharine way. It didn't seem like a good thing. "Having a meal with you is out of the question, Joyd. That reincarnated form of yours, I could laugh and spit up the food that I ate." Tyki blinked, confused for a moment. He didn't understand what it was the Fourteenth was getting at. _What's wrong with the way I look?_ he questioned though he was quickly overtaken by Joyd's rage. The light from the innocence grew brighter.

"Fourteenth! Please wait!" The blond man who had been fighting the akuma shouted from the other building's roof. Then the light was gone. A booted foot dug into the boy's white hair. Gold eyes turned silver, glazed over, and then rolled into the back of his head. He fell to his knees and the keeled over onto his side. Luca stood behind him, glaring daggers into the unconscious man. She set her foot back on the ground.

"Gods above and below, you truly are an idiot. No wonder you died 35 years ago. You can't use Crown Clown. It only listens to Allen. Are you trying to get yourself killed again? All you'll do is become a fallen one." She sighed and shook her head. Tyki stared at her as she bent down, picking her brother up, easily tossing him over her shoulder. She didn't look at him. He couldn't stop looking. She was pale, sickly pale. Dark bruise like bags beneath her eyes that had lost their mischievous spark. Her curls weighed down by dirt, grease, and the other grime that seemed to cover every centimeter of her. Several bruises marred her skin including a rather large one along her jaw. Her clothes no longer fit, ribs, that were hidden not long ago, jutting through her skin and the fabric.

 _"_ _Butterfly...?"_ Joyd whimpered in his head. All traces of murderous rage and malice was gone. Their mate was hurt, hurt and had undoubtedly been neglecting her own health. She clearly needed a long hot bath and more than one good meal.

"You're back is open!" The akuma dove for the blond man's exposed back. Her eyes darted over.

"CROWS." She rolled her eyes as her innocence shot out, spearing through the akuma before racing back to wrap around her legs. The armored boots shone green for a moment and then she leapt not sparing a glance at either of them.

"Walker wait!" She ignored the CROW.

"Butterfly!" Tyki bolted after her. She glanced over her shoulder and then picked up speed. "Hey! I'm not done with you yet!"

"Walker!" Tyki glanced at the man. He wasn't wearing the CROW's uniform but she had still called him a CROW. "Walker wait! I'm here to help." She twisted to face them in midair not slowing down.

"Like you helped all those other times?" She asked coolly.

"Those were different circumstances, Walker."

"They always are. It doesn't change what you did." She snorted as she flew across the sky. "You've made your choice."

"Tyki!" She looked down to find Sheril, the twins, and a Noah she didn't know standing around. Apocryphos knelt on the ground a creature made of dark matter held his arms and covered his head.

Luca rolled her eyes and growled, "Useless piece of innocence." Flipping through the air she twisted around kicking Sheril in the face, sending him crashing into the wall. Using her momentum she turned on the unknown Noah. Her boots planted in his face. Kicking off and back into the air she ordered, "Release Harbinger!" Her innocence shot off her feet and straight at the giant balloon creature that greatly resembled Sheril. "Consume!" Apocryphos fell forward as he was suddenly released. "Fire!" The energy blasts crashed into the twins. Glancing over she saw the unnamed Noah getting up. "Fire!" He collided with Sheril who was just starting to stand up.

"Lucaria?"

"Heed this warning for it will be your last: come after my brother, and I will send you to whatever god you wish."

"Lucaria wait-!" She cut the innocence off, not bothering to listen.

"Time for you to go back where you came from. Ura, kikero, masarakat, on, ri, ka, voro, to the north or south, east or west, return from whence you came!" Waving her hand in a cross motion a circle of runes appeared on the ground beneath his feet and then the innocence was gone. She landed on the building surveying the chaos that had been caused.

"Butterfly! Wait!" Tyki stopped several meters away from her still walking on air. She turned her cold gaze on him. "You can't keep running like this. There nowhere in the world that you can hide. Stop while you still can."

"Invoke, Eternal Hunter." The man tensed but it only wrapped around her legs again.

"Stop running Butterfly. You're going to kill yourself going the way you're going. Please don't do that." She shot off the building, easily leaping over him and the other Noah. Allen still hung over her shoulder unconscious. Tyki moved to go after her, not willing to let her go.

"A little help here Tyki?" he glanced over to find Sheril trapped in the rubble he'd been kicked into with Mercym. The pair were tangled together. The twins had burns and complaining about their now missing prize. He sighed and watched her go, crossing the city in several graceful bounds. Then she was out of sight. His mate was gone once more, again not sparing him a word. Dejected he began his descent to the ground.

* * *

Luca moved through the air, making sure to be faster than Link could keep track of. She didn't know what he was doing here especially dressed as a civilian but it didn't matter. She wouldn't let him follow her. Of course the Fourteenth had to go and find the Noah. Of course out of the 11 of them left he would find HIM. That was the last thing she needed. _I need to get out out of here. Anywhere is better than here. I won't let him distract me anymore. I've messed up enough. No more_ , her thoughts were cut off.

 _"_ _You need to rest child. You can't keep going like this."_

 _I don't have time for you. Go away_ , she snapped back.

 _"_ _I'm only telling you the truth."_

 _I didn't ask for it!_

 _"_ _Because you knew it would hurt. It's something you don't want to hear."_

 _Would you just go away?!_ she demanded. _I have enough problems to deal with. I don't need HIM too. I can't let him pull me back in. I need to stay by Allen's side. He needs me. The Fourteenth is getting worse. He's getting stronger. Allen doesn't have much time left. I need to get back to working on the spell. This would be a lot easier if the Fourteenth was willing to be cooperative but my life is never that easy_ , she sighed. She was surprised that her new conversational partner had done what she had asked. It wasn't what she had expected of him. She glanced around at the streets as she passed over them. The colors blurred together though the gray shadows still stuck out to her. She shook them away.

"I won't get lost in HIM again."

 _"_ _What do you plan on doing now then child?"_ And he was back. Yet he presented a valid question. She pondered it for a moment. Allowing her thoughts to roll around in her head before she answered.

"I think it's time to step into the lake."

* * *

Angels have faith

I don't want to be a part of his sin

I don't want to get lost in his world

I'm not playing this game

– A Demon's Fate, Within Temptation

* * *

 **So this was the last piece of canon that's gonna happen in a while. Apocryphos has appeared, Neah has upset the Earl, made his presence known, and started something with Tyki. Luca of course is just thrilled with all this. Something new begins for Luca. I look forward to hear your thoughts on the matter. As I said in the top AN I will not be posting on March 30** **th** **do to my exam being the day before. Regular posting will resume on April 14** **th** **with the chapter All That I'm Living For. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you all on April 14** **th** **! Cheshire is out~!**


	49. All That I'm Living For

**Welcome back my darlings! I can't believe it's been a month. It just flew by for me. The week before my exam I did nothing but study. I got up, went to class where we studied, went home, did the homework that took ALL DAY and then went to bed and got less sleep than I should have. My messing the dates up in my last AN by an entire month shows just how tired and stressed I was by everything. I'm looked back at and facepalming. I can't believe I did that. How can I post on a day that's already passed? Jeez. I wonder if I confused any of you guys. So updates will resume their normal schedule which means that their will be an update on the 28th~! One quick note when Luca was having her nightmare and Neah appeared in it. He wasn't actually making contact. It was a construction of her own imagination as one of her worse fears is losing Allen to Neah. That would be worse for her than if he died. Well that's all I've got for now so on to the reviews!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, Yeah Tyki isn't enjoying his time or the new developments at all. Everything keeps blowing up in his face. Neah is upsetting the Earl and mocking the way he looks, Lulu Bell slept with his mate, and said mate is completely ignoring him. He's got some bridges to mend (read: rebuild) if he wants things to change. Luca got a break. She got heartbreak. That's a break. Enjoy the story!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, I think that's all the Noah do at the dinner table. I honestly think that they argue with each other at the table more than they eat at it. Our girl has had plenty of practice getting under people skin and the Noah, they just make it so easy for her. She barely has to try. A bet just felt like the kind of think Clark and Momo would do plus any joke at Tyki's expense is good in my books. Yeah Wisely's a twit and enjoys every minute of it. Poor Tyki. He can't escape. Gazella's relationship with Neah and the Earl is complicated. Nothing is cut and dry. The Earl's sanity is slipping like water through fingers. He's having a hard time. By the way, Tricia will be in the next chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, Yeah that wasn't Lulu Bell's proudest moment. She may never come out of her room after that. Sheril certainly won't look at her the same way, when he can look at her again that is. Poor girl. I almost feel bad, nah I'm actually enjoying this part. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Cam, I do agree with you. I don't believe that what Sheril was hoping for when he started the conversation but nothing he can do about it. Little brothers are so pesky, not doing what they're suppose to! Lulu Bell definitely changed the route of the conversation. Nothing Sheril could do about that. I hope I haven't stressed you out too much. I'd say you have nothing to worry about but with Luca in control you have no idea what might pop up like Lulu Bell. That was not in the original plot. All in due time my friend. You'll know soon enough. Enjoy the chapter and thanks for the compliment.**

 **Dear SheuOgama, Yes we are marching on ahead with no map insight. Luca doesn't believe in maps. I'm just kidding. She's just not great with a map. Actually from this moment on we will be veering off of canon and into uncharted territory! I'm sorry an Easter special didn't happen. I was really busy and just didn't really have any good ideas for it. I doubt there will be many specials. They're rather taxing on me. I'll admit that the dinner table scene was one of my favorites. I think Sheril's reaction is my absolute favorite though.**

 **Dear Bloodmoon25, It's great to meet (sorta) you! I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the story. Luca and Allen are a lot of fun for me because most of the relationship is one of them doing something stupid and the other yelling at them for it while freaking out. Yeah Tyki is definitely in the doghouse right now but he got himself put in there. It was his own actions though Luca is being incredibly stubborn about it. Gazella's past will slowly appear in the light of day. Luca has questions to be sure. The woman will be coming up shortly. Hyde will be getting a chapter to explain her beginnings at some point. It will get answered. Don't worry so much about your questions. I love them all. I hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, I missed you so much. The month went on forever! That's okay I'll buy that story. It's all good. You still were here. It's all good. Luca does seem to worm her way into people's heads and conversations even when not around. Unfortunately despite being a major topic of the Noah family not a lot of them like her all that much. Sheril hates her guts, Wisely thinks she's funny but is afraid of her, Road thinks she's funny, the Earl has mixed feelings for her as does Lulu Bell and the rest dislike her. Luca also tends to ignore signs so there's that too. I do have to agree with you. That train wreck was probably the best. Sheril's reaction is the best in my opinion. That was not what he was expecting nor was it what he wanted to hear. Any of it. That shirt will never be clean again. Stay healthy as well! Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"Be careful, you are not in Wonderland. I've heard the strange madness long growing in your soul. But you are fortunate in your ignorance, in your isolation. You who have suffered, find where love hides. Give, share, lose—lest we die, unbloomed ."  
― From the film Kill Your Darlings

* * *

"Bloody hell Luca!" Lavi shouted as she dropped out of the sky right in front of him.

"Are you okay?" Alma asked flying at her, almost unbalancing her with his bear hug.

"Alma, falling over." Kanda moved to steady her before taking Allen from her. "Thanks Kanda." He nodded.

"Now what?"

"We need to find somewhere safe. I need to help Allen before it's too late."

"Where would that be?" Lavi asked.

"I don't know. I have to find that place first."

"The Earl is looking for you guys again, isn't he?"

"Us." All eyes turned to Alma. "We're a group. Luca and Allen don't get separated. It's us. The Earl is looking for us. Even if HE only wants Allen he's looking for US. If we let them divide us into who's "important" and who's "not" then it just gives them another leg up on is. We can't let them divide us." Luca smiled at him.

"You're right Alma. We can't let them do that. Yes the Noah are looking for us, however Jackass here," she jabbed her finger at Allen's unconscious body, "thoroughly upset the Earl. I felt him and Wisely's presence vanish before I got there."

"He woke up again?" Kanda asked.

"Yes. The second time this month. He woke a few weeks ago. Almost ran off. I woke up before he got far. I used magic again but he's getting stronger. I haven't been able to work like this. We need a safe place."

"Is there even such a thing for us?" Lavi questioned with a raised eyebrow. She glared at him for the unhelpful commentary.

"Like I said the Fourteenth upset the Earl so we may be safe for a while though Lvellie has sent out his own spy."

"You saw him too?" Luca turned to Kanda and nodded.

"I found him with the Fourteenth though he was quickly rejected as an ally. Kanda, get rid of him. Alma go to the hotel and get our things. Be as quick as you can. Go." The pair nodded and left. "Lavi," she turned to the redhead, "I need sleep. Using my innocence and magic is exhausting. You have keen eyes. If you see or hear anything suspicious wake me immediately." He nodded watching as she slumped next to Allen, her eyes closed and she was out like a light.

* * *

"Seek out Adira."

"Who?" Luca glanced around. She had no idea where she was. She had to be asleep, oh yeah she was. Still she found herself glancing around. She had never seen this place before. The forest around her was dark and thick. She could see several fallen trees, the wood sharp and jagged. Something had come crashing through. Destroying anything in it's path. The ground was littered with leaves ripped from their branches which were scattered all around. Whatever had passed through had only done so recently. The woods were still deathly silent. A sure sign that not much time had passed since the incident. Whatever it was. Slowly she began to walk. No matter how far she walked she never made it any closer to the voice.

"Adira." Slowly the forest dwindled and she found herself in a new place just as strange as the forest she had exited.

"Who's Adira? I've never heard of her before." The floor beneath her feet looked to be made of black and white marble tiles. It appeared to be a large courtyard. Stone ruins filled it, broken dragon statues were scattered about. Across from her on the other side it looked like what was left of a large spiral staircase stood though it all looked pretty precarious. "Where are you? I don't see you." It was true. She was alone in the peculiar plaza.

"In due time, Little One. All in due time. You aren't ready to meet me."

"Then why should I trust you? You're a strange voice in my head, which I shouldn't hear in the first place. You clearly don't belong to me. So why should I just trust you?"

"Call me an interested party for now."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that I will be offering advice freely to you. Only you can hear me. I can also help you fortify your mental wards." She paused at that.

"You can help with that?"

"What happened to all that hostility?" He chuckled. It was deep and bounced around the remnants of the world. "Are mental wards that important to you?"

"So what if they are? They are protecting my mind. A lot can happen in here and in case you hadn't noticed there are quite a few dangerous things here. Hyde being one of them, the secrets Master told me, not to mention whoever the hell you are. Normal people don't have a voice in their head. You need to be a secret."

"That is a good point. Right now I am your strongest asset. Especially without a safe place to keep your own spellbooks. If you weren't running around and hiding all the time you'd get more done. You're doing very well for the situation that you're in."

"Flattery will get you nowhere."

"Very good. Never let anyone talk their way into your good graces. You have no idea what it is their true goal is. In the end flattery is nothing more that pretty words. It's good to see that good for nothing layabout Master of your taught you something."

"Master taught me many things. That was just one of the many things he taught me. I'm not stupid."

"That's excellent to hear. Common sense is no longer all that common, I'm afraid."

"We're getting off topic here aren't we?"

"That depends on your perspective." She glared, looking around.

"I really wish you would just show yourself. I'm dreaming so that means that this bizarre place is part of my mindscape. So why the hell can't I see you?"

"As I said before you are not ready to meet me."

"Well I feel crazy talking to thin air."

"Nobody can see you."

"That doesn't change it."

"If it really matters that much to you walk over to the pool." Following his directions she crossed the courtyard, the clacking of her heels the only sound the echoed in the wasteland.

"Only I would have such a ridiculous place in my mind." Her eyes drifted to the sky as she counted the ten crows flying. She didn't know why she had crows in her head or if they even actually there or alive yet still she found herself fascinated with them. "Gods what must it be like to be normal? No strange things or voices in your head. No dead people trying to erase your brother and take over his body. Just a normal life. Worrying about your hair or who you're going to marry. Okay, you know what, maybe not that normal. Maybe just sorceress normal. Hell at the moment I think I'd even take exorcist normal." She approached the pool that looked as if it had once been a large white fountain though it's beauty had long since been destroyed. Staring in she found nothing more than her own reflection. "So what? You're a part of me?"

"In a way yes. I couldn't be here if I wasn't."

"That woman wasn't a part of me but she was still there."

"Yes she was there," to her astonishment her reflection's lips moved in time with the words she was hearing, "but she didn't originate from here. I am clearly a part of you. I was with you when you were born. I have been with you for years. You've been ignoring me for most of your life. Misled to fear by those who do not understand who and what you are. They don't know you yet they told you who to be and what you must do. You must make your own decisions."

"You sure do have a lot of opinions."

"I've had plenty of time to think."

"Do you live here?"

"Where?"

"Here." She waved her arm around motioning to the ruins with one giant sweep.

"For now, yes. As I said before you've been denying my existence for a long time on the advice of others who don't understand. I have been pushed back so much that I fell asleep for a while. When I first woke you were too young to understand."

"Then what happened?"

"You lost your mother and your safe haven. Your entire world came crashing down. When you are struggling for the basic needs such as food and clean water to drink everything else falls away. It's no longer important. You are expending all of your energy to survive. You may not remember it but for a while you forgot how to speak."

"Will you ever tell me who you are?" She asked, Luca wanted nothing more than to forget that horrible time in her life.

"When you are ready. You need time to move away from the lies you've been told. Once you've had time to form your own opinions and truly think for yourself then I will tell you who I am. For now as I have said before consider me an interested party. Invested in your survival. I have much advice to offer you if you only stop to listen to me when I attempt to give it. I tried once when you were younger but you pushed me away so much that I fell asleep."

"You said that already."

"Yes, apparently I did."

"I'll..." she trailed off. She had no idea whether or not to trust him. No clue of his identity and yet the way he spoke, it was soft and kind. He didn't feel threatening. He didn't feel like anyone she had ever met before. Maybe she had finally cracked. It was entirely possible. Her reflection smiled at her gently, almost parental in a way.

"You'll...?" He prompted. It was weird to hear a male voice come from her own lips.

"I'll reserve judgment." She finished finally. Her reflection's smile grew.

"That's all I ask of you." She examined the reflection.

"Is that really what my hair looks like?" She asked her features wrinkling in distaste as her fingers dug into it mussing it up. Her reflection did the same. He laughed.

"There's nothing wrong with the way your hair looks. I know you compare it to your Chinese friend's but you two are very different. It's not a fair comparison."

"It's hard not to," she fruitlessly attempted to straighten it once again though as usual it just sprung back into the usual frizzy mess, "everyone was always saying how beautiful it was. Komui cried when he saw that it had been cut. I don't expect Allen to do so but..." she trailed off, chewing on her bottom lip as she rubbed her right calf with her left foot. "Never mind. It's stupid."

"Having doubts and insecurities is normal. Especially at your age. You are still young." It was while she was still, out of habit, trying to straighten her hair that she noticed something.

"Hey! My hair is clean. It's no longer greasy."

"Of course it's clean. You are in your own head child, while your mental state is reflected, your physical state is not. Just because you haven't had access to a shower or bath in the real world doesn't mean you are dirty in mind or soul. It means you're having a hard time in life. It is no fault of yours." Caw! Caw caw! Luca's eyes darted up as the crow flew over head.

"How are there animals in here? This is my head isn't it?"

"It is but you have a connection to them. Only the animals that represent you or what you are going through will be found in here. So something that is wildly unconnected to you such as a swan will never be seen in here unless you make a connection to one or somebody that it reminds you of which is why there are butterflies here." She glared at him.

"There are not."

"They are here. They may be hiding because your mood is very blatant here, you cannot hide from your own mind. They know it is best to remain hidden until the person that you associate them with is back in your good graces."

"I don't care about him anymore." Luca huffed irritably. He laughed.

"Well clearly that's not true. The butterflies are still here."

"Can't they be here because I hate him?"

"Do you really though or are you just hurt?"

"I hate him."

"You know what they say, anger is just a bodyguard for sad."

"I hate him." she reiterated.

"Yes you've said that, but perhaps you are using your anger because you don't want to admit that you're sad, that you're hurt."

"I'm not sad. I hate him. I'm angry."

"Why are you angry?"

"Because he tried to kill my brother. To destroy him from the inside out."

"He's your enemy. Why did you expect anything less?"

"Because I-" she trailed off. Why did she expect anything less? He was right. Tyki had always been and still was her enemy. They were on different sides of a giant war. It wasn't even like with the CROWS where they were supposed to be on the same side. Sure they had adventures where she and he had to team up but that didn't make them anything different.

"Because you..." he prompted.

"Because I stupidly allowed a few moments of conversation to fool me into believing that he cared for me and that there was something between us. It's my own fault really."

"So are you mad at him or yourself?"

"I'm mad at myself but he is still my enemy and I will treat him as such."

"You weren't like that before."

"I was a child. I didn't think of how it would go if I lost. I allowed myself to believe it was all a big game and treated it as such. I know better now. I have seen the truth of war and cannot continue to act like a child. If I do I will get myself and others killed. It's time to grow up and face the future."

"You are still a child. A child thrust into this war that you wanted nothing to do with. Your mother tried to protect you from it but she failed. One of the few things that Gazella ever failed at. None the less you cannot change the past, only how you move on from here."

"I've decided that it's time to grow up. It's time to leave my childhood behind. To say goodbye to the innocences of my youth. My foolishness. Burn my bridges."

"Be careful when you burn bridges."

"If the bridge was fucked up then I don't mind swimming." He chuckled at her response though it sounded sad.

"You may regret it later."

"Would you make up your mind?! Earlier you were reminding me that he betrayed me and now you're advocating for him!"

"You just admitted that you were mad at yourself."

"I'm mad at him too! I hate him!"

"No you don't. He hurt you but you don't hate him."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't. Little One we could go back and forth like this all day but you don't have time for that. Your brother doesn't have time for that." Luca froze, blinking away the tears that had started building in her eyes. Furiously she scrubbed them away.

"You're right. Allen needs help. I have to stop the Fourteenth before-" He cut her off.

"Why do you call him that?"

"What?" She asked, now confused.

"You know his name yet you continue to call him "the Fourteenth" no matter who you're talking to."

"He's erasing my brother I don't give a damn what his name is."

"Does that mean you're going to call Tyki "The third"?" She blinked several times.

"What?"

"Tyki, Joyd, they are the third disciple. The Fourteenth is called that because he's the fourteenth disciple. So will Joyd be the third from now on?"

"Joyd is that the memory's name?"

"Yes."

"The memories have their own names?"

"Yes." The girl was quiet as she thought about and digested the new information. "Some Noah decide to discard their human names and use the memory name then there are those like your Tyki-"

"He's not mine!" She snapped.

"He sighed, "My mistake. Then there are those like Tyki who try to balance themselves and thus still use their human name."

"Speaking of names, what should I call you? I can't keep referring to you as "Male Voice in my Head" or "Strange Male Voice in my Head" I need something I can actually call you. Address you as."

"Strange Male Voice in my Head? You couldn't come up with anything better, Little One?" She glared at the reflection.

"I'm tired! Everything is falling apart! I haven't had a bath in weeks! I've been pretty preoccupied! There's not like there's been a lot of time to think about it when so many other things require my time and attention!"

"Okay, okay, okay, calm down, Little One, there's no reason to yell. I was just teasing." The girl sighed dragging her hand down over her face.

"I'm sorry. I'm over tired."

"Noted."

"So, name?"

"I have many names."

"Are any of your answers going to be straightforward or will I be spending my time trying to translate all of your mystical wisdom into normal people terms?"

"Oh," he quirked an eyebrow at her, "are you normal, Little One?"

"Are you going to keep calling me "Little One" when you know my name?" She shot his own wording back in his face.

"Yes. I quite like it. The term also fits you. Your 17 years of age is nothing to me."

"Aren't you a part of me?"

"You have witnessed spectacular things. You have DONE spectacular things yet you think that just because I have been with you for YOUR entire life does not mean that you have been with me for MY entire life."

"Okay, point taken. How about Ancient One then? If you are so old and knowledgeable?"

"I suppose Ancient One is true enough. You may call me that if you'd like."

"Very well. I can work with that. It's easier than any of my others ideas."

"So are you happy now?"

"It will do. For now. I expect to have your real name."

"You will. When you are ready."

She groaned, "You know I hear that phrase all the time! "When your ready this!" "When you're ready that!" Nobody will just tell me anything. I've had to claw my way to every answer I've ever gotten and half the time I learn later that they were wrong!"

"You are rather fiery, aren't you?. Your mother was more like water. Calm and flowing, never staying in one place for long but she could tear you apart when she wanted or needed. You must be like your father. Full of fire."

"I don't know who fathered me but my father was Cross Marian."

"Ah yes, I forgot that you only view Cross as your father. It's fair enough I guess. He was the one that was there. The one that raised you."

"Besides I've been told that my bloodline is...," she sighed and it was here that he could see just how tired she truly was and not what she showed to the rest of the world, "special. It could be from that. Frankly I don't want to think about it much. It's brought me nothing but strife and grief."

"Sometimes family brings us pain even when they don't mean to. It's not always their fault. These things happen Little One and," he sighed here, "and sometimes they can't help it."

"Doesn't make living with the consequences any easier."

"I know but you will learn to live with them. Just as you have learned to live with all of your other scars those you have inflicted and those that have been inflicted onto you."

"Are you going to be like this the whole time?"

"Like what?"

"Sickeningly noble."

"Is that really such a bad thing?"

"Yes. I get enough of it from Allen."

"I'm just trying to help you in the long run."

"What part of this conversation has been helpful?"

"Several parts. You just may not recognize it yet."

"Why is it that all those who are "gifted with wisdom" refuse to just share it normally? Why the hell do you all have to be so cryptic? Why can't you say anything straight forward?"

"You already know the answer. Sometimes you just need a little push to get there. I would rather have you make your own way to the answer rather than me just giving it to you."

"Learning for myself basically?"

"Yes. However sometimes you need a push. This is one of those times. Seek out Adira."

"Who's Adira?"

"The red haired woman who warned you in the tavern. That was Adira."

"Why?"

"Why did she warn you?"

"Well that too, but why should I go find her?"

"I can't tell you why she warned you but you should seek her out because she can give you a safe haven."

"She didn't seem all that interested in sticking around. More like she wanted to get as far away as possible. I didn't get the feeling that she really wanted to be around us."

"Let me rephrase that then, Little One, Adira lives around here. She knows about the war." He let the last sentence sink in, waiting for her to realize what he was implying. Her lips moved, spreading across her face in a grin.

"So then her home would be warded against the Order and the Earl. Neither side would be able to find us. It would allow me the time to help Allen. Deal with Neah. I can use her own magic to find her. She broke down my walls so there should be some residue of her powers here."

"Very good. Isn't that a much better reward than me just telling you?"

"Well I wouldn't have been here so long."

"And we wouldn't have had time to bond."

"Whatever this bond is." She muttered causing him to laugh.

"Go find that magic you need. You'll figure it out."

"Thanks Ancient One."

"Good luck Little One." She turned on her heels and ran though for a moment she saw a man standing on the pool of water where her reflection had been. He nodded his head with a tip of his hat to her before vanishing along with the ruins as she dashed through the forest where she had come. She needed to go to the edge of her mind. Where Adira had been.

* * *

"Are you sure about this Luca?" Alma asked from behind her.

"Yeah. We'll be fine."

"How long did you two even talk for?" Kanda asked.

"A few minutes?" Luca answered as her magic began to undo the spell that kept them out of the locked house, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead as she concentrated on controlling the energy in her fingertips.

"And in that time she gave you permission to use her house?" Allen questioned with a raised eyebrow that his sister ignored.

"She didn't say that I couldn't not use it."

"Luca! That's not permission!" He shouted.

"It's better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission."

"I really don't think that's going to fly here!"

"Ah ha! Got it!" The magic flickered for a moment with Luca's triumphant cry. She stood and magic swirled at her fingertips before the portal opened showing a dark, nicely decorated living room on the other side. "Well go on! Get in before people see us." She motioned to the portal when none of them moved. "It won't hurt. I promise!" She smiled brightly at them. Brighter than she had in weeks. Months even. She had gotten something from her nap. More than sleep. Sighing Allen stepped away from the others and through the portal. When he waved from the living room unharmed, Alma dashed through dragging Kanda by the hand. Lavi huffed and slid in with Luca right behind him.

"If you undid the magic that was protecting the house then why didn't we just get a regular house?" Lavi asked as she started doing something else. Magic was lost on him. Luca's even more so than normal magic. It was old. He knew that much.

"I didn't. This sorceress is far older and stronger than I am. So are her wards." She shot him a cheeky grin before continuing, "I merely took down the one that didn't allow portals past it's walls."

"So this place can't be found?"

"Exactly! Not by the Order or the Earl's magic. We're safe here!"

"For how long?"

"Til she comes back probably. I don't know where she came from or what her stakes are but she's not in town for now and we don't have many options."

"I'm surprised you answered me truthfully." She raised an eyebrow at him as the magic flickered and vanished.

"Huh? What's that mean?"

"You say that we'll be fine a lot but most of the time that isn't true. We're almost never fine. Nothing has gone right since we left the Order. Every moment on the run has been hell. Not enough food, no warm places to sleep, people from both sides chasing us, Crown Clown and Eternal Hunter acting up for no reason that you don't ever explain, magic spikes around you, you never told us that you could use magic or where you learned it. You are constantly leaving questions half answered or avoiding them completely."

"I don't like to lie." Her hands dropped to her side as she faced away from him.

"You say that but you do it all the time. Every other word that falls from your lips is a lie. How are we suppose to trust you with our lives if we can't even trust you to tell us what color the sky is?" She wanted to argue but knew she couldn't. Still she couldn't stop the wince.

"There's so much that you don't understand La-" He cut her off.

"Oh and you in your infinite wisdom do understand these things!"

"No. I don't." She admitted not that he would believe her. He had made that clear. She spun around, facing him."I don't understand many things but I am doing my very best to keep everything together and all of us in one piece." She stalked towards him, "So I'm sorry that we aren't living the way you wanted too but you don't have to be here. You're our friend and are always welcome but if you can't handle living this way then leave!" She was in his face now, fury burning in her eyes. She pushed past him to where the other three were in the kitchen no doubt looking for food. She took a deep calming breath to slow her thoughts before crossing the threshold her boots clacking against the linoleum floor. "I need to borrow Allen for a while," she turn directing her question to Alma, "can you and the dum dums figure out how to make pasta? It shouldn't be that hard. We have the stuff for it. If not then just find something that can resemble dinner?" Alma nodded smiling brightly at her. He could see how tired she was. Whatever joy she had gotten from finding the house was gone. Drowned by her fight with Lavi. The fight he totally hadn't been listening to.

"Yeah! We can totally do that right, Yu?" He threw his arm around the other's neck pulling him into a choke hold that was probably supposed to be a hug.

"Alma! Get off!" Kanda struggled though it was in vain. The two second exorcists were of equal physical strength.

"I'm just hugging you. It's not like I'm trying to kill you," he paused for a moment tapping his bottom lip thoughtfully, "anymore."

"This isn't a hug. This is a choke hold." Alma rolled his eyes but let go.

"We've got dinner covered!" She nodded and shot him a grateful smile. She didn't know what she'd do without his optimism. They needed the hope desperately. Placing her hand on Allen's shoulder she left the room her brother trailing after her.

"It happened again didn't it?" He questioned after a minute of silence as she looked for something. _Probably the magic room, whatever it's called_ , he noted. She was walking with her eyes closed.

"Yes. I don't know how, I wasn't with you but it did happen. I think you-he," she corrected gritting her teeth, "met the Earl. He was gone when I got there though."

"What was he doing then? The Fourteenth I mean."

"Having a rather unpleasant conversation with Tyki from the looks of it. He's clearly not very bright. He was about to try and use Crown Clown against him when I got there. Hence the large bump on your head. Sorry about that by the way, but I may have panicked a bit. I didn't want him to make you a fallen." She gulped momentarily flashing back to the forest in China and destruction the traitor had caused. She wanted to laugh at that memory. She called Suman a traitor, but here she was technically a traitor herself. Life and it's irony. It wasn't lost on her.

"You don't have to apologize. You did what you could. I'm not gonna fault you for it. Besides, you hardly hit me. You've hit me harder in training than you did there." She smiled and kept walking. They were almost there. She could feel it. The hum of the magic resonated with her soul. She could feel every hair on her body stand up. She could barely control the hum of her own excited energy. Coming to a wall she placed her hands on it knocking as she went.

"What are we looking for Luca?"

"The hidden panel." She kept knocking.

"Oh come on Luca, that's not a real thing-" he sighed as just as he spoke the door disguised as a panel of wood swung open.

"You were saying?"

"Why do I even bother? I swear I walk into them." Luca smiled at him and held the door open with a bow.

"No. The world just hates us."

"Oh? It's not just me?"

"Nope! It hates me too. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it." He made a face at her but stepped through the wall and descended the stairs.

"Why are they always in the basement?"

"It's an easy place to hide and secure. Most sorcerers don't want other people poking around." The lights flicked on as the pair made their way into the room. It was decorated like one would except the parlor to look but even Allen could feel it. His hair stood on end. The magic that permeated the air.

"You mean like we're doing right now?" He raises an eyebrow at her.

She sighed, "Al you know we wouldn't be here if we didn't HAVE to be. We'll be gone tomo-" she was cut off by a yawn that she couldn't hold back. The nap had been helpful and informative but it wasn't nearly enough. She hadn't gotten enough sleep. He was pretty sure his sister could sleep for a year and still need more.

"Are you sure you're up to this? It can wait. Maybe you should sleep more. It won't hurt anybody if you do."

"It will hurt you. I can sleep when I'm dead." Allen wrinkled his nose in aversion to her words.

"Do you have to say that?" Her eyes darted away from his.

"Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize but you could take better care of yourself."

"Yeah I'll work on it. Now lay down in the middle of the rug." He glanced at the circular green rug before laying down. She knelt at his head. "Do you trust me?"

"With my life." The world went dark and then she was swimming. Her eyes shot open and immediately she began to kick, pushing herself upwards until she realized that she had no idea if she was indeed going up or not. She spun around trying to find her way. Damn this was entirely confusing. Finding a stream of moonlight she began to swim with it. If it got dimmer she was going the wrong way. It seemed simple enough. The moonlight lit up her skin as she glided through the water. The peace washed over her and she closed her eyes. The moon wouldn't move in the few seconds she took to bask. With a burst of energy she propelled herself to the top of the lake only to hit something hard. Eyes shooting open wide she found several inches of ice between her and the surface. _Heh, I guess he learned after our last encounter. Perhaps letting him know how I was coming and going between his mindscape and the world was a bad idea_ , she pushed the thought away. Her lungs burned and the instinct to take a deep breath fought with the logic that there was no air to breathe. _How do I get out? The hole from last time is gone. He must've filled it. I wonder how he did that? No! This is no time for that. It only proves that I'm running out of oxygen. I need to think fast. I can't use my own weight, that would take me the wrong way. There's nothing to push off from. I don't have Hunter with me here, I can't use unspoken_ _spells so magic is out too_ , her brain began to panic as the black spots began to encroach on her field of vision. _I have to come up with something quick or I'll drown! Can I drown here? I mean it's not real water yet it feels like real water too me. The pain in my lungs is real too._ The aching had escalated to burning. _So I don't think I can just ignore it. I have to get out somehow. But how? My biggest tools are out of my reach at the moment. Nothing I've been taught will get me out of this. He really is a crafty bastard. I bet he would have succeeded if it wasn't for his Noah aura. That's what's gives him away._ She rammed her shoulder into the ice with no change. She rubbed her shoulder and looked around. There was nothing to hang onto so she couldn't kick the ice. The darkness spread farther, clouding her vision. She pushed the panic down. It wouldn't help. _Okay, what do I have that I can use? I only have what's on me, what's on me! Of course how could I forget?!_ she smacked herself in the forehead before reaching into her boot to retrieve the dagger she kept there. The ice cracked as she drove it through. Sawing through the ice was tedious and took all the oxygen she had left. She broke through with a gasp. Hitting the ice until the hole grew she pulled herself from the freezing water until she lay upon land. It would be okay if she rested for just a minute.

The sunlight pierced through Luca's eyelids. She groaned and rolled over. How could something so heavy be so easily penetrated? Her hand groped around for her pillow. She found nothing. Grumbling under her breath she tucked her arms under her head. They must be hiding out again. Hotels were expressive. Especially for five people. Not to mention all the food they needed to feed their party. Her fingers brushed against something. Letting out another aggravated groan she opened her eyes and sat up. Shading her eyes from the sun the girl looked around. She was laying in the middle of what looked to be a wheat field. A large tree was behind her. She had been sleeping in it's roots. She brushed the dirt from her clothes after she stood up. Her eyes darted around but she saw nothing. Sleepy eyes closed and her aura reached out. Nothing. She couldn't even feel the others. Something in her mind nudged her forward and so she began walking. There looked to be a building in the distance.

"I wonder where the others are," she looked around, "or where I am for that matter. I've never seen this place before." She glanced up. Her golem was gone. She whirled around. Where was he? Maybe he was with Cross? Grumbling some more about traitorous golems she made her way to the house. Maybe her brother was there with the others? Wherever they were.

"****!" She looked up. Somebody was calling her name. "****!" A woman stood at the door of the large brick house. Her dark hair gathered into a braided bun.

"Mother?" They questioned.

"There you are ****. Come on now, dinner is ready. You're brother is waiting." Their mother grabbed their hand and pulled them inside the house. Whatever she was amiably chatting about was lost as they tried to figure out what was going on. It felt like somebody was beating a drum or maybe their skull was the drum? They didn't know. Waiting for them at the table was a boy who looked alarmingly like...somebody they knew. Who was it? The name clung to the tip of their tongue. Yet it was beyond grasp.

"Did you fall asleep outside again, ****?" He laughed while the woman sat down, leaving two chairs left. One stood before them. Theirs. Slowly they sank into it.

"Where's," They faltered. The name, it was gone. The name of whoever the chair belonged to was gone. Who were they talking about. The other two didn't seem to notice.

"Oh you know him," the woman chuckled fondly. She kept talking but they didn't hear any of it. Why couldn't they remember anything? Where was their golem? The house didn't show any of the tale a tale signs of Cross being there so where was their golem? Both of them? Did they have more than one golem? What color was it? They? The room spun around them. They couldn't come up with an answer.

"You never did answer my question though, ****," They looked at, damn it! What the hell was his name? Who was he? Why did he look like-who the hell did he look like?! The name was right there! Why wasn't their brain working? How could they forget?! The man, the one the boy looked like, he was important. Why? They loved him! No they hated him! No they-

"Ugh!" They gripped their head as it felt like it was splitting.

"You've been falling asleep a lot lately. Are you not sleeping well?" The woman asked as if she didn't see them clutching their head. God, was..., great! They forgot this person's name too! Well whoever it was, it felt like he was beating their head open with a hammer. A really big hammer. They wanted it all to stop!

"Stop! Just stop! Everything! Everything needs to stop! STOP!"

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Just stop talking!"

"It's okay, you can talk to us." The boy tried to grab their hand but they yanked it away to cover their ears. They just needed it to be quiet so they could think. The colors blurred and then everything dissolved into smoke. Sunlight pierced their eyelids again. Slowly they pulled their hands away from their ears and opened their eyes. Their hands were smaller. That was new. Why were their hands smaller? Slowly they blinked as they looked around. They were back outside. They sighed. At least it was quiet here. They could think here. Not that it mattered though. They couldn't remember anything. Where were they? It seemed familiar. To one of them anyway. Wait, one of them? Who were...they? Was there more than one? How was that possible? Their head was splitting.

"Who are you?"

"Who am I?! Who are you?"

"Get the hell out of my head!"

"Me? You're in my head!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"Am not!"

"This is my head!"

"It can't be!"

"What does that mean?"

"What are you stupid?"

"Excuse me?!"

"You're excused."

"You little shit!"

"You little shit!"

"Knock it off!"

"Knock it off!"

"Stop copying me!"

"Stop copying me!"

"I know you think you're cute with your mimicking but you're not!"

"Bitch, I'm adorable!"

"Don't call me a bitch!"

"You are a bitch!"

"How do you even know that?!"

"I..." They faltered for a moment. How did they know? They couldn't even remember their own name. Everything they saw. Some of it was familiar and some of it wasn't. Different things were familiar to different parts of them. Or was it familiar to the other person. Who is the other person? They knew them. How else would they know that the person was a bitch. And that she didn't like him. She? Him?

"****!" The pain was back and so was the woman. She was livelier though. She had less line in her face. Looked less tired. Ahh, she was younger. Were they in the past? Must be. "****! You were spacing out again."

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize ****, Where's Cyrus?" Who was Cyrus? The name sounded familiar. "Isn't he with you?"

"Uncle is over there with that funny smoke. Mom," they felt their lips form the word; one half smile and the other half cried, mourning a woman they could not remember. Still the memory carried on, "is it really okay for that weirdo to be the ******** household head?"

"Eccentricity runs in our family. You're talking to the wind." The woman, their mother, or one of their mother's anyway, she sighed, "What a nice breeze." They noticed the bags under her eyes. She was exhausted. They rubbed their left eye unconsciously. The thought about the little boy asleep in the bed, where he had been for a while. The words of others drifted into their heads.

"Mom?"

"Yes."

"Won't M***-will M*** ever wake up?" They paused, biting their lip and glancing down away from her despite her attempts to make eye contact with them. "Bennett and the others were talking. They say, they say, they say," their lips trembled as their eyes flickered with tears. Their brother was dying. Taking a deep breath they started again, "they say maybe Mana won't wake up this time. It's been a month after all."

"****!"

"Boo!" The little boy jumped out from beneath his mother's skirt. Both grinned up at them clearly very pleased with themselves. Their brother grinned up at them as the tears threatened to pour over their eyelashes.

"Mana, you're awake?" They asked slowly as if they didn't really believe what was in front of them. Like their eyes were playing tricks on them. They leapt out of the tree at their brother. Yanking him up they hugged him for a moment before something occurred to them. "You're so mean Mana!" They hit him in the head. He yelped and clutched his head in pain but still, much to their annoyance, managed to laugh. Their mother broke out into peals of laughter too. They whirled to yell at her as well though she didn't seem all that upset by this. "You too Mom!" Gradually they faded away leaving only them and the scenery. They noticed that the tree they, she? Had woken up by was there. They were back. Like water and oil they separated. Steadily slipping apart. He was still on the ground while she was in the tree.

Green eyes blinked slowly as Luca smiled bitterly, "Quite the idyllic childhood you had." The Fourteenth didn't look up at her. Only continued to stare at the space where his mother and brother had been.

"What are you doing here?" He ignored her comment. Turning to glare up at her. She gazed mournfully at the scenery in front of her, disregarding his glare.

"It must have been nice."

"Yeah I guess it was." He finally conceded. He didn't get this girl.

"Did you love them?"

"What kind of question is that?! Of course I loved them."

"Do you miss them?"

He grew solemn at her question, "Yes. Very much."

"I'm sorry." Eyes wide his head shot back to look at her.

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"They're gone right?"

"That doesn't answer my question." He pointed out dully. He was shocked by the bags beneath her eyes. They looked worse than his mother's had. She hadn't been sleeping. She hadn't been sleeping for a long time.

"You look like hell."

"Wow. You've spent too much time with Cross. You have his tact."

"Now that was just offensive. What did I do to deserve that horrific comparison. I'm nothing like that man."

"Yeah yeah yeah don't get your panties in a pinch." He wrinkled his nose at that.

"And you say I spent too much time with Cross. That's totally something he would say." She smiled though it still retained it's sorrow.

"Well he was my father."

"Is he," he paused and then began again, "is he really dead?"

"Honestly? I don't know. When it first happened I said no. He's Cross. He can't die. Even death can't kill him right? But now? Now I question everything. I want to have faith. I really do. He's my master. He raised me. More of a father to me than anyone. I know him better than my own mother. He was around more too." She looked down staring at the grass. "But it's been more than six months now, if he's not dead why hasn't he come back? Why isn't he helping me? Helping us!" Her voice dropped away with her anger, "But he's not. I'm on my own. I don't think he's coming back anymore. I just don't have the heart to tell my brother that another person has either died or abandoned him. He doesn't deserve this. He doesn't deserves any of the things that have happened to him."

"He wasn't my first choice. I don't know how much Cross told you but your brother wasn't my first choice."

"He said that Allen just happened to be there."

"Yeah that's true. He was. I was desperate."

"Why?"

"Because I was dying! Why do you think?"

"No, why are you trying to kill the Millennium Earl?"

"He killed my brother."

"He killed Mana?"

"Yes. He killed him and then wore his skin like a mask."

"What does that mean?"

"It's complicated."

"I have time." He smirked at her.

"Are you really sure about that?"

"What does that mean?"

"You really think that Adira will react kindly to you breaking into her house?"

"So you know her?"

"Yes I do."

"What can you tell me about her?"

"She was a friend of Cross' and wants nothing to do with the war."

Luca snorted, "Yeah I'm starting to see why that seems so inviting. I think that without Allen, I'd want nothing to do with the war."

"Your mother said the same thing."

"You knew my mother?"

"I did. She was a good friend." Luca groaned in frustration at his words.

"Why is it that the more I learn the more you seem to be integrated into my life?"

"That's an excellent question. I can't say that I have the answer. I never expected Gazella to have a kid. How is she these days?"

"She, she died about 13 years ago." She sighed.

"I'm sorry. I can't believe it's been so long."

"Me too. I feel like I should..." she trailed off.

"Your mother was a really good friend. I really am sorry to hear she's gone."

"How could you know?" Her lips quirked up into a smirk for the first time since he had seen her. "You were dead first."

"Ha ha ha. Very funny."

"I thought so."

"You're such a brat."

"Don't call me that!" He was startled by the sudden change. "You can't call me that! Nobody can call me that."

"It's what Cross called you isn't it?"

"He called me that more than he used my actual name."

"You should have heard what he called me." Neah snorted. He couldn't understand why he was having what seemed like a normal conversation with this girl. He hated humans didn't he? Why did she feel different? Maybe it was just because she was Gazella's daughter? Yeah that must be it.

"What did he call you?"

"Your mother would kill me if I said it."

"She's already dead."

"Doesn't matter. I bet that necklace of yours is charmed or something. It'll probably attack me if I do it."

"I can bet you I've said worse before."

"Still not doing it."

"Coward."

"Your mother was one of the most powerful people I know. I don't even like humans but I liked her and I respected her. Her powers scared me. She could hold off the Millennium Earl with her magic. You call it cowardliness but I call it self preservation." She huffed but dropped the subject. Her fingers wrapped around her necklace. It felt weird without the second one but she pushed that thought away. She wanted nothing to do with him. He glanced up at her. "Though from those markings on your hands I'd say that you're pretty accomplished as well. Was that from the spell you used on me?" Luca glanced down at her fingers. Just as when she was in her own mindscape and her hair had been clean her gloves were gone. She stared at the black lines inked into the skin on her fingers. They still ached from time to time but never the way they first had.

"Yeah. I didn't noticed them at first. I was kinda busy," Neah snorted here, "but I realized soon after. Master told me about them before during my magic training. He said it was rare."

"It is. Most of them are special, used for the spell itself and then there are the ones like yours. Yours tell a story. A story of your success. You created magic that nobody else has ever seen, never mind done. That's why they are there."

"Did my mother have them?"

"Oh yeah. She had many. Your mother was brilliant."

"Yeah she was."

"You seem to be too."

"Nah I'm reckless. I seem smart because I have some kind of luck. I'm not sure which."

"I'm pretty sure it's bad luck considering everything that has happened."

"Yeah I think that I have to agree with you there. These last couple of years have been pretty bad. I'll say that much."

"I didn't help did I?"

"Definitely not. I just seem to find Noah." She sighed causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"This is a really weird conversation to be having."

"Yeah it is." She agreed again. "I came in here to deal with you but your life, it just kinda sucked me in. I wish I had grown up like this honestly. I miss my mother. A lot. You were lucky. She was there for your entire childhood."

"Yeah I don't think that I would wish being raised by Cross on anybody."

"Not even the Millennium Earl?"

"He's already so messed up that I think that might actually completely break him."

"Master said you didn't partner with him because you wanted to, is that true?"

"Yeah. I had no choice. I was desperate."

"So do you just not like Cross or is it people in general?"

"People in general but Cross especially." He waited for the shock, horror, and outrage. To his own shock she started laughing.

"I totally agree with you there."

"Wait what?!"

"I said I agree with you."

"I thought you were an exorcist."

"Former exorcist technically but that doesn't change that I agree with you. You'll find I'm not like the others. I don't believe all humans are great. I don't trust anybody but my group. At this point I'm not even sure I trust Ma-" she paused for a moment before taking a deep breath, "I'm not even sure if I trust Cross anymore."

"That's probably a safe bet."

"I feel lost though,"

"You don't know where you're going or you know where you're going but not how to get there?"

"Both. I have nothing against you. I'd actually love to hear why you're fighting against the Millennium Earl but I can't lose my brother. He's the only family I have left. He's what grounds me in life. Without him I have nothing to fight for. No reason to live, no reason to survive a fight. Allen will tell you that I saved his life but in reality he saved mine. I had lost my mother and then was raised by Cross. He's not the type of master to instill the whole "we have to save the world! The world deserves to be fought for." kind of thing. So I was just training because it was something to do. It didn't mean anything to me. My life didn't mean anything to me. My mother died to save me and I didn't care if I got hit by a carriage the next day or not." She dropped down from the branch and settled down next to him. He wanted her look down at her fingers and examined them.

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry. I wish things were different. I can't tell you everything because clearly I'm missing something. I don't know how my Allen became your Allen."

"Wait what?!"

"My memories are in Allen because he agreed to it. He asked me to do it. Something happened to him after I died though. I don't know what or how. I'm sorry I wish I did but I don't. When I knew him his hair was red, he wore glasses, and didn't have innocence."

"Allen's hair was red. It turned white after an accident."

"How did that happen?"

"His father was hit by a carriage and he died. Allen was heartbroken. He was the only family Allen had and the only person who accepted him for who he was despite the innocence which they thought was a birth defect at the time. I can assume you know what happened next."

"The Earl appeared to him."

"Yep. He was only a child. He didn't know any better."

"He called his father back."

"His father got angry at him and cursed him."

"That's what's on his face isn't it?" She nodded answering his question. "That's a nasty curse."

"It allows him to see akuma. Their souls call out to him."

"So they can't hide around him?"

"The Earl does have a spell that hides them but he has to prepare for it. I think it's a barrier. I haven't had time to work on it or anything really for that matter."

"Then what happened?"

"Allen's arm activated. Allen tried to stop it but his father asked him to destroy him. He didn't want to be an akuma. He told Allen that he loved him and then the innocence purified him. I found him after that. We took him somewhere safe to heal and then we began training."

"That still doesn't explain the innocence and glasses."

"Yeah I don't know either. I'm looking into it. I don't know what I'll find but it might help."

"I really am sorry. Allen, he was a good friend. I wish he didn't have to go this way. I wish you didn't have to lose your brother the same way I did but I have to be reborn."

"So will you hold it against me if I fight you tooth and nail to save him?"

"No. I don't think I can. You saw how I was with my brother." They were silent for a while. Just enjoying the breeze. Both encompassed in their own thoughts of Allen, the war, and how it had all turned out. Finally Luca broke the silence.

"Why does it have to be Allen?" He looked up at her.

"It doesn't. I said that earlier."

"So what if..." She trailed off leaving him to raise his eyebrow.

"What if?" Neah prodded as she got up to pace back and forth. He smiled slightly remembering watching Gazella do the exact same thing when she was thinking.

"What if I was able to provide you with a different body? Is your soul tied to Allen's or something else?"

"No. My memories are tied to my soul."

"So a piece of your soul was implanted into Allen's?"

"I have no idea."

"It's how I would have done it." She shrugs.

"Then probably yeah."

"That means that it could be removed and placed into another body and then you and Allen could go your separate ways!"

"That's a pretty hefty task. Are you sure you're up for it?"

"I'd rather do that than keep fighting you but you'd have to do something for me."

"What would that be?" He questioned suspiciously.

She turned towards him, "You'd need to stop erasing Allen. I'd need you to give me as much time as you possibly could. I'm boxed in on all sides." Neah paused to think for a moment. It was a big risk trusting her. Yes she was the daughter of one of his closest friends but she was also the sister of his host who, he was erasing. _She could be making it up to buy more time for her brother to find a way to get rid of me_ , he chewed his lip as he thought about it but she broke him away from them. "I'll make a devil's deal with you if you think I'm trying to screw you over."

"That's nothing to joke about."

"I wasn't joking."

"A deal with the devil, huh? You know you can't break those, right?"

"I know. It's why I'm offering. I'm not trying to get rid of you. I just need more time. A deal where we're both happy is better than trying to kill you. I've come to kinda like ya," she snorted. "You're not so bad, for a Noah"

"Gee thanks so much." He snorted in response. "Are you sure about the deal? Once you've entered it you can't changed it."

"I know."

"Alright then. I accept."

"Shall we put it into writing?"

"Best we do." She smirked at him as the magic burst forth from her fingers summoning the yellowing golden paper into existence. It sparkled dimly as the magic coursed through it. A black crow feather appeared in her hand. She whispered under her breath and the feather tip began to drip ink.

"I, Lucaria E. Walker, do hereby agree to procure an alternate vessel for the signer to occupy for all of time," She kept writing even as he interrupted her.

"E?"

"It's my middle initial."

"What does the E stand for?"

"What does the D stand for?" She shot back.

"Fair enough." He chuckled. "You're good at this. I'll give you that." She was surprised at the earnest compliment.

"Thanks." He watched in amazement as, despite writing with her left hand which was required as it was her own hand, the ink glided smoothly; the magic that flowed through the feather prevented the words from smudging as she wrote. The parchment rolled as it grew longer and longer. Her writing was neat and looked to be a elegant font. _I wonder how many of these has she made. It's not too late. I could change my mind. But then again, not having innocence and both my arms is a pretty good prospect. When the hell did my life get so complicated?_ his thoughts were cut off by Luca's voice, "Alright we're all set. Now all we need is the blood to sign with." A small granite bowl colored a deep black appeared in her hand. She sliced open her left palm with the quill, ignoring the black ink spreading like veins along her hand. The rich ruby liquid dripped into the bowl. She handed it to him. "Your turn."

"This is pretty dark."

"Most people don't makes these kinds of deals, never mind sign it in their own blood. It's called a deal with the devil for a reason." He took the plume and sliced his own hand. The blood swirled together. _His is slightly darker than mine_ , she noted as the ruby blood became more of a garnet color. Dipping the feather in she signed her name on the dotted line. Pressing her ring finger into the cut on her palm she marked the paper by her name. Then handed the paper over to the Noah. She chewed the inside of her lip. He could back out. Decide that he was better off fighting her and Allen, he could just try to kill her. It was always a possibility. For once in several months she was thankful for her training. Despite her inner turmoil her years of playing poker and other illegal betting allowed her to keep her mask in place.

"There. All done." She felt the magic rush through her veins as he pulled his own ring finger from the paper. The deal was indeed done. Nothing could be done now. Her eyes ran over the paper once more. _Good, he didn't change anything while I wasn't paying attention. I can't believe I allowed my anxiety to distract me like that. The deal could have turned out majorly different had he changed a single word_ , she kept her thoughts to herself as she wrapped her new cut. "Damn that hurt." Luca nodded in agreement as she wordlessly reached over and tended to his hand too.

"So I have a weird question."

"You're pretty weird so I'm not surprised."

"Rude!" Luca smacked his arm hard causing him to laugh.

"You said the Earl killed your brother but Allen's father's name was Mana."

"That is weird but it's a coincidence."

"He knew the song too. Your melody I mean. Allen told me that Mana taught him the symbols that were on the score. Could they be the same?" Neah sighed running his fingers through his hair.

"It's possible."

Luca raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean by that?"

"When I say the Earl killed my brother I mean he took over him the same way that I have been doing to Allen. It's a long story and it's pretty complicated too but it is possible that Mana was able to take control back at some point or that for a while the Earl forgot who he was and became Mana."

"So how can you become the Millennium Earl if Mana has the memory?"

"I'd devour him."

"Okay that sounds super weird."

"Think of it more like if you were to absorb Cross' magical abilities to become more powerful."

"Can other Noah do it? Like be the Noah of more than one thing?"

"I don't think so plus it wouldn't be advantageous to do so. We have a lot of akuma but we ourselves are small in number. Normally there's only 13 of us. I'm the odd man out here making 14."

"So why can you do it then?"

"Because the current Earl and I share the same memory. Just as Bonds can become one Noah so can he and I though it would be permanent if it happened to us. We were never meant to split."

"So you two are basically two halves of the same whole?"

"Yes."

"Like a pizza split into two?"

"I'm not sure how I feel being compared to food but yes." He laughed as her face flushed. "Are you blushing?"

"I'm tired!" She snapped back angrily her face still bright red.

"And hungry apparently."

"Shut up!"

"So how are you going to explain this to the others? Our pact I mean."

"That's an excellent question."

"You have no idea do you?"

"Yeah I got nothing."

"God you're just like Mana. He never had a plan!"

"Oi!"

"It's true! You came in here to fight me and instead you made a deal."

"It's a form of dealing with you!" She defended though he was too busy laughing at the way her cheeks puffed out. He poked one a couple of times yanking his finger away went she snapped her jaws at him.

"Holy hell you have jaws like a freaking shark!"

"I'm a piranha from the amazon!" Luca declared snapping her teeth at him again.

"I don't even want to know. You are the weirdest child I have ever met!"

"That's not the worst thing I could be called."

"I suppose that's true." They lapsed into silence just enjoying everything around them.

"What was he like?"

"He?"

"Mana. I never got to meet him but I know all of Allen's stories by heart. What was he like before he went crazy? Back when he was just Mana."

Neah leaned back resting most of his weight on his hands, "Mana was sweet and kind. Pretty nerdy too. He was sick a lot as a kid as you saw but he got better. He loved everything. He-" She cut him off.

"Oh! Wait! Hold that thought for a moment!" She leapt to her feet and ran off. He watched her go, ponytail swinging as she ran, the small bell ringing with every step.

"What an odd girl you've dropped into my lap Cross." He commented to the breeze though God knows where the man actually was. The sound of jingling brought him out of his musing. To his surprise the girl now had her brother in tow. The two stared at each other, sizing the other up.

"Oh knock it off! We're gonna trade!" Both boys blinked at her waiting for an explanation. "You're," she motioned to Neah, "gonna tell us about Mana when he was younger," instantaneously Allen's entire face lit up at the mention of his adopted father, "and in return Allen will tell you about the time he spent with him. Sound fair?" Both nodded.

"He wasn't a clown, was he?" Neah asked though he didn't look too hopefully.

"Yeah he was." The Noah let out a loud groan and threw up his hands only realize that they had been keeping him upright. He fell over backwards into the grass with a loud yelp. He glared as the siblings snickered at him.

"I give up."

"If it makes you feel better it made him happy." Allen offered. He couldn't believe that he was trying to comfort a Noah that had been trying to kill him.

"I suppose that's all that matters."

"So Luca says you were telling her what he was like when he was younger?"

"Yeah." Allen shifted, though it was extraordinarily obvious that he was excited at the prospect. Neah sat up. "Mana was loyal and loving. He gave up everything for me. Never left my side, no matter what we encountered. He was scared but that didn't stop him. He was determined to change the world for the better, no matter the cost."

* * *

"Without a family, man, alone in the world, trembles with the cold."

― Andre Maurois

* * *

 **Well that's all I've got for the time being. I don't really have much to say this time around. This chapter got rewritten so many times it's not even funny. Certain characters *cough cough* NEAH *cough cough* were being less than cooperative but I figured it out...I think. Anyway I can't wait to hear what you have to say about the chapter! Tune in next chapter to watch Luca mess with Sheril's life even more in Veil of Ink and Gold! Cheshire is out~!**


	50. The Ties That Bind

**Welcome back my darlings! Holy hell is this really chapter number 50?! I can't believe I made it this far! 50 chapters and over 300 reviews! You guess are the best! I am officially done with my classes! Now I'm looking for a job. So that's been fun. Anyway Yule got me into this new tv show called Lucifer and I absolutely love it. I have been turned to the dark side. Lucifer himself is hilarious and I'm loving the way he responses to things. He's giving me some great inspiration for Luca and the things that will be coming her way. Haven is also been a big inspiration as well for certain twists. Yule and I agree that Duke's actor could totally play Tyki which is weird because I don't normally like the idea of actors playing anime characters but it fits in a way I can't explain. Anyway enough of my babbling. A word of warning before we get on to the reviews, as I search for a job my update schedule may change depending on my hours. I will do my best to find a schedule that works for me that I can keep up with it. Now the reviews!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, Yeah Tyki isn't enjoying his time or the new developments at all. Everything keeps blowing up in his face. Neah is upsetting the Earl and mocking the way he looks, Lulu Bell slept with his mate, and said mate is completely ignoring him. He's got some bridges to mend (read: rebuild) if he wants things to change. Luca got a break. She got heartbreak. That's a break. Enjoy the story!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, I'm glad you found it interesting. I have found that Luca and Neah are an interesting mix in general. They seem to bounce off each other well. As for Luca's father well it's complicated. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, Yay! I'm ecstatic to hear that you loved it! I did too. Luca will be messing with Sheril and his perfect life, trust me. She's gonna enjoy it too. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, Well I wouldn't call them happy with the situation but it's definitely an improvement over what was happening with them before. They can work with this. It was a weird experience for her. She was a part of Neah in the memory but different at the same time. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Zon Yokai Blade of the Spirits, The Ancient One will be revealed in time. For now he'll be helpful to Luca and her cause. I do enjoy the cryptic bullshit. Luca not so much. The best option for them is a new host otherwise somebody is going to die. Luca's mom will be appearing in a couple of chapters. Don't hold your breathe on Tyki and Luca. Tyki's got some problems coming his way. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear SheuOgama, No the deal was not to trade Luca for Allen. Luca's side of the deal was to find a new body for Neah. She never said she'd use her own body. Neah would be a fool to take that deal. It will be explained more a bit in this chapter. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Bloodmoon25, Aww, thanks so much. Not blow up on them you say? Yeah, sure. Suuuuuure. I agree. I love the Ancient One and Little One. I think it's nice and cute. It feels like their close. The Ancient One will definitely be appearing more in Luca's life and mind. Neah is not Luca's father. He died far too early to be Luca's father though the hair is right. As for Luca and her feelings towards Tyki well we'll see. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear WinterYule, Alma is truly adorable. I agree with you. I love him too. That is your fault though. You made me love him. Yeah Lavi kinda is. I believe that he's never lived like this so he's not handling things as well as the others. Don't worry. He'll get better. Luca is always irritated lately. She's not getting a break so it's starting to build up. Yes Neah does wake up at inopportune times. He has really bad timing. I think it's a Noah thing. I don't think you actually do want to know what Kanda did to Link. Honestly Luca doesn't even know what's going on in her own head. She just rolls with it. There are animals in her head. Okay. There's a violent entity in her head. Yeah sure. A strange male voice in her head. Yeah what else is new. She doesn't even wanna know anymore. She doesn't have time to think about it. I really liked the dark image. Luca is a dark person. Luca needs all the protection she can get. Her mind is a dangerous place to be. The blonde woman will be appearing very soon. Just hold on, Love. Luca is very angry with Tyki and feels like she doesn't have time to deal with her feelings towards him but Luca not dealing with her feelings is new or shock in no way. I agree with you. I love her response to his warning about burning bridges. The voice never said he wanted anything. Why would you assume there is a cost? Actually she tried to set Cross on fire twice. Succeed too. He just managed to put it out in time. She did trim a few inches off his hair though. Allen thought it was hilarious. Cross not so much. Yeah Luca's idea is to break into somebody's house. Not her best plan ever. Does she ever have a good plan? Yeah the ending wasn't so bad, at least not as bad as some of the other ones, not that you can really talk there. =.= Yes asking Alma to cook is a really bad idea. She wasn't thinking clearly but when is she ever? Yes it is. Lavi has bad timing. I feel like Neah would be annoyed with Mana being a clown. He was murdered by a clown after all. That's bound to leave some scars. Luca didn't offer herself as a vessel. That wouldn't work and Neah would have to be stupid to take that deal. She offered to find him a different vessel. As for Sheril and his name Luca actually has forgotten it. She doesn't care enough about him to remember it. XD Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, Yay! I was missed! Thanks! I'm glad I survived it too. Stop it, you're making me blush. You're so nice with your praise. I can't get enough of it it. I admit that I struggled a bit with this chapter so I'm excited to hear that it was up to your standards. Thank you so much for realizing that Luca wasn't offering herself up as the new vessel! She is indeed offering to find him a new one! She is not the new vessel! I have special plans for Neah and how he will influence the chapter! Luca is just mad in general. The Ancient One is just another reason. You bring up an interesting point but perhaps he would have. Unfortunately I don't think that thought ever occurred to Neah. I don't think Neah was expecting Allen to change so much. I think he was expecting Allen to know who he was and what was happening so that's why he didn't try that. Though I must ask what you're implying with that question. Have a good week and please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs.

The ones who accept you for who you are.

The ones who would do anything to see you smile and love you no matter what."

― Unknown

* * *

The siblings were pulled from the conversation with the Noah by a loud boom that sounded like a star collapsing in on itself. They jumped, Allen shot up out of Luca's lap. Eyes darted around looking for what could have possibly exploded. Suddenly something occurred to Luca.

"Oh szaros (shit)! I asked Alma to make dinner!" They jumped to their feet and up the stairs taking them three at a time. Their boots skidding across the polished floor unaware or uncaring of the marks they were leaving in their wake.

"Is everyone okay?" Allen demanded as they got to the kitchen, Luca crashing into the door frame.

"I think so." Alma answered as he pulled goop from his hair. Neither of the siblings could actually tell what it was or was even supposed to be.

"What happened?"

"We made dinner?"

"Are you sure?" Luca asked looking around. The kitchen was a disaster. It didn't even look like it had once been a kitchen.

"No. I realized after you left that I don't know anything about cooking."

"Lavi doesn't know how to cook?" The redhead scowled at her.

"Just because I know how to do it-"

"Doesn't mean that you can translate it into ability." She groaned finishing his sentence.

"Why the hell did you ask us?!" Kanda demanded causing Luca to glare at him.

"Because I was busy, I don't know how to cook, and I can't do everything!"

"Come on guys fighting is not what needs to happen right now." Allen cut off. The arguing was grating on his last nerve. Five minutes of peace was apparently too much according to whatever gods he had pissed off.

"Fine. Some of us will clean up and the others will get food somewhere because this," she paused pulling another glob out of Alma's hair with her fingernails, "is inedible." Allen looked around.

"I think she's gonna notice this." Allen noted, nudging one of the broken appliances causing Luca to sigh. He swore he could see the bags under her eyes grow heavier.

"I can fix it with my magic but we need to clean up first. You bumbling idiots made the mess so you can start cleaning." The three began to protest but one sleep deprived glare from the only girl shut them all up. "If you didn't know what the hell you were doing you should have stopped and found instructions or made something else." She snapped angrily. The fight was cut off by the sound of the lock clicking and the front door opening. A million curses fell from Luca's lips as she looked around. Immediately her magic sprung to life. "We need to get out now!" She hissed under her breath. They began to scurry around to find their things. Adira's heels clicked against the floor.

"I know you're there, Lucaria! You broke into my house! I offered you advice and you broke into my house, Lucaria? What does that say about you? Have you no shame? No care for others' boundaries? Have you never been taught to respect your betters?" The woman could feel the girl's magic fighting hers. She was undoing one of her wards. "Don't you dare try to run from me, girl! You will stay put and face the consequences of your arrogance."

"Like hell! If you were really better you would have offered to help, not given me a szaros (shitty) warning that doesn't mean anything and left. You were Cross' friend and yet you care nothing for him or what has happened to him." Luca shouted back. Her necklace blazed against her skin but she barely felt it as she slammed the kitchen door shut to buy a few more seconds.

"Cross chose his own fate. He doomed himself the minute he helped the Noah traitor."

"You don't even know why he did it!"

"I don't need to know! I know it was stupid and that it would cost him his life. I warned him but he didn't listen to me! He thought he knew better! He thought he was better and look where it got him!" The ward dropped as the door exploded open.

"Masarakat ura abara, Barrier!" The barrier shot up separating the two sorceresses.

"Do you think you can defy me?" The black energy swirled around the red haired woman's hand causing Luca's eyes to shoot open.

"Get out! Get out NOW" The ark gate appeared and Allen shoved Alma and Kanda through. He grabbed Lavi's arm and threw him in. Luca dove for him as the barrier shattered the minute the black magic connected with it. The ark door snapped shut and shattered. Luca hit the ground screaming. Allen was on his feet, by Luca's side instantaneously. She clutched her left hand to her chest. His eyes turned gold.

"Luca! Luca let me see it!" She skittered back away from him.

"No! NO! You can't! It'll spread! You can't! NO! NO!" Neah grabbed Luca by the ankle and yanked her back.

"Let me see it!" He wrenched her hand away from her other one. The veins of her hand ominously black. The black was spreading from her palm to her fingertips and towards her wrist. "Luca this is bad. You have to stop this now! Luca it's going to kill you. I know the spell but you have to preform it. Luca do you understand?" He held her face between her hands. Slowly she nodded. The other three stood unmoving, watching the pair. Neah turned to glare at them. "One of you get the med kit!" He snapped furiously. Lavi ran off while Alma sat at Luca's side. He watched the black goo fearfully while Kanda never took his eyes off of Neah, Mugan drawn. The Noah ignored them, whispering words into the girl's ear, instructions to contain the spell. They all sighed in relief as the black stopped spreading.

"Why isn't it disappearing?" Alma asked the first one to dare to even speak to Neah. Luca was injured but wasn't reacting to the Noah being in control. Said Noah yanked the med kit away from Lavi and began to wrap Luca's left hand. Alma rubbed soothing circles on her back when she whimpered.

"It isn't disappearing because I don't know how to get rid of the curse. Just freeze it in place. I have no magical abilities. Just some information on it."

"Did you open the ark?" Kanda demanded.

"Allen and I did it together. It was a snap second decision. That could have killed her. Could have killed all of us." He sighed as he tied the bandages up, "Will kill her unless we figure out how to remove it. I'm not sure if it can be transferred or not. Like I said my knowledge is hazy and I just woke up." Luca collapsed into Alma though Neah quickly took her.

"Is Allen gone?" Lavi questioned watching him with distrustful eyes causing Neah to snort.

"No. I'll hand control back over to him in a minute. For now Luca needs to rest. That means staying in one place. No running around. Until we figure out how to get rid of the curse at least so might as well get comfy here." His eyes changed back to silver.

"Ugh, I wish he'd warn me." Allen groaned, rubbing his head. He could feel the headache coming on. He glanced down at his sister asleep in his arms. His brow furrowed as her face scrunched up in pain and she shifted. "Anyway at the moment Neah's the only one who knows anything about these things, until Luca wakes up anyway, so we'll sit here for a while. I'm gonna put her in bed and then move it. At least it will be easier like this."

"Can we trust him?" Alma piped up.

"I don't know."

"I think the better question is why did he help us? Luca is his biggest problem. We can fight him but not without hurting Allen and even then we can't stop him from taking over Allen. Only Luca can help stop him. The rest of us are powerless in that aspect, so why then, why did he save her? He just said that it would've killed her." Allen turned his gaze to Lavi. It was a good question, one he'd expect from Bookman's apprentice.

"I don't know. She was talking to him. Hell I was talking to him a couple of minutes ago. I can't say what happened because I don't know. She just showed up and dragged me over to this tree where he was sitting. We were talking about Mana. We'll have to ask Luca what she did when she wakes up."

"Well I don't like it."

"You don't have to. It's not your decisions." Allen turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the three to disperse. "Oh Luca what have you done to yourself for my sake? Why do I keep getting the people I love hurt?"

 _It's not your fault_ , Allen looked around for a moment before he realized that Neah was talking to him. Allen set his sister in the bed, removing her boots and belts. He pulled the blankets up over her before sitting down in the chair, afraid that she'd die if he looked away. His leg began to bounce.

"It feels like it is. She was trying to help me. That's why she broke in. I should have stopped her or-"

 _Kid, knock it off. Don't do that_.

"My name is Allen." His eye twitched as he spoke the words that he had repeated so many times for Kanda.

 _Oi! I resent being compared to him!_

"Are you reading my thoughts?!"

 _I can't help it! It's not like I can really go anywhere!_

"Go back into your memories or something."

 _I just saved your sister's life in case you don't remember._

"Which wouldn't have been endangered if you weren't around."

 _I will give you that. That is fair but I didn't want this. I never wanted any of this._ Allen sighed at Neah's words.

"Yeah I know that feeling."

 _We both got the short end of the stick and for my part in your life I am sorry._

"What did she say to you?"

 _Your sister made me realize that she and I aren't all that different._

"Really?"

 _Luca will probably explain it better so I'll wait for her to wake up to tell you. Long story short the reason I fought the Millennium Earl was for Mana. I was willing to sacrifice anything for him just as she is for you. Had it been me and Mana in that situation I would have put myself between him and that curse just as Luca did. We need to move the ark so it can't be found then you should get some sleep._

"But what if she dies in her sleep?"

 _She won't. Your sister is strong, Allen. She's stronger than that. Have faith in her._

"Okay." He stood and left the room. Flicking the lights off as he went.

 _Later I will teach you how to redecorate._

"How are you going to do that and why does it matter?"

 _You can have the ark change the rooms. That way you'll have your own rooms the way you want it. You can make Luca a study for her magic, another room for her mechanical creations that she lives to make. A meditation room for Kanda, that is his name right? A training room big enough for you all to use. I can help with your swordsmanship too._

"Okay that's a good answer." Neah laughed.

 _You've only scraped the surface of your abilities as the musician._

"I thought you were the musician."

 _I am. You're the current musician as I'm still technically dead at the moment._

"I suppose that makes sense."

 _The Order feared what you could do so they forbid you to ever do anything without their say so. You can do so much more with it if you had only been allowed to learn._

"Why are you doing this?"

 _The more you know the more likely you and your sister are to survive. Right now both are needed for my goals._

"That sounds rather ominous."

 _I suppose that's fair._

"You know Luca says that."

 _Oh really? How odd. Must have picked it up from Gazella. Or maybe I got it from Gazella. I honestly don't remember anymore._

"Were you guys close?"

 _Yes. I don't like people but I liked Gazella. She was different. I guess her daughter is too._

She does a lot of things for me even though it's not how she wanted to handle it."

 _That's what siblings do. It means she loves you._

"Why did you agree to whatever it was she proposed to you? You went from trying to kill each other to being completely civil."

 _I'm sure she'll explain when she wakes up._

"So she will wake up, right?"

* * *

Green eyes flickered and then opened. Immediately she became aware of the pain in her left hand. She shot up. She was in a bed. That was new. Where had they been? What had happened? Where was Allen? Was he okay? What about Neah? Was is a dream? Where had her dream ended and reality begun? What was her dream? What had she been dreaming about? Everything was blurred together. She began to rub her hand in an attempt to sooth the pain. She got up slowly looking around as she went. It didn't look like anywhere she had ever been before. The door across the room from her bed was a bathroom. Sighing she took a shower. If they were in a place with a bed then they were probably okay. The water was soothing on her hand and her stiff muscles. Everything ached as she moved down the hall, wandering about trying to find her family.

"Guys?" Nobody answered her. "Guys where are you? Guys this isn't funny anymore." She stepped outside and found herself surrounded by bright white buildings. "Oh, that explains it. I'm in the ark. Neah must've pulled us in. Ugh, I need coffee. My head is so fuzzy." She wandered around the cobblestone paths as she looked for the others. She swore she had cotton in her head.

"Luca! Luca! Where did you go?! Luca! Luca answer me!" Allen's voice drew her from her thoughts.

"Allen?" The boy came into her vision. "Allen slow down." Her brother did nothing of the sort as he crashed into her throwing his arms around her. She groaned as they crashed to the ground. "Jeez Al, calm down. I'm right here."

"Calm down? Calm down?! You've been asleep for 3 days!" He glared down at her as they sat up.

"3 days?!" She demanded.

"Yes! 3 days! I've been worried sick!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. How are you feeling?"

"How am I feeling? How am I feeling?! Bloody hell Luca think about yourself once in a while!" Jeez. You got cursed. Neah said that it almost killed you! You've got to stop putting yourself between me and danger. You can't protect me from everything!" He paused, almost as if he was listening to something though she heard nothing. "Neah also says that was the dumbest thing he has ever seen and he's gonna kick your ass if you do it again." Allen's eyes flashed gold.

"Remember you hold our lives in your hands." Her eyes went wide.

"Neah?!"

"Yeah what?" He looked at her before going slack jawed. "Oh shit! I'm here aren't I?" Slowly she nodded. "How the hell did I do that? It never works when I want it to!"

"Neah focus! You took over Allen. You said you'd slow it down! You swore!"

"I know! I didn't do it on purpose! I'm working on it! I just, I wanted to tell you to be careful. If you die our deal is null and void and Allen dies too! You can't save him if you lose your own life in the process."

"It's just reflex! I can't help it!"

"I know. I was the same way, so I know but you have to be more careful."

She hung her head in shame, "I know. I will do my best."

"Good. Now I-"

"Luca!" Alma shouted running over with Kanda and Lavi hot on his heels. "Are you okay?" Alma pulled her up to her feet with more strength than necessary. She choked slightly as he hugged her.

"I need to breathe Alma."

"She's turning blue you dolt." Kanda snapped rolling his eyes at his friend. Alma let her go but his question was cut off by Neah getting up to his feet causing the others to see him. Kanda was on him like a hawk, Mugan pressed against his neck. "Noah!"

"No! No! No! NO! Kanda wait!" Luca yanked him off by the ponytail. Neah stood safely behind her. "I know that it's Neah but-"

"Since when have you been on a first name basis with him? What happened to "Fourteenth?" huh?" Lavi demanded.

"Look it's complicated, nobody knows this more than me. Believe me I get it." She held her hands up, rather it was to pacify him or catch one of them if they lunged, which Kanda looked like he was about ready to do. "But Neah and I have come to an agreement. Why don't we all just sit down and talk. It will be easier to explain at a table or something."

"Well I'll, uh, I'll just be going." Neah spoke from behind Luca.

"Yeah, see you around." She groaned in her head at the sheer awkwardness of her response. His eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed causing Luca to catch him with a yelp. Silver eyes opened.

"Luca? What happened?"

"Something went wrong, while he was talking to you Neah took over accidentally. It's okay though. You're back now. We'll figure this out. Let's go sit down." He nodded and stood.

"So let me get this straight," Lavi began, "you went into Allen's head," Luca nodded, "met the Fourteenth," she nodded again, "got sucked into his memories," another nod, "and then instead of fighting with him like you planned to you made a deal with him?"

"Yeah that about sums it up." Luca answered taking another sip of her coffee. She was gonna need more if they continued on this path.

"Are you out of your freaking mind?!"

"I think what the dumb rabbit is trying to say," Kanda glared at the red head who had yelled in his ear, "is can we trust him?"

"We all want to save Allen but what if it makes things worse?" Alma asked.

"I understand your concerns. It sounds crazy it really does but we made a pact."

"And you're just going to take his word."

"Luca wouldn't bet the beansprout's-" Allen cut in, correcting Kanda on his name though he was ignored by them all, "-life without something hidden up her sleeve." Luca shot him a grateful smile.

"Kanda is correct. It wasn't just any old pact. We made a devil's deal."

"What's that?" Alma asked cocking his head to the side curiously.

"It's a deal that requires at least one sorcerer. It uses magic to make sure that both sides adhere to their part of the deal." Lavi explained sullenly.

"It means that you can't get out of it. There's a contract, signed in everybody involved's blood. It's pretty dark. It can cause terrible things if you try to break your end of the bargain. It's believed that the first deal was made with the actual devil which is how it got its name." Luca corrected. "Basically he can't try and back out."

"He also says that he doesn't want to. Luca's offer is the best path if she can follow through with her end." Allen piped up. Luca nodded.

"If I succeed then everybody wins."

"Can you do it?" Alma questions.

"I'll die trying."

"Neah says to remember what he said."

"Is this going to happen a lot?" Kanda asked with gritted teeth. Luca sighed placing a hand on his so he didn't draw his sword.

"Hey! I don't have any control over it! He wants to be part of the conversation! If you have forgotten, because your brain's so small, his knowledge saved Luca's life!" All eyes shot to the bandage hidden beneath her glove. Luca groaned at them as she rubbed her temples.

"Allen is right. Neah is a good source of information. Especially on the Noah. We know so little of them. He knew them well."

"Yeah he knew the last generation! They're gone now." Lavi snapped.

"Even so he knows what their powers are. We can prepare for them and who has yet to spawn." Luca pointed out.

"Neah says that he knows their powers better than they do. He is half of the Millennium Earl after all." Allen reasoned.

"Okay that's it. I can't keep doing this." Luca got to her feet and walked out of the room with the others hot on her heels.

"Lu? Are you okay? Did we do something?"

"No I'm just tired of the back and forth." The door opened revealing a huge mess. Boxes were strewn about as if they had been thrown in haphazardly.

"Did a tornado come through here?" Lavi asked as Luca began searching through boxes.

"No, I just never had time to organize. I was exhausted that day." She left out the part that she was still exhausted because it didn't matter.

"What book are you looking for?" Lavi questioned as he and the others started going through boxes.

"I found it!" Luca cheered sitting down on the floor cross legged.

"What is it?"

"One of my magic books. I'm looking for a spell." She flipped through the book, eyes scanning the pages as she went.

"What will it help with?" Allen inquired.

"Communication."

"And what does that mean?" Alma piped up from where he was watching over Luca's shoulder. None of the strange symbols on the page meant anything to him but the girl seemed to understand them.

"Ah ha! I found it! Allen sit in front of me." The boy did as he was told.

"Is this gonna hurt?"

"Shouldn't."

"Shouldn't?" Kanda asked.

"Hey I can't make any promises but it shouldn't."

"I trust you Lu." Luca smiled at her brother.

"Just remember that next time we get into trouble."

"Will do."

"Ura avata, kikero, on, Show yourself!" The magic washed over Allen and behind him Neah appeared in glowing lights. "There we go. Now to see if it completely worked. Neah's eyes opened.

"Well that's one way to do it." He looked around, taking a few steps. "I guess it's easier to talk this way than what we were doing before. I will admit that it was getting old." Neah sighed as his leg passed through one of the boxes. "Though it seems I'm still intangible."

"Its the best I can do right now."

"It's good enough. Rest and regain your strength. You'll figure it out soon enough." Neah shrugged.

"Guys this is Allen's uncle, Neah." She smiled as their mouths dropped. "Neah, these are our friends Kanda, Alma, and Lavi who's bookman junior. Kanda and Alma are second exorcists who we freed when we ran."

"He's your uncle?" Lavi demanded.

Allen chuckled nervously, "Yeah, apparently my father Mana was his older brother."

"What are the odds?" Alma chirped.

"Slim to none." Neah answered with a shrug.

"Is it weird? Having your nephew be your host?"

"Hmmm, a little, but it's rather like Mana to adopt and then leave me with niblings."

"Wait what?" All eyes shot to Luca.

"Oh no, Neah only Allen is your nibling. I never met Mana. I adopted Allen after Mana died."

"Is that so?" Neah seemed to be studying her, "Well if he had met you he would've taken you in anyway and you took care of Allen. Anyway why don't we begin rewriting the ark?" The others gaped as Neah simply walked away. He paused at the door. "Allen you have to work with me. I can't go any farther from you than this.

"Oh right!" Allen jogged over leaving the others behind.

"Did I just get adopted for a dead man?!" Allen grinned back at her over his shoulder.

"Yep! Now you know how it feels."

"Oh don't you even start~! You needed me!" Luca shouted as she followed them out of room with the rest running after them.

"So obviously the ark hasn't changed since I was alive, I was thinking that we could change things around. Everyone can have their own room and any other ones they need. Like one for Luca so when she blows herself up with magic it's only her injuries we have to worry about."

"Hey!" Luca yelled while Allen cackled at Neah's words.

"Oh come on it's true Lu! Things blow up all around you. I remember when Master used to hide when you were trying a new spell. Nothing was allowed within 10 meters of you because of it."

"It was only for a couple of years." She grumbled under her breath and then pouted when Neah snickered.

"Yeah sure. Whatever you say Lulu."

"Don't call me that." Luca spoke though she didn't meet his eyes as they entered the piano room.

"Why? Your mother called you that." He pointed out. She ignored the gasp from Alma and the looks from the others.

"Yeah, mother called me that but she's been dead for over 13 years now."

"Does that really put the nickname out of commission?"

"Well there's also the problem that there's a Noah named Lulu Bell." Neah hummed at Allen's words his brows furrowing.

"Luca had it first."

"Actually the Noah is older."

"Gazella was using it long before Luca was born. It belongs to Luca." He turned to the piano signifying that the conversation was over causing the siblings to snicker. "So what rooms do we need Lulu?" She made a face at him but answered anyway.

"A room for Kanda, Alma theirs should be next to each other, one for Lavi and another room for him to study and keep up with his logs, a room for you, a room for Allen, a room for me preferably near Allen's, a room for my magic as you said, oooh can you make that room have shelves and cabinets?" He nodded and she continued on, "A dining room, a training room – a big one we can be kind of destructive, a kitchen – not that any of us can cook, maybe we should hire somebody who knows how to cook because we sure as hell can't. It's actually kinda impressive how badly it turns out." Neah raised an eyebrow as his niece got of track. "A meditation room for Kanda and that's all I've got at the moment-oh! I need another room to build my clockwork creatures please." The afternoon passed quickly as the ark changed, Neah instructing Allen on how to make it do what he wanted. Most of it was spent arguing about color schemes and how things should be decorated. Ideas clashed and by the time everything was done everybody had a headache.

"Well that's enough peopling for me. Goodnight." Neah vanished causing Luca to laugh.

"So are you okay with all of this?" Luca asked as Allen helped her carry her boxes to the new room.

"With what?"

"Staying in the ark. You said when we left that we wouldn't use it."

"I know but it feels right. It's not a means of transport anymore. It's our home. Our family lives here. It's more of a house now. Plus we've got most things straightened out. Neah and I are two separate people and you've promised to save us and you've never broken one of your promises so I have faith in you. I still want to know more about Mana and what happened to him and that other Allen and how I ended up with Neah's memories but for now I'm content with what I have. A warm bed to sleep in, a coffee maker for you, a table to sit at, and everything else. We've made progress. It's not perfect but we're on our way there."

"We'll figure out what happened to that other Allen and how you ended up with Neah's memories for now I think we should focus on finding somebody who knows how to cook, that or we'll be eating out every day and that will cost a lot of money."

"Yeah I agree with you. Best we figure that out."

"I concur." They left Luca's things in her room, she'd unpack them later.

"Where should we look though? Or a better question which doors do we have?"

"We still have that one to Portugal, we could look there?"

"Yeah that works for me." The city hadn't changed much since they had last been there. Luca was tempted to go check on Oscar but pushed the feeling away. He'd be better off without them sticking their noses in his business. Safer too. Allen started laughing when he saw where she was leading them. "Oh I see how it is. Portugal just happens to have a high quality magic book store."

"Okay firstly, its called a grimoire."

"Well excuse me." Allen rolled his eyes with a laugh.

"Secondly, it's not like you had any better idea." She huffed before adopting a sly look, "besides even if you did it would've sucked."

"Hey!" Luca took off running as Allen chased after her. Her boots slapping against the road as she thundered down the street dancing around and in between other pedestrians and carriages without a care. Allen raced after her, grin spreading across his face as they ran through the streets. They easily ignored the disgruntled shouts and threats of the people they nearly hit or cut off. For once they were just teenagers, without their exorcists coats the akuma couldn't tell them from any other human. They were free to play whatever game they chose. Uncaring of how they looked or what people thought of them.

"Watch where you're going!"

"Ruffians!"

"Where are your parents?"

"Act your age!"

"Why would we do that?" Luca questioned though she didn't stay for the man's answer.

"What kind of example are you setting for the children?" One woman shouted as she leapt out of the girl's way.

"How to have fun!" Luca countered as she spun out of another man's way.

"Well I never!"

"Well you should! It's fun!" Allen burst out laughing as he pursued his sister farther down the road.

"Parar (halt)!" A new voice shouted. The pair looked behind them to see a police officer chasing after them. "Parar (halt)!"

"Oh francba (shit)! Guess we better get out of here." Luca joked causing Allen to laugh.

"Yeah I don't think they want us to be doing this!"

"Parar (halt)!" Grinning together the siblings took off faster than before. Another officer joined the first causing Luca to laugh.

"Well it looks like we've got ourselves an entourage."

"Aren't we special."

"I guess we should lose them." Allen nodded and they darted down an alleyway.

"Lu this is a dead end!"

"Nope! Going up?" With practiced ease she tossed him onto the roof of one of the buildings boxing them in.

"Now how are you gonna get up here?!" He hissed down to her. He could see the cops closing in on them. Rolling her eyes she bounced from one wall to the other until she landed on the roof with him, taking him down to the ground with her. They could hear the officers cursing and yelling as they looked for the pair of troublemakers. Once everything had quieted down they slipped back into the streets. "Well that was fun but we should get back to the task at hand though I know you're gonna insist on finding whatever grimoire you are looking for first."

"I will. I believe that it has a spell I could use or that will at least help me. I have some research to do."

"Alright then."

"You're not gonna even ask?"

"I don't want to know."

"Aww that's no fun."

"Besides even if I did and you explained I wouldn't know what you were talking about."

"That's fair I suppose. Anyway I have high hopes for this book."

"I can see that Lu, slow down before you get us into more trouble."

"Before I get us into more trouble? You were chasing me."

"You had it coming."

"So it's all my fault is it?"

"Yep. Oh yeah."

"Twerp!"

"Lu watch out!" The girl whirled around just in time to crash into a woman. Luca yelped as she staggered though she didn't fall. The other woman was not so lucky. She rushed over.

"Oh I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" She offered her hand to the woman who still sat on the ground. Her eyes widened when she recognized the woman. Tricia Kamelot stared back at her.

"Oh, hello again."

"I'm so sorry. I should have been looking where I was going!" Tricia took the hand offered to her.

"Oh it's alright. I have children myself. You're young, you have every right to play, romp around, and have fun." Luca pulled her up to her feet.

"Still, I should have been more careful. Are you alright?" Luca's eyes darted up to the man standing behind Tricia. Allen hid, signifying that his eye had activated.

"Lady Kamelot are you alright?" The akuma began to gather up the things that the woman had dropped.

"Oh yes, I'm fine."

"Would you like me to call the police? I heard that they were looking for a pair of hooligans that were causing a ruckus earlier." Luca took a step back causing the woman to wave him off.

"Oh now Claudio, there's no reason for that. Don't be like that. It's fine." Luca smiled at Tricia.

"I really am sorry about that."

"Oh there's no need for you to keep apologizing. I'm fi-" She was cut off by a coughing fit. Her knees went weak and she started to collapse. Luca shot forward catching her before she hit the ground.

"Are you alright?"

"My Lady?" The akuma moved forward as his voice distorted but Allen's claw tore through him before his skin even split.

"Allen find a place for her to rest!" Allen darted away. "It's okay just take deep breaths." The woman clung to her weakly.

"Lu! Over here!" Scooping Tricia up she shot over, setting the older woman down in a chair on the open courtyard of a restaurant.

"Ura avata, on, kikero." She hissed the words out under her breath allowing the energy to rush from her own body into the older woman's. Slowly the coughing fit subsided. "Are you okay?" Luca knelt before her. Allen stood by her side. The waiter rushed over with a glass of water.

"Another one please." Allen whispered to him. He nodded and ran off again.

"Drink it slowly." Tricia nodded and sipped the water. She smiled at the teens.

"I'm alright, it happens. I've been sick for a while."

"Should you really be out and about if you're that bad?"

"Oh it comes and it goes. My daughter is visiting family right now so I'm nervous and my husband is stressed. He's just so busy. I've been worried about him too. My brother-in-law too. He was injured about a year ago. He's still in pain but he lost something. He won't say what though just mopes around the house and never seems to smile. It's just been rather stressful lately and that doesn't help." Neither sibling said anything for a moment while Tricia took another sip of water.

"That sounds hectic." Luca finally managed. She struggled to keep her teeth from grinding.

 _Stay calm Little One. It won't do you any good to give yourself away. Just breathe and stay calm_ , she sighed as the Ancient One's voice reverberated off the walls of her mind. He was always a calming force. Following his advice she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She paused as she noticed something. _What? What is it? Little One, what do you sense?_ his voice held curiosity which almost made her laugh. He sounded like she did.

"Lady Kamelot if you don't mind me asking how long have you been sick?"

"Oh it's been a while. Not long after I married actually, but my husband cares for me nonetheless. He's very considerate about my illness." She paused seeing the looks on their faces causing her to ask, "What's wrong?"

"What illness is it that you have?"

"Oh I don't remember the name of it anymore. It was rather complicated. Why do you ask?"

"I'm rather curious. A bad habit of mine I'm afraid. I'm actually an herbalist. So I wanted to see if it was anything I had heard of."

"Really? That's always looked so interesting. I met a woman when I was young though I guess she was probably about my age. Maybe a few years younger. She was an herbalist. She got to travel around and study all kinds of things. Nothing holding her back. We talked for a while but far too soon she had to go again. She was like the wind. Nothing could keep her pinned down. Oh how I envied her. At one point I wanted her to take me with her but she pointed out that I would regret abandoning my family and she was right. I couldn't do it. Of course now I regret never getting to travel now but such is life."

"Lady Kamelot would you mind if I gave you something to ease your cough?"

"Not at all. I'd be delighted to try one of your concoctions. I miss watching my old friend working. Do you mind if I watch?"

"Of course not. Allen can you get another glass of water please? And something sweet." He nodded and ran off.

"Why something sweet?"

Luca chuckled softly, "Though good for you, herbs rarely taste good. I can promise that the remedy won't taste very good. The sweet is to wash the taste out."

"I can understand that." Luca reached into her pouches and began to pull the herbs out. Tricia watched in fascination as the girl ground up different herbs and mixed them into the water with ease. The woman soaked up every piece of information that the girl provided as she worked.

 _What are you doing Little One?_

 _Hush._

 _Little One?_

 _I said hush._

 _Little One I've been around for a while. That herb isn't for a cough. Neither is that one. Or that one. What did you see?_

 _Not now Ancient One. I'm busy. I can't talk now. She'll notice._

 _You will explain after right?_

 _Of course. Now hush!_

"Lu's been studying herbalism since she was a little girl." Allen beamed as his sister worked. "She tried to teach me but I never got the hang of it. All the plants look the same to me." Allen sighed.

"I'm sure you weren't as bad as you think."

"Oh no I really was."

"He kinda was." Luca conceded sheepishly causing Tricia to laugh.

"Okay maybe you were. Oh! I just realized I don't know your names! How rude of me. You seem to know mine."

"It's alright Lady Kamelot."

"Please, Tricia. We're in private company." Luca smiled at her.

"As you wish."

"Now he keeps calling you Lu so what is Lu short for?"

"It's Luca. This is my brother Allen."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both."

"The pleasure is ours." They bowed together.

"You two are so polite. Who taught you to do that?" Luca snickered and pointed at Allen while she handed Tricia the green drink.

"My father taught me and I taught Luca."

"You're adopted siblings then?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Now stop that."

"It's best you drink that in one gulp if you can. It's rather nasty."

"Okay. You're the expert." To both their surprise she downed the entire drink in one go. "Wow. You're right. That is terrible." She pulled the pastry towards her and took a bite as quickly as was considered ladylike.

"Yeah unfortunately anything that would make it taste better would compromise it's effectiveness."

"Yes but medicine rarely tastes good."

"Very true." Luca's eyes glanced up at the sun high above their heads.

Allen followed his sister's gaze, "We should probably get you home to rest. I'll go call a taxi."

"Oh you don't have to Claudio can do that." She looked around but couldn't find her servant anywhere. "Where did he go?"

"He must have gone to get help. I'm sure he'll turn up." Luca shrugged nonchalantly.

"Have a safe trip home!" The pair waved as the woman's carriage pulled away. As soon as it was out of sight the smiles dropped and a deep frown settled on Luca's lips.

"Lu? Are you okay? I haven't seen you make that face in a while. What's wrong?"

"She's not sick."

"What?"

"I said she's not sick."

"But we saw-"

"How many times do I have to tell you to look underneath words and their meaning?"

"You saw something. Or rather you felt it."

"Yes."

"Do I want to know?"

"He's poisoning her."

"What?!"

"He's poisoning her. Her husband, Tyki's brother, whatever his name is, the funny looking one. He's poisoning her. It keeps her weak which lets him control her."

"That low down son of a bitch."

"You can say that again." Luca snorted. She didn't hear her brother swear often. He almost never did it unlike her.

"Tell me you did something about it right?"

"Of course. How could I not? I mean would I really be me if I didn't?"

"So what was it?"

"I mixed the herbs to get rid of her cough and cure her of her ailment just as I said but I also warded her against most poisons. You'd have to find something pretty rare to get around the magic and herbs I gave her. I just hope it's enough. She's a nice woman. She deserves better than that horse's ass."

"Agreed." They sighed as they stared after where Tricia had gone. Neither had wanted her to go home after that but they had no choice.

"Well let's go get that book so we can be out of here. We'll find a cook somewhere else but not today. I think I'm too tired now."

"Yeah I hear you." Together they made their way back to the store. The small bell atop the door rang as they stepped in. Immediately Allen lost Luca in between the shelves of books. Chuckling to himself he made his way to one of the chairs sitting by the window, content to people watch while his sister browsed or more likely tried to buy everything in the store that she didn't already have.

Luca darted around, _Look at all the books. Oh I want all of them. Every single one of them._

 _Yes you seem to have a problem and now that you have a stable home you can begin to collect them again_ , The Ancient One's voice echoed in her head. She stuck her tongue out at him childishly. Oh very mature.

 _I never once claimed to be mature. That would be the others._

 _I'm not sure I agree. Your brother was chasing you through the streets. Neither of you were being very mature._

 _Lay off we were having fun. It's not like we were hurting anyone._

 _I suppose I can give you that one. You did offend that lady though._

 _Ha! That was no lady._

 _Little One_ , he warned though she paid him no heed. It wasn't like he could do anything to her. While bickering with the voice in her head Luca neglected to watch where she had been going and for who knows how many times she crashed into somebody. This time however it was her who went down. She hit the ground with a yelp and string of curse in her native tongue. A old habit that had returned. The man that had crashed into her didn't stop merely kept going, stepping around her and head out the door. Getting up she brushed her pants off with her hand while muttering a small hex for the man, childish she knew but she didn't care, it wouldn't kill him. She picked up a book and began to flip through. She set it back down and grabbed another one.

 _This one doesn't have it either,_ she groaned.

 _What spell are you looking for Little One?_

 _Well for starters some kind of warding spell. If the akuma can find the ark then we'll just have to constantly move it which is just as exhausting not to mention that it wouldn't be all that much different from what we've been doing. The ark needs to be a safe place, she set the book down and moved to a different aisle before picking up another one with a promising title._

 _Is that all?_

 _No._

 _A way to transfer Neah out of your brother's body?_

 _Among other things_ , she sighed as she put the book back in it's place.

 _Other things?_ She picked up another book.

 _Yes._

 _Are you going to tell me what it is?_

 _Can't you just read my mind?_

 _Yes, I can but I find that it feels like an invasion of privacy. I have no reason to violate it. If you want me to know something you'll tell me. I will wait unless I feel like you're going to do something so spectacularly stupid that you'll get yourself killed then I might look._

 _Thanks...I think...?_ She wasn't sure about that last comment of his.

"Here." She looked up to find a different book being handed to her as she went to set the one already in her hands down.

"Um...what?" She turned to face the man who smirked at her.

"You've been muttering under your breath for the last 15 minutes. In Hungarian I might add. I believe this book has what you're looking for." She felt her cheeks heat up. The Ancient One must really be distracting to her if she'd been talking out loud.

"You know Hungarian?"

"But of course."

"Is that so?"

"Indeed it is, otherwise how would I have known that this is the book you were looking for?" Slowly she takes the book.

"Page 74 has the warding spell that you're looking for." Raising an eyebrow she flipped to the page that he had named. The man, still unnamed, leaned against the bookshelf arms crossed across a broad chest. He was clearly enjoying the moment.

"Well, I'll be damned, so it does."

"Now now there's no reason for a pretty girl to be damned." She glared at him.

"Well I was about to thank you but I've now decided against that."

"What? Is it a crime to give a compliment?"

"How was that a compliment?"

"I said you were pretty. Isn't that a compliment or have I been living under a rock for too long again?" Against her wishes, Luca couldn't help but laugh. The man let out a low whistle. "Wow. What a beautiful sound."

"Okay now you're milking it."

"So what's a nice place like you doing in a girl like this?" Again Luca found herself snickering.

"Very smooth."

"Well I do try."

"Whether or not you are successful remains to be seen."

"Ouch. That was harsh." His mahogany eyes glittered playfully despite his words.

"I call it like I see it." She smirked back.

"Well then I shall endeavor to do better next time."

"Who says there's going to be a next time?"

"You really don't pull any punches do you? You're demolishing my fragile male ego."

"And why should I? It's not my fault."

"Ooh! The beauty strikes again." He pushed off from the shelf, running his long fingers back through his messy blond hair before offering his hand to her bending slightly at the waist so he didn't tower over her so much. "Cassian." Rolling her eyes with a smile she gave him hers.

"Luca."

"Light? How befitting." Instead of shaking her hand as she thought he would he bent and placed a kiss upon her knuckles. She pulled her hand away.

"Oh really?" She cocked her hip to one side.

"But of course! You lit up this drab little store from the moment you walked in."

"Drab?" She looked around the clean, homey, and well lit store with a raised eyebrow before turning back to Cassian as he had called himself, "Are you always like this?"

"No. I've actually been cooped up in my home for a while. I was working on this spell and couldn't walk away until I had finished. I've been told that I have a one track mind."

"Join the club. My brother is constantly reminding me to eat and sleep. He takes away my books when I stay awake to read them for more than 3 nights in a row."

"Yeah my sister said I was obsessed. I mean she was right and still is. I am obsessed but how could you not be? There's so much to know and learn."

"I have to agree with you there unfortunately some people just don't understand it."

"Most people," he sighed before continuing, "they're happy to just go about their menial lives doing nothing of any importance. Blind to the true beauty of the world around them and everything it can offer. They're okay with just letting it all pass by. Like it means nothing. Like the gifts of the gods aren't even there. Like they aren't even worth anything. There's so much more to life if people would only open their eyes and look around." He finished and then his cheeks flushed red. "I don't know why I'm telling you this. You've probably witnessed this first hand." He ran his fingers through his hair again.

"Oh yeah. All the time. I've gotten used to it. Regrettably some people simply are unable to access it. As if something is blocking them from it. It truly is sad. Tragically my brother is one of these people. He believes in our gods but something prevents him from making to connection to magic. However he is loving and supportive of my skills and love for it."

"Your brother sounds wonderful."

"Oh he is. I'm so lucky to have him."

"Any other siblings?"

"No, we have an uncle that we live with though. An uncle and a couple of friends. We're just a ragtag group of teenagers making our own way in the world."

"Hey there are worse things to be. I remember when I was traveling the world."

"I don't recall mentioning that we were traveling." Her eyes narrowed causing him to chuckle.

"My mistake." He held his hands up in surrender to pacify her. "I simply assumed you were traveling around. I leapt from making our way in the world to traveling. I assure you I am not a crazy stalker. This is the first time I've ever met you though it is truly a pleasure."

"Are you so sure about that?"

"Oh definitely. Absolutely. Unquestionably."

"What are you a thesaurus now?"

"Does that better my standing in your eyes if I am?"

"No."

"Pity. What if I was a dinosaur instead?"

"What?" Luca burst out laughing and Cassian joined her. Several people shushed them. The pair snickered together.

"Hey I thought I'd try my luck. Besides dinosaurs are cool."

"They are."

"Finally somebody else who agrees!" More people shushed them.

"I don't know much about them I'm afraid."

"Eh. You're interested and that's all that matters."

"Oh are you going to educate me on the matter then?"

"If you want me to." At some point they had begun walking towards the counter.

"Lu?" Allen jogged over to them. "Lu who's this?"

"Allen this is Cassian. He's a sorcerer. He found the book I was looking for. Cassian this is my brother, the one I was telling you about, this is Allen." Cheerfully Cassian offered his hand to Allen who, though a bit shocked, shook it.

"It's nice to meet you Allen. You sister says nothing but how wonderful you are." Allen smiled back at him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for helping her find the book."

"Oh no the pleasure really is all mine. It gave me an excuse to talk to a pretty girl and she's very sweet. How could I refuse?" Allen shot Luca a look.

"Lu have you been lying to this man?"

"Hey!" She protested, pouting.

"See what I mean?" Cassian grinned, poking one of her puffed up cheeks, "How adorable is that?"

"Not cute."

"Cute." Allen corrected.

"Fiendishly." Cassian added on. "You could get away with murder."

"Please don't give her any ideas. We don't have money for bail."

"That was one time! And it was Master's fault!"

"It was his fault." Allen conceded, "But you made things worse by mouthing off."

"Yeah, I'll give you that but that guy had it coming. He was a retkes fasz (dirty dick)." Cassian chortled at her words.

"Yeah, I have no idea what you just said." Allen's response only made him laugh harder. Allen turned to him. "I take it you understand her?"

"I do. I personally enjoyed learning Hungarian. I found it to be a refreshing change and challenge compared to all of the romance languages. I'd love to brush up on it though. I fear it has been too long since I had a conversation partner." Luca placed the book on the counter, turning away from the boys for a moment.

"Just this book please." She handed the man the money. "It would be nice. I haven't met anyone who speaks my language since I left homeland which was 13 years ago."

"Wow. It has been a while. Of course you can't tell at all though I did notice that you don't really have an accent. Well not a Hungarian one anyway. Actually it's almost like his." Allen chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah that's probably my fault. I'm not so good with languages so she switched to English for me and just stayed there."

"Ah, you're adopted siblings."

"Yep!" Luca chirped easily.

"Here you go." The man at the counter handed Luca the bag with her book in it.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Have a nice day." The three left the shop, stepping out into the cooling air of the evening.

"Well we should get back. The others will be wondering if we abandoned them and run off with all the money."

"Yeah that would be the first conclusion Lavi would draw."

"Bye Cassian." The siblings waved as they turned and started towards the ark gate.

"Luca!" Cassian ran over. "Can I see you again?"

She smiled at him coyly, "Maybe. I'll see you around." He grinned, running his fingers through his hair as the siblings turned the corner and vanished.

"That was rather unlike you." Allen noted as they walked back to the gate. With night falling the streets grew less crowded as people retired to their homes and families. Luca watched them disappear sadly.

"Yeah I know but he was fun. He did also help us. I swear it felt like no matter what book I picked up it wasn't the right one."

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah I think I was just shaken."

"You still thinking about her too?"

"Yeah." She sighed, her exhaustion creeping into her voice. "I couldn't imagine being married to that man. To know that he's poisoning her just because he's a control freak. I can't help but wonder if..." she trailed off letting her words hang in the air.

"If the others know?"

"Mmmhumm." She nodded her head, kicking a rock as they went. "If they do, how can they be okay with it? Every time I think they can't sink lower they find new ways to amaze me." Her grip on the bag tightened.

"I know what you mean. It gets harder and harder to have faith in humanity when people keep doing things like that."

 _He does know that you don't actually have any faith in humanity, right?_ Luca pushed The Ancient One away. She wasn't in the mood for his teasing. Noting the girl's mood he slipped back into his dwelling without another word. Silently she nodded her thanks before turning back to Allen.

"She has no idea. Illness, bah! What a bunch of bullshit."

"You already did all you could for her, it's best to let it go. We can't do anything more." She nodded and let him pull her into the ark.

* * *

The book sat open on the desk. Yellowing pages and worn leather opened to page 74. Green eyes flicked over the words on the page. They didn't look right. Something was wrong, or missing at the very least. Her lips pulled down into a frown as her brows furrowed. What had happened? Had she missed something? Taking a deep breath she began calling her power from within. Clutching the blank spell tag in her hand she grabbed her calligraphy brush and swiped the runes written in the book across the paper. She pushed her energy into each stroke. Setting the brush down she focused the power crackling in her blood. Sending the power through her fingertips and into the paper she watched as it crackled causing the runes to glow. When the light faded she walked to one of the many doors that connected her new asylum.

 _You won't know until you try it._

 _I know. I know,_ The Ancient One was right, but that didn't mean that she had to like it. Something was wrong but she couldn't figure out what. _Well, here goes nothing._ She placed the tag on the door and activated it. The spell lit up causing Luca to grin. Maybe the Ancient One was wrong, for once, maybe it was fine and she was just blanking for a moment. It happened sometimes. Her thoughts were cut off by the tag exploding sending her flying back. She hit the wall with a resounding thud and slid down before falling on her face. Splinters of wall came with her, raining all over her downed body. The pain in her left hand flared up instantaneously and immensely. She whimpered, curling up on herself clutching her hand to her chest.

 _Either you got something wrong or that man, Cassian wasn't it? Gave you the wrong book on purpose_ , The Ancient One spoke. Luca sighed at his words as they both waited for the ringing in her head to die down. They could hardly hear each other. _I believe that's another concussion by the way_ , he informed her. She glared at him as best she could which basically entailed her glaring at the back of her mind.

 _No shit, Sherlock_ , she groaned and then went back to the previous conversation. _But that's not true. I looked at it. I also checked for a spell that would change the page. Cassian, though strange, didn't do it_ , she sighed again. _Somebody else had to have done it but almost nobody else handled the book. I hardly let go of the book I only did it to..._ she trailed off as it dawned on her.

 _To...?_ he inquired prompting the girl to finish her thought and tell him what it was she realized. He didn't make the connection yet.

 _Who's hands was the book in? When did I look away from it?_

 _I don't understand what you're talking about._ Luca got to her feet, ripped the the tag off the wall, and stalked back into the room. She had no doubt at least Allen would come to see what had exploded now. She was pretty sure that the others weren't over the pasta debacle which had, frankly, been rather spectacular.

 _Where did I get the book?_

 _From a shop-oh! The store keeper. He sold you a cheaper book at the price of the book you actually wanted which was far more expensive. He took the distraction that Cassian caused to switch the books and put it in the bag before you realized what he had done._

 _Exactly!_

 _Do you think Cassian had anything to do with it?_

 _Do you mean do I think he was in on it and trying to distract me on purpose?_ The man nodded. _Maybe. It's quite possible though seems a bit odd. Who knows. I'll find out when I go back._

 _Are you going to deal with him?_

 _I bought that book. I intend to get it, and maybe a little retribution while I'm at it. I don't appreciate being made a fool. It rarely puts me in a good mood. Besides I have no idea when the Earl will get over his fit. I need to hide us as soon as possible. Once the ark is safe, I can rest a bit more and begin to work on a spell._

 _And the new body? Where are you going to get that?_

 _I don't know yet. That's the problem. I may have to go behind Allen's back and do something he might not like._

 _You aren't thinking of using yourself are you? I don't think Neah would agree to that._

 _Gods above and below, no. I think it's crowded enough in here as it is._ The man smirked and chuckled. At least the girl had a sense of humor about all of this.

 _So if Cassian isn't in on it what will you do?_

 _What do you mean?_

 _Come now Little One you can't be serious now can you?_

 _What of Earth are you talking about Ancient One?_ He sighed at her confusion much to her irritation.

 _Never mind. It will come to you eventually. Just remember sometimes what's newer isn't always better._

 _Ugh! You and your cryptic bullshit. Just tell me!_

 _In time Little One._

* * *

"Some people are going to walk away. And that's okay. Please don't close your heart to new people. Don't let the goodbyes keep you back from the new hellos.

― F. E. Marie

* * *

 **I know I'm as surprised as you are! I'm updating on Tuesday before 11:30. It's shocking! Please don't die of shock! Anyway I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'm excited to hear about your thoughts on the new character, Cassian. I can't wait to hear your theories on Tricia and what will be happening with her next as well as the fact that Sheril is poisoning her. I can't wait to hear form you all! Tune in next time for Veil of Ink and Gold chapter 51: Ohana! Cheshire is out~!**


	51. Ohana

**Welcome back my darlings! Yes I know I'm late and I am sorry about that. So I'm just gonna level with ya. I'm really depressed. I'm depressed, stressing over everything, and just very discouraged with the story in general. At the moment I'm not sure why but I've spent the last like 5 days just staring at a half finished word document for several hours before giving up. Several things in my life have gone wrong or not panned out the way I was hoping and it's all just starting to get to me. Everybody that I've talk to about it says that I'm just burning at both ends of the candle and that I should take a break. I really don't want to abandon my story. I love it and Luca so much but I think they're right. I think I need a break or I'm going to explode or have a nervous breakdown. Neither of which is good. So I'm going on another hiatus. Yes I took one not too long ago but I didn't actually get to rest at all. Classes kept me busy along with everything else in life. This hiatus I'm just going to relax and then come back to the story. Hopefully I'll be rejuvenated and ready to write again. I wanna thank everybody who's stuck by me through the story and a special thanks to all my reviewers. You guys give me intensive and motivation and I hope you will return for the next chapter when it comes out. Veil of Ink and Gold will return on July 9** **th** **, 2019. Thank you for all your support! Onto the reviews!**

 **Dear Arkytior's Song, So I'm gonna start of with an apology. I don't know how you ended up with two answers. I don't think I missed anybody I think I just messed up. I was pretty tired when I updated, so I'm sorry about any confusion you may have had. I'm glad you loved it. There will be a scene where Sheril finds out what happened but it may not happen the way you think it will. You'll see Tyki in this chapter! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, Yep! Their life just got a bit more interesting. Neah is actually a lot of fun to write when he's not being a brat. Yeah they kinda need a place to stay plus Neah hates the running around. Their troubles aren't over yet. There's plenty to come. Yeah Sheril is not winning himself any brownie points like that. I agree with you. Sheril is too much of a control freak to leave it to a sickness. What if she got better. I just can't see him relying on something like that. He's definitely make sure that he could control it. I agree with your theory too. He's a slimeball and is probably cheating on her. Don't worry though, Luca's gonna help Tricia. Unfortunately Tricia's family will not be making an appearance in the way that you are hoping for. I hope what I decided to do will make you happy anyway. Cassian will be a stable character from now on. I can't wait to hear more of what you think of him. Yes the herbalist Tricia mentioned was Gazella! The woman liked to travel around. Enjoy!**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, Yeah I agree with you. Tricia's life kinda sucks but it will get better! Luca will help her with her little problem. Tyki not so much. He's gonna have to make it up to Luca before she forgives him. She's really hurting though so he's got his work cut out for him. I also hope she can help them. Time is running out. As for the shopkeeper and your other questions well you'll just have to wait and see. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Penelope19, Hello and welcome to my story! It's so nice to see a new name here! I'm so excited and honored that you liked my fanfiction! Your praise has me blushing darker than Lavi's hair. You're so kind. Luca will forever be a thorn in Sheril's side. He'll never be able to get rid of her. She's always screwing up something in his life. It's funny to everybody but Sheril but who cares about him? There will be more of the Noah family as we drift farther and farther from canon. I hope you stick with us through the hiatus. Holy hell you speak 5 LANGUAGES?! JEEZ! I can barely speak one! No way in hell am I gonna give you trouble for your English. If anything I should be trying to edit my story better! I tried to learn another language a while back when I was in high school. It didn't go too well. Anyway don't worry about how you sound. I'm happy with any review you leave. Your thoughts make up for any problems you see in your review. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Bloodmoon25, Hey! Thank you so much! You may be right but at the moment Tyki's not even in the running, well not in Luca's eyes anyway. Yes Luca sees the similarities but at the moment she's a bit distracted by everything else that's going on in her life and like the mature adult she is she's choosing to ignore it completely XD. Yeah Adira overreacted. Every time she's mentioned my beta tells me how much she hates her. So Adira did not help Luca at all. She actually made everything a lot harder for her. There is a connection to her ring and necklace acting the way they are but that will be explained later so you'll just have to wait and see what it is. Sheril will get what's coming to him soon enough, have patience my dear. Scor, Timcampy, and Gambit are still around, they just get lost in the confusion sometimes. Somebody else mentioned it as well so I made sure that they were in this chapter. Have no fear. They're still here! Thank you once again and please enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear WinterYule, Thank you so much! I've only gotten this far because of your love and support. And you listening to me every time I'm trying to write. You're always there when I need advice or just to talk something over. Yeah I thought it was about time for a funny scene. So much of it has been heavy as of late. It was a heart to heart with Neah. They just go about it a little differently. No! Don't die! I need you! *sobs* Yeah she really should have thought that through but the girl is tired and really needs a break. I'm not going to give her one but she needs it. I'm not sure I wanna know how Alma did that but it might have been Lavi overcooking it. The boy does kinda like to play with fire. Yes they are because none of them can cook! Kanda and Allen can make tea. Luca can make coffee, cocoa, tea, and toast so not much especially for 5 hungry teens. No she's not pleased and yeah might have been a bit too far, just a bit. There is but like I told Bloodmoon25 you'll just have to wait and see. They didn't stay in the ark before because Allen didn't want to. He didn't want to rely on the ark, on something that felt like Neah. He wanted to find himself like Tyki told him to and felt like the ark made him more like Neah which he didn't want. Yep Luca needs more problems! At the moment Luca is Neah's best shot at freedom because she's made him feel guilty about erasing Allen and he knows what it's like to fight for your brother and his safety. I know Alma is too cute. It really should be a crime! Luca hates the telephone game, they don't have time for miscommunications also they don't look crazy having a conversation with somebody who isn't there. Yes Neah now comes with flight or fluffy mode! I love it! Yeah he may kill you if you keep it up but I love that too though it's more of Luca doing it, he's just kinda listing to her. Luca hasn't had coffee since December and they're in April. She's not happy. Yeah Neah's kinda stubborn about it for** ** _reasons_** **. Yep! Tricia makes her entrance. I'm so excited for what I have planned for her. Yes, yes he is. That was actually my plan at first but then I decided that it was cliché and tried to do something else. Yeah he is but Cassian is a bit of a dork so he's gonna keep doing it the way he is. Hey Luca's a free woman, it's not like Tyki wrote his name on her or anything, though I doubt that would stop Cassian at all. Tyki is definitely gonna have to grovel. Yeah except Cassian isn't striking out like Lavi does XDDD I'm so mean to Lavi. Yeah he kinda does remind me of Howl too. I didn't do that on purpose but you're totally right there. Yeah you're right on Allen's feelings. He doesn't like Tyki near his sister and Cassian is harmless. So you think Cassian has been stalking her? Interesting, interesting indeed. You are right in the fact that Tyki will not take kindly to Cassian making in roads on his turf. Please enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, Thank you! I did. I hope you did too. Luca's life is rather hectic in general. She's kinda running around like chicken with it's head cut off. She doesn't really get a break at all nor does she have time to take one but I'm glad you liked it. They don't have much choice. Allen doesn't have much time and Luca's the only one who can really do anything about it. And in their defense Tyki is one of her choices so maybe her judgment isn't the best. She seems to have a fondness for Noah as far as they can see. Yay! I thought it would be easier for them to live there if it didn't look like the place that they all almost died in. The only ones missing are Lenalee and Chaoji other than Alma its the same gang from the ark arc. Thank you for your kind words. I hope you enjoy the chapter and that I will hear from you after my hiatus. Enjoy!**

* * *

"The world is full of monsters with friendly faces and angels full of scars"

― Unknown

* * *

Luca stalked through the streets of Portugal, ignoring the people who practically dove out of her way as she walked. The bastard had hidden his shop. He knew she was coming back for him and **her** book and had hidden the shop. He was more of an idiot than she originally thought if he really believed that she wouldn't find him. He was sorely mistaken. She had spent most of the day looking for it and the sun was beginning to sink down in the sky. A familiar presence caught her attention, breaking her out of her rage fueled haze. Following the feeling to the color she knew would be there she was surprised to find Tricia Kamelot sitting at a table, the very same table that she had been at with the Walker siblings after they had crashed into her, crying.

"Lady Kamelot?" The woman looked up, quickly wiping her tears away as best she could. She relaxed a bit when she saw Luca. "Tricia are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Oh it's nothing Dear."

"It doesn't look like nothing. May I sit?" She motioned to the chair across from the lady.

"Of course. Don't let me stop you." Luca sat down, setting the book still in it's bag down on the ground beside her, and crossed her left leg over her right. She took the time to rub her aching stigmatas. The skin around the wounds was cracked and red. Almost blistering.

"Now what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I don't want to trouble you. It's fine. I'm over reacting. My husband," she spat the word out bitterly, "always said I was far too emotional in the first place."

"Now that's a load of bullshit. What right does he have to say that?" The waiter came over.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes. Everything is fine. However a bottle of whiskey could never go amiss." The man raised an eyebrow at Luca and she smiled pleasantly back at him. "Please." She tacked on when she realized that she had forgotten it. He glanced over at Tricia. "Two glasses please." The woman nodded and he left jotting it down with a shake of his head.

"You drink whiskey?"

"Yes I do."

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking whiskey?" For once the person who was questioning her, Tricia, actually sounded concerned rather than condescending. They both nodded their heads at the waiter who set the two glasses and the bottle of whiskey down before leaving.

"Probably."

"Doesn't it burn your throat?"

"Yes but that's why I like it. Reminds me of my family."

"Your family burns?" The woman looked more than a bit concerned causing Luca to laugh. She forgot that normal people didn't have strange powers or other people inside their heads.

"In a way. We're a bit dysfunctional but it mostly reminds me of my father."

"I'm sorry." Somehow she knew that Luca's father was gone.

"Yeah, thanks." She took a sip of the whiskey hoping it would dull the pain a bit and then shook her head, "But we're here to talk about you. Not me. Why were you crying?"

"Oh, I was hoping you'd forget about that."

"Nope! Gonna take more than some whiskey to do that!" She smiled cheerfully at the woman.

"It nothing. Don't worry about it. I'm fine."

"It's not nothing, I **am** worried about it and you're not fine now spill what's going on?" A stern look Luca didn't know she could pull off was all it took for Tricia to start crying again.

"I found out that I'm not sick."

"Isn't that supposed to be good news?" Luca asked arching an eyebrow. Tricia took a huge gulp of the whiskey, throwing it back with gusto before explaining.

"It is until you find out that you've been sick because your husband is poisoning you and your entire family knew about it. My children, my brother-in-law, all of them, even his extended family knew that he was poisoning me. They all knew about it and yet they've just sat on the sidelines, not even trying to help me. I know nothing about this family I married into."

"Wow. I don't even know what to say to that. That's...that's just cold."

 _Why are you lying, Little One? You knew exactly what he was doing. So why are you pretending that you're surprised when you knew...,_ The Ancient One paused as something dawned on him. _Unless of course you planned this. You wanted her to know. You planned this from the moment you realized what he was doing_ , Luca ignored him and rubbed soothing circles into her wrists.

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"I can't do anything about it. He owns everything and I have nowhere to go." Tricia looked down at the half empty glass sorrowfully.

Luca glanced down at her glass, it was half full, before she spoke, "You could come with us."

"What?" Her light blue eyes shot open wide as her head snapped up to look at the girl sitting across from her. Nothing in the lazy way the teenager sat in the chair or the expression on her face said that she was kidding or mocking her. "You couldn't possibly be serious."

"Oh but I am. My brother and I live with our uncle and three friends. The house could use a woman's touch."

"You're a woman." Tricia pointed out.

"I was raised by a man. My mother died when I was four. I'm a bit lacking of the female aspect of life."

"I'm so sorry, Dear."

"There's no reason for that. It was a long time ago. I'm doing my best to live my life which is all she would ask of me. Not to mourn her forever."

"That's a wonderful way to honor her life."

"Thank you. So what do you say? I mean we still need to find somebody who can cook but-"

"I can cook!" Tricia cut her off. Luca blinked at her a couple times.

"Really? But I thought high born ladies didn't learn that kind of stuff."

"They don't normally, but I fell in love with it. I begged for weeks to learn. Finally my mother and I came to an agreement. I would keep up with my schooling and get nothing but perfect scores and I was allowed to learn from our head chef. I haven't gotten to cook because I've been so sick but I'm not actually sick I could take it up again." She sighed, "But Sheril would never let me go."

"Tell you what. Why don't you come meet my family and we'll fill you in on how our lives go and you can decide if you want to get out. Whatever you choose we won't force you." Luca got to her feet and offered Tricia her hand.

"Well I suppose it couldn't hurt." The woman reached for her purse but Luca beat her to it, dropping the money for the whiskey on the table and leading the way. Tricia raised her eyebrow as the girl lead her to a dead end. Was she planning to kill her? It wouldn't have been the first attempt as her husband had made clear. Instead of pulling out a weapon gloved knuckles rapped against the bricks. A white door appeared and then opened.

"Well are you coming or not?" She took the offered hand and allowed herself to be pulled in. She was immediately shocked by the vastness of the house, if it could even be called a house, she had been pulled into. "Welcome to the madhouse." The girl smiled gently. "Boys!" Silence met Luca's call. Narrowing her eyes Luca tried again, " Boys!" Once more she was ignored so she changed tactics. "Dinner!" Suddenly there was the sound of thundering boots and four boys now stood in front on them.

"Luca I know we're all hungry and a bit down on our luck but I draw the line at cannibalism." The red head spoke looking at her wearily. The dark haired girl rolled her eyes.

"Really Lavi?"

"I'm serious Luca."

"So am I. This is Tricia and she's not for dinner but you ignored me so I had to try something else." She turned to Tricia. "This dolt is Lavi he's a friend, you've met Allen before, This is Kanda and Alma." Lavi shook her hand while Kanda nodded at her curtly. Allen placed a kiss on her hand with a small bow. While Alma greeted Tricia with a hug Luca turned to her brother. "Would you kick our dear uncle awake?" Allen nodded with a sly grin.

"Ouch! What?" Neah's yelp of pain caused all eyes to fall on him as he appeared.

"I wanted your attention." Luca answered with a shrug.

"You didn't have to actually kick me!"

"Talk to Allen about that." Narrowed gold eyes turned on his host.

"What? I figured I owed you at least one kick."

"Tricia this is Allen and I's uncle, Neah. Neah this is Tricia." The Noah turned to the woman.

"It's nice to meet you. I'd shake your hand but I'm not corporeal at the moment so I can't." Tricia took a step back.

"You look just like..." she trailed off the words dying on her lips. Neah groaned and threw his hands up.

"Oh come on! Not him again! Why the hell does he even look like me?!"

"Well you know what they say everyone's got a doppelganger. I guess he's just yours." Luca snickered at his response.

"No way! I'm way better looking than him." The siblings rolled their eyes at him.

"Though he looks like your brother-in-law he's not him."

"Well he's too young." Tricia nodded. "Though if you don't ask me why are you incorporeal?"

"Oh that. I'm dead at the moment."

"What?!"

"Neah! Don't say that so casually!" Luca chided almost groaning. That was not how she had been planning to start the explanation.

"What? It's true! I am!"

Luca sighed but explained, "He's dead but through the use of magic his soul resides in Allen's body. I'm working on a way to separate them."

"You can use magic?" Tricia asked slowly.

"Yes."

"You used magic to heal me, didn't you?"

"I helped you along yes."

"Thank you. You set me free."

"So can she cook Luca?"

"Why don't you ask her. Jeez Neah! Did you mother not bother to teach you manners?" Allen sighed as the pair began to argue.

"Are they always like this?" Tricia whispered to him.

"Not always. Sometimes they get along. Unfortunately both of them have mood swings. They're mercurial at best but can be dangerous at worst. It's best to just let them duke it out. They'll finish soon." Allen explained easily, watching just in case something did happen. If Neah were tangible they'd probably be throwing things but he wasn't so the ark was safe...for now.

"Are you two done yet?" Lavi complained. He seemed unfazed by the dual glares he got in response.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're done now. There's no point arguing now. What's done is done. Best to just move on." Luca ran her fingers through her hair with a sigh.

"Either way, we need somebody who can cook and she can so let's get this show on the road. You kids are always so grumpy when you haven't been fed." Neah grumbled ignoring the eye rolling he got from all of them.

"You've yet to ask if she even wants to put up with us. I told her that she could make her decision after meeting us."

"We won't force you." Allen told her kindly. "It's your choice."

"We might be a bit dysfunctional but in the end we're still family and if you join us you would be too." Tricia smiled at Luca.

"I'd be delighted to be a part of your family." She giggled as the teenagers cheered. "But Sheril would never let me go." Luca grinned at her easily, her joy overriding the pain she felt.

"Leave that to me. For now go home and act like you're sick. Brush it off as having a good day. When's the next big party that your family is attending?"

"This Friday."

"Perfect! Say you're not feeling well. You're too sick to go. Once they're gone, pack your things. We'll take care of the rest from there."

"Okay!"

"Great! I'll get you a carriage. Remember you can't let them know that you're in on their little secret."

* * *

Tricia slunk into her home quietly. It wouldn't be her home for much longer if it was ever her home. She could hear Sheril discussing something with Tyki. Well more like Sheril was talking and Tyki was pretending to listen. She watched her brother-in-law for a moment. He was still moping. She shook her head and went upstairs. She no longer cared.

"My lady! You're back! We've been worried sick!" She watched the maid. Was she in on it to? How many people knew that her husband and his family had been poisoning her.

"I just went for a walk. It's no big deal." Luca's warning drifted into her head. "However I am very tired so I believe I will retire for the night. Goodnight." Tricia walked back to her room, ignoring the maid who rushed off.

The maid knocked on the study door she opened the door when she heard, "Come in." Sheril looked at her in a rather bored manner.

"Forgive my intrusion my lords, but the lady of the house has returned." Both men gave her their full attention at those words.

"And how is she?" Sheril demanded.

"She says she went for a walk."

"That's not what I asked."

"I'm-"

"Sheril calm down. Lay off the poor girl." Tyki's smooth voice cut her off. She was grateful for his intrusion. Her master could be terrifying when he was angry. "Just tell us what happened."

"I found the lady in the hallway. She said she went out for a walk and that she was no longer feeling well and went to bed for the night."

"And how is she feeling?"

"She looked pale but didn't say anything about how she was feeling. Just that she was going to lie down."

"Maybe it was just a fluke Sheril. She has good days and bad days. Just watch her for the next few days. It's probably nothing." Sheril glanced at his brother who spoke calmly ignoring the maid easily.

"Yes, you're probably right. I'm overreacting. You may go." He waved the maid off and turned back to his brother. "Now where were we? Oh yes, a bride." Tyki groaned and rolled his eyes absentmindedly reaching up to pet the dragon curled around his neck He had been hoping that Tricia returning would be enough to distract Sheril from their current conversation about Tyki's love life or rather lack of one. Though the older man was happy about Luca's disappearance from his life he was unhappy about Tyki's unwillingness to move on from the girl and marry for advantages like he wanted. Sheril's lips curled up in disgust as he glared at the small mechanical animal only for it to hiss back at him before bumping it's head against Tyki's hand for more petting as if it were actually alive.

"I don't want to talk about it Sheril."

"Tyki you can't mope forever."

"I'm not moping!" The dragon made a sound of displeasure as Tyki jarred it by slamming his hand against the desk he had been resting his elbow on. "Sorry Jabberwock." The dragon chirped and went back to nuzzling his master.

"Yes you are. Just move on. You can do so much better than a lowly exorcist. If you would only come to your senses."

"Sheril, do you really think that if you bad mouth her enough that I'll just suddenly realize that you're right and change my mind?"

"Yes. Is it working?" Tyki stared at his brother for a moment, as if he couldn't truly believe that this was his brother's plan or that he could possibly believe that it would just start magically working.

"No. Drop it. I'm not getting married."

"So that's it?"

"Yeah pretty much. Now was that all you needed? Can I go now?"

No. We're not done discussing this. Why are you being so stubborn?"

"Because I don't want to get married. I let you get away with controlling a lot of things in how my life goes. This is where I draw the line. You may be fine being married to somebody that you care nothing about other than her usefulness or place in your little farce but if I'm stuck with somebody for the rest of my life it's going to be somebody of my choosing that I actually like. Not for something as stupid as what advantages she gives us."

"Why does liking her seem so important to you?"

"Because it is."

"Everyone else in the world marries for advantages."

"We're Noah! We're better than everybody! Isn't that what we're so proud of?!"

"Yes but we must blend in."

"Then we really are no better than anyone else. We're just pretending to be."

"Ugh! I wish you had never meant that stupid girl! She's warped your mind!"

"No she hasn't! She's merely opened my eyes to what I want in my life and how much control I had given you. One of them is to have control of my own life. You don't get to run my life. It's MY life. I get to run it. It's bad enough that the Earl won't tell us anything about his plans. Nobody else gets to have any more control than that. This conversation is over." With that Tyki stormed out of his brother's office, being petty enough that he took the time and effort to slam the door in Sheril's face. Jabberwock stuck his long tongue out at the man before the door shut. He heard the older man sigh and sink into the plush office chair. He groaned and ran his hand down his face while the dragon tried to comfort him. Maybe it was time to go back to his friends and cool off. He took a deep breath, allowing his lungs to expel the air evenly. It would have to be after Friday though. He was still expected to attend the ball that the Correia family was hosting. He couldn't help but sigh again. He was entirely aware that the Correia family had a daughter who had come of age. She was probably around Luca's age as a matter of fact. The Enriquez family would also be there with their daughter. He couldn't remember either of their names. Nor did he particularly care. No matter what they tried he wasn't going to marry either of them. He wasn't interested. He wasn't even interested in marriage in general. He pet the dragon as he entered his own room. He had honestly been surprised when he had woken up after the chaos at the North American Branch to find the golden thing sitting on his chest warbling for food. The Noah had expected the mechanical creature to go back to his creator. To shun him just as she was doing yet he stuck by his side. Loyal to the end.

"Is everything alright Master Noah?" An akuma maid asked bowing as he walked by her. The dragon whistled at his master, a sign that he was hungry.

"Yes, everything is fine. Bring some filé mignon to my room though. Whatever we have." The maid bowed and ran off in search of the meat. Jabberwock chirped again. "Yes, yes, I know you're hungry. Patience, gluttonous dragon. It's coming." Though he sounded annoyed the man still scratched the top of the dragon's head.

* * *

Finding the shop was a lot harder now that Luca had so many things on her mind. There was so much to do and so little time. She wasn't sure if she could do everything in time.

 _Don't think about it like that Little One. You'll only stress yourself out._ The Ancient One's voice rang out in her head as he nudged her down the street to her left. _Just breathe. Let it all out. You'll figure this out. You just need time. Don't let things pile on._ Taking a deep breath, she exhaled willing all of her stress to go with it. He was right and she knew it.

 _I know, I know. It's just hard to balance everything but how could I leave Tricia in a situation like that. Social conventions be damned!_ The man laughed at her.

 _I do understand that feeling Little One but you must be careful in how you go about this._

 _You know you're just like a record. All you do is say the same thing over and over again._

 _I merely do not want you to get hurt. That is all. You are rather reckless._

 _I'd love to argue with you there but I would be wrong._

 _Well at least you see that much._

 _Yeah, even_ _ **I**_ _can't argue that._ She followed his lead down the roads. Letting him show her where the shop was now. I've never heard of a moving shop before.

 _Oh yes, it's quite popular. It must've changed hands though. The last owner would never have swapped a book for a cheaper one. Speaking of which what do you plan to do to him when you get your hands on him?_

 _I haven't decided yet. Something heinous. Nobody gets to cheat me. He's also going to give me my book._

 _That seems fair enough. Heinous though, what is on your devious little mind?_

 _Oh nothing much_ , she hummed. She couldn't recall what it was or where she had heard it but the song stuck in her head. The words drifted along the edge of her psyche but she couldn't quite grasp them. It was an odd feeling, knowing something but not being able to reach it or call on it when she needed.

 _What's on your mind?_ The question was repeated. _Maybe he was getting sleepy?_ She thought to herself.

 _What do you mean?_

 _You're thinking about something but it's something abnormal. You mindscape is changing._

 _Oh, I'm just trying to remember the words to this song, or where I heard it or what it's called but I can't. I was thinking how weird it is that there's something in my head that I don't know or understand. I can't use it but it's still taking up space in here. Just floating behind the safety of a wall._

 _Little One, some things are best left forgotten. We all have those things. I think you are more aware of what happens in your mind because of your magic. My existence only makes you think about it more. Best to let it go._ She sighed and nodded.

 _Yeah you're probably right._

 _Are you going to see if Cassian was in on this whole book debacle?_

 _What you mean just ask him?_

 _No. If you asked him, no matter what the truth is he's going to say no._

 _Well I didn't mean to be direct. I'm just saying that I think you should keep an eye on him. I don't trust him._

 _Will do. I don't trust anybody._

 _Except your family._

 _Yeah, except my family._ She smiled fondly as she thought of those she that had become her family. None of them were her blood relatives but still they loved her and she them.

"Whatcha smiling about?" Luca shrieked as the familiar voice penetrated her thoughts. Leaping away she whirled around to find Cassian smiling at her playfully. "Oh, did I scare you?"

"Yes! What the hell? Don't just sneak up on a girl like that!" Cassian started laughing.

"Sneak up on you? I've been calling your name for several minutes. You didn't hear me. Just kept smiling and walking. For a moment I thought you were doing it on purpose."

"No. I was just thinking. I guess I got lost it thought."

"Was it about me?" She quirked an eyebrow at his question a mischievous smile on her face.

"No."

"Thought not. Would have been nice though."

"Oh really?"

"A pretty girl thinking about me? What wouldn't be great about that?"

"What if I was thinking of how much I hate you?"

"Oh! You wound me, My Lady." Her lips pulled down and she made a face at the nickname. "What? Not working for you?"

"I'd prefer you not call me that."

"A bad run in with a noble perhaps?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"A bit yeah. You have a very expressive face."

"Thanks for the warning. I'll work on it."

"Oh, it's not a bad thing. Please don't take it that way."

"I just meant that you seem to have a lot on your mind and it shows on your face."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she started walking and he trailed after her like a puppy, "though I'm older than I look so I have more experience so that could be part of it."

"How much older?"

"How old are you?" He shot back a smirk spread across his lips.

"Fair enough."

"So where are you off to little Firefly?"

 _Be careful. Remember what I said. You can't trust anyone outside of your family. No matter how friendly they seem_ , Luca nodded in her head at the Ancient One understanding what he said. He was right. She would keep that in mind. Instead of looking at the man walking beside her she chose to look straight ahead, pretending that she was admiring the surrounding buildings though secretly watching him out the corner of her eye.

"I'm going back to the bookstore."

"Oh?" A single blond eyebrow rose.

"Yes. I need to have a word with the shopkeeper."

"What for?" Cassian's voice changed, almost gaining an edge to it.

"Why is it important to you?"

"Can't I just like you Firefly?"

"The last person that "just liked me" betrayed me." She looked at the ground, glaring as if it was the Noah who occupied her thoughts.

"Wow. He's in a lot of trouble huh?" When she didn't laugh he dropped his joking tone. "He really hurt you. Like **really** hurt you. What did he do?"

"He tried to murder my brother. Twice."

"How did he manage it twice?"

"Because I was a fool who forgave him the first time." His eyes narrowed at her words.

"You're not a fool. Everyone wants to believe that it was a mistake. An accident. That this person who means a lot to them didn't mean to hurt them. That it wouldn't happen again. That's what abuse victims say. "He didn't mean it." "He said he wouldn't do it again." "He's changed. He promised." "It was an accident." I've heard them all before. You're not the first. The best thing to do is to let go. I know it hurts."

"He's not good for me. I've learned my lesson. Kicked him out of my life completely." Her hand reached up to her neck as if her fingers were looking for something. Instead they only closed around the black tooth hanging from a leather rope around her neck. "Hell, I don't even speak to him anymore."

"But you still have the burns."

"Yes. It still hurts."

"It will, but eventually the wounds will heal and you'll be better off. Trust me on this."

"I know you're right Cassian. It just takes time." She rubbed her wrists, willing herself to release her necklace. The pain was building up again. Sometimes she hated her innocence and the sensitive spot it had picked. She wondered if Allen's arm ever hurt the way her wrists did.

"What did you do to your hand?"

"Huh?" She looked up at him surprise lacing her tone.

"Your hand. What happened to it? It's all bandaged. I wanted to ask last time but got distracted." He smiled sheepishly, long finger ruffling his hair. It was then that she noticed that his hair, though blond, almost had a light green tint. She shook her head. It was probably a trick of the light.

"Oh that." She glanced down at said limb. She could still see the slight shake. It grew worse as she pictured the black veins that she knew were hidden under the blinding white fabric. Her breath grew shallow as she saw the veins climbing. Climbing up, up, up, past the edge of the bandage, up her arm towards her heart.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Cassian's voice forced the world to stop spinning as he grabbed her face cradling it in his hands. She looked up at him, eyes wide and shaking. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's okay. I just-I just felt-ugh!" He groaned as he tripped over his words. "I just don't like seeing your hurt. You've been hurt enough."

"How do you know that?"

"It's in your aura." He let go of her, dropping his hands down before stuffing them in his pockets. "You can tell a lot about a person with it. Yours shows a lot of pain. A lot of wounds. Cuts and burns. Some are self inflicted but not all. It's not just your aura though. It's your personality and the way you react to people and questions. You're very guarded. People who are guarded, you can almost always find trauma and pain in their past."

"It's that obvious huh?"

"Like I said earlier. I'm older than I look so I've had more practice with this kind of thing. Magic has always been my life. I've been studying it for so long. It's like second nature to me. I suspect that you've spent most of your life taking care of your brother and..." he trailed off squinting his eyes at her for a minute, "I'm gonna go with alcoholic father?" He nodded after looking at her again for another moment as if he was examining her. "Yeah, I'm definitely gonna go with alcoholic father."

"Yes, my father was an alcoholic but he had every right to be. I understood why he was the way he was. A war veteran, he had seen so much. I never begrudged him his drinking. It was the gambling and the women that he spent all our money on that I had a problem with." Cassian chuckled at her words.

"Ah a gambling alcoholic. Even better. Was he any good?"

"Not in the slightest. He rarely won. We were always in debt. Hell, we still are. We just don't have the money to pay it off right now."

"Living on the run isn't easy is it?" Her eyes shot over to the CROW that stepped out of the shadows. She glared at him.

"What do you want?"

"Simple, I want to complete my mission. My leader wants to see you. He has an offer for you."

"I don't want to hear it." She snapped back at him. He remained passive and she resisted the urge to punch that stupid white mask in. She'd enjoy watching the shards embed in his face.

"Are you sure? It's a good offer."

"You can tell your leader that he can take his offer and shove it up his ass if it's so good. Good things never hurt you."

"My you are violent. I wonder how your brother puts up with you?"

"Why you little-!" She moved towards him but Cassian grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"He's trying to provoke you. Don't let him." His voice whispering in her ear was soothing, and it calmed her.

"I see you've gotten a new one. I guess the Noah started to bore you? I guess it means the rumors about you at headquarters are true too." Luca's lips pulled back into a snarl as he kept talking. "I wonder, does your brother know what you are?" When she didn't answer him he continued on. "Yeah I didn't think so. It would probably break his fragile little mind knowing his sister was a harlot."

"Okay I think that's enough of you. It's not that we don't like you it's just that we'd rather get shredded alive and fed to your bastard of a boss." Cassian smiled at him, wrapping one arm over Luca's shoulders. With a flick of his fingers. The CROW went rigid and then started stalking back into the shadows of the alleyway he had come from. "Off with you now."

"How did you do that?" She asked in awe as he lead her away by his new grip on her.

"Oh it was easy. You'll figure out non-verbal magic. It just takes time and practice. I honestly thought that you were going to set the ground on fire with it when we were talking about that guy. Something exploded in the background. Luca whirled around ready for any attack already in her battle stance. "Calm down. It wasn't anything important, Firefly. Just our new friend. I figured that you didn't want it to get out where you were."

"Oh." She slowly stood up "Thanks...I guess." He easily drew her back into his embrace, draping his arm over her shoulder and led her to the bookstore. With another wave of his hand the store appeared.

"Would you like company or should I make sure you get your privacy?"

Luca paused, tapping her index finger on her bottom lip, "Hmm, I think I can handle him, privacy would be wonderful though."

"As you wish!" He offered a bow and released her. Even holding the door open for her before closing it. She saw the magic wash back over the store, hiding it from view once more.

"Sorry we're closed." The storekeeper didn't look up. Clearly immersed in the book he was reading.

"You're not closed. Not to me anyway." His eyes widened and he looked up so quickly Luca swore she heard it crack. "Remember me?" He backed away as she stalked forward.

"I said we're closed. Please leave."

"Not until you give me my book. The one you stole."

"I didn't steal it." He stuttered, defiance building in his dark eyes.

Snarling, Luca flung the counter he had been sitting at across the store. She ignored the fact that it went out the front window. "Bullshit! You switched the books while my back was turned. You gave me a cheaper one but charged me the price of the expensive book."

"I'll refund you the difference." He held his hands up in defense as if it would protect him from her wrath.

"I don't want the money. I want the book. I need it. Now give it and I won't kill you."

"I can't." He tried to skitter away from her.

 _He's lying. He just doesn't want to._ The Ancient One's voice drifted through her head.

 _I know,_ she agreed.

 _Make him want to._

 _How?_

 _Well, he has 206 bones in his body. I wonder how many you can break before he cracks?_ The smile that spread across her face wasn't human. The man screamed. Several metal needles embedded into the wall blocking Luca's path. Her eyes darted over. CROWS stood in the store with them now.

"I don't recall inviting you in." She noted in boredom. The CROWS didn't say anything. Only attacked her. She rolled her eyes. "Avata, ura, on, ri, ka, masarakat, voro, gatar, mara, Astri Furor!" To her shock nothing happened. _What the hell?! What just happened? Or didn't happen as the case seems to be._

 _Duck!_ Hitting the ground she rolled out of the way of the needles that flew at her head. She reached into her soul for her magic. The fire that burned in it. Yet it was cold and dark. Like wet coals.

 _I can't use my magic. It's not coming. I guess I'll have to use my innocence_ , at the very thought her wrists began to burn and the blood rushed out. _Oh, I forgot it could do that_ , she blocked the next barrage of needles.

"Secret Spell: Binding Wings!" As with Luca's magic nothing happened. The spell tags floated to the ground just like the paper it was, completely harmless.

 _The store must have a spell on the outside that prevents magic_ , Luca noted as her blood solidified into a halberd. Another needle flew at her, screeching as it slid along the handle. She yanked her hand out of the way. Slamming the blunt end into one CROW she whirled on the other bringing the blade down across their chest, leaving a shallow cut. A foot connected with her stomach and sent her crashing into multiple bookcases. She groaned, pushing the pile of books off. _What a waste of perfectly good books._ She was surprised with how quiet The Ancient One was being. She shook the thought away. She didn't have time for it. Her halberd was kicked out of her hands. She glared and hissed but blocked the next kick with her arms. Immediately she regretted it. Her muscles were burning as if somebody had lit them on fire. Her boots skid as she was sent back by the kick.

"And here I had heard you were a decent fighter."

"Fool." She smirked as Hunter flew back to her impaling the CROW on its way. She flung the body off. "Who's next?" Three more charged at her. She sliced one it half causing another to pin the blade down with their foot. Glaring she kicked the handle knocking it into the mask. She watched as it indeed cracked. _Hmmm, it needs another hit_. Jumping off the weapon she swung her leg out, nailing her foot right into the spider web cracks on the mask. Blue eyes met green and she smirked at the man. Grabbing the handle she cleaved another CROW into pieces. "Are you next?" He charged with a battle cry. "Reap, Nightmare's Mark!" The trail of green energy followed the arc of the blade. Luca cried out as her stigmata and heart burned. Her innocence deactivated. She rubbed the wounds.

"Looks like you've lost God's favor."

"It's fine. I'll just break your neck." He lunged and she dodged, grabbing his fist she twisted his arm around back using him as a shield. Several needles impaled him. "Or not. Looks like I don't have to." Releasing him she kicked him into the next group. "Man there sure are a lot of you. How many did they send?" Her question wasn't answered. "Whatever." She rolled her eyes. She knocked her next opponent away with a barrage of punches. She felt the ribs break and cave in awkwardly. She grinned. _I forgot how nice it feels to break something with my own two hands_ , she hummed. Yanking a needle out of the wall she slammed it into the neck of the nearest CROW'S neck before tossing the body aside. Her grin spread as she knocked another through the broken window. Relishing in the cry of pain as they hit the glass covered ground. _1, 3, 5,8 left huh. Do they even have any CROWS left? Do their lives really mean so little to Central?_ She smashed another into the wall, ignoring the blood stain on the pale colored wall. _7_ , another CROW went flying into the bookshelves with several crashing down on her. _6_ , grabbing one by the head she snapped the man's neck. _5\. Let's see if I can do this one more time._ She grabbed two of them in a vice like grip, "Reap, Nightmare's Mark!" The electricity flowed throw all three of them. Luca let out another cry but stayed on her feet. _3 left_ , she gasped, her chest heaving. Where's a chair when I need it? A CROW threw one at her. _Oh, that works._ The chair broke over two heads and shoved a broken piece through the sternum of the last one.

"You can't run forever." He choked out grasping at the wooden stake.

"Who said we were running?" She glared down as the light faded from his eyes. "And all done." She dusted her hands off as she casually looked around at the carnage. "Well that was not what I had expected, now where did that guy go?" She walked over to where the man was cowering behind a half destroyed bookshelf. He looked up at her in complete horror. "Now about my book?"

"Take it! Just take it! Dear God please don't kill me! Just take it." He handed her the book and she smiled at him, showing all of her teeth.

"Thank you! Have a nice day!" She walked out not bothering to avoid the CROWS scattered all around. Cassian jumped up to feet when he saw her.

"Sorry about that. They kinda overwhelmed me." She looked around at the ones spread around the store.

"I think you did a good enough job handling them. I'm very impressed."

"Thanks, now stop making me blush." He grumbled but offered his arm to her all the same. She winked at him.

"It looks good on you though." She took his arm and let him lead the way.

"So I was thinking,"

"A dangerous pastime but continue."

"I was thinking that we could get together. Get some coffee and chat. I could help you with your project. I figured it would be nice for you to have somebody to talk about magic with. You said that your family is rather untalented with it." Luca blinked at him several times.

"What?"

"I'm asking you out on a date, Firefly." She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. Again her fingers reached up for something that wasn't there before she smiled.

"You know what, I would love to get coffee with you." He grinned victoriously, as if she had just given him the best thing in the world. She smiled at his reaction and shook her head, though her fingers still reached for something. Something that wasn't there.

* * *

Friday came after what felt like an eternity to the Kamelot household. Much to Sheril's delight Tricia decided to stay home. Saying she wasn't feeling well again though she had enjoyed her few days of good health. He had patted her hand and told her that she probably shouldn't have overdone it just because she was feeling well.

Tricia gritted her teeth and smiled anyway, "You're probably right, Dear. I'll keep that in mind. Have fun at the gala. Try not to push Tyki to hard."

"Yes, yes. I know. He'd love the girls if he'd just meet them with an open mind. Don't worry he'll come around." Tricia nodded, rolling her eyes in her head. Luca and the others would be here soon. If she could only get the infuriating two-faced man and his treacherous family out the door then she could be free. She was almost there, she could do this.

"Have fun you three." She waved as she spoke. Sheril smiled stupidly, while Wisely just waved clearly not paying any attention to the rest of them. Tyki merely inclined his head at her, a sign that he had heard her. Clearly he had other things on his mind. No doubt Sheril made another attempt to convince him to get married. Whatever he was hung up on it was big. Sheril wouldn't make any headway with him. The man could be stubborn when he wanted to.

"Just rest now. We'll be fine." The door finally closed. She rushed to the window to make sure that the carriage was gone before she opened the door again.

"The coast is clear!" The ark gate appeared and her true family stepped out.

"Bout time. I thought he was going to stand there and yak at you forever." Luca rolled her eyes as she groaned.

"Me too. So now what?"

"Go pack. Leave the rest to us." The woman nodded and ran off. "Allen how many akuma?"

"All of them. Every servant is an akuma." He looked around with his eye. "I count 30 of them." She nodded.

"Kanda, get rid of the akuma. Alma stay with Tricia and help her with anything she needs." Instantly both boys were gone. Kanda slashing through the akuma like butter while Alma was on Tricia heels in a flash. "Allen tell Neah I'm going to need his help." The boy nodded and his eyes turned gold.

"What's up Lulu?"

"Firstly, stop calling me that. Secondly, stop calling me that. Thirdly, tell the akuma to shut up. They can't alert the Earl."

"On it." The Noah grinned and whistled. "Alright listen up! All of you shut the hell up! If you try to alert the Earl or other Noah you will self destruct, understood?" The akuma shook rather from fear or a strong desire to disobey she wasn't sure, nor did she care.

"Lavi go upstairs and find a pair of what's his face's shoes and put them on then meet me in the kitchen."

"Why me?" He whined.

"Because," she explained with a roll of her eyes, "you're the closest in height to him."

"Gross. I hope I don't catch something from them." The redhead groaned but did as she asked running up the stairs after Neah had forced a servant to give him directions.

"What are you planning Lulu?"

"Remember that walk we took?" Neah raised an eyebrow but nodded.

"Yeah you were talking to..." He trailed off as a thought occurred to him and then everything clicked into place. "Ooooh. I like the way you think Lulu." She stuck her tongue out at the nickname causing him to raise an eyebrow. "What on Earth do you have in your tongue?"

"A piercing. Now you'll find the **thing** in the hallway of the ark. Go grab it please. Be careful with it too please, don't make a mess." She left the other teen to do as she asked. Her eyes darted around as she saw gray shadows splattered across the walls. She shook them away but stubbornly they remained. Violent images flashed behind her eyelids. She staggered as if she was drunk before a searing pain brought Luca to her knees with a cry.

"Luca!" Tricia and Alma rushed over, the newly packed suitcase lay forgotten on the floor. Lavi followed them, his boots in hand.

"Luca! Are you okay?" If not for the pain she would have smiled at the concern in the older boy's voice. They had been doing an awful lot of fighting lately.

"I'm fine! Neah can tell you what to do next." She bit out through clenched teeth. Her fingers desperately scratching at her chest and skin. As if that would ease the burning pain in her heart. Alma was the only thing holding her up. Her ears rang and the colors of the world blurred together as if painted by a child with their fingers.

"Luca, what's wrong?!" Alma demanded as she tried to curl in on herself. Nothing eased the throbbing of her heart.

"Luca, Honey, you have to tell us what's wrong!" Tricia pleaded clearly distressed. "Please we want to help!" Tears pricked at her eyes and she clenched her fists, fingernails biting into the delicate skin of her palms. The girl writhed in the taller boy's arms. She could see him struggling to hold her without causing more harm than whatever was already happening. The girl's limbs convulsed before she fell limp save for her heaving chest. She sagged into Alma's lap, sweat trickling down her skin. Tricia wiped it away with her skirt uncaring of the dirt on the girl's skin.

"Luca! What the hell was that?!" Alma demanded angrily.

Luca gasped, desperately gulping down air greedily as if she had been drowning, "I don't know. That's never happened before."

"You need to see a doctor." Tricia did her best to appear stern. Obviously her words had meant nothing to Road or Wisely. Could she even be authoritative? Her train of thought was cut off by a chirping sound. A small silver ball and a black butterfly flew over. The silver ball nuzzled the girl's cheek affectionately while the butterfly continued to chirp at them. "I've seen this butterfly before. Tyki has had several. They seem to flock to him." She reached out a finger only to yank it back just in time to avoid getting bitten. "What are these things?"

"The silver ball is Scor, Luca's golem. Allen's is the gold one called Timcampy. That one," Lavi inclined his head at the butterfly from his spot leaning against the door frame, "is Gambit. Luca's carnivorous pet butterfly. He doesn't like anyone other than Luca. Tends to bite those who get in her personal space. Especially men." He glared at the little thing which hissed back at him. Tricia blinked a couple times at the small creature.

"I didn't know butterflies could hiss."

"It's not an actual butterfly. It just happens to look like one. I honestly don't know what it is. He doesn't let me get close enough to examine him to have a concrete answer. The only guy he seems to tolerate in Luca's space is Allen. It's like it knows he's her brother or something. Doesn't like me."

"You're pretty handsy." Alma chuckled nervously now eyeing the butterfly and the sharp teeth he knew it hid.

"But why does..." Tricia trailed off as she noted the sour look that covered the teens faces. They all looked as if somebody had just force fed them a lemon or at least pelted them with lemons or a lemon meringue pie. Still the question burned in her mind and she couldn't help but ask. "Why does he look like the ones that I've seen around Tyki?"

"Gambit was a gift." The words were spat venomously from Luca's lips. She sat up from Alma's lap, though he was still rubbing soothing circles on her back. "He was a gift from," she paused as if she couldn't decide if she dared or could even bring herself to say the name. "He was a gift from Tyki." She finally finished with a shaky breath. Her hands were shaking as if she was in the middle of an earthquake. "The butterflies were a gift to Tyki from the Earl. Tyki gave me one after we ran into each other several times."

"He grew quite fond of her." Lavi explained more he kept talking but she no longer heard him. Everything clicked into place. She had known that November that something had changed with her brother-in-law but she hadn't been able to place her finger on what exactly it was. It wasn't until now that she fully understood. He had fallen in love. She watched him play the game of courting the girl despite the opposite sides on the war. She watched him dodge Sheril's attempts to find him a bride. He had already found one. All he needed was to win her over. He had almost lost her in early spring but had managed to salvage the relationship somehow. But then he made a mistake. He put her brother in harm's way. She had forgiven him once and then he burned her again. So many things suddenly made sense to her. The necklace that he had been viciously protective of, the books that had just shown up though Tyki claimed that he had, out of boredom and curiosity bought. Edgar Allen Poe if she was recalling right. The ribbons on all the presents that matched Luca's eyes perfectly. The mechanical creatures that hated Sheril. It was all from her.

"So it was you." They stopped to stare at her.

"What?" Luca questioned quirking an eyebrow up as if she didn't know what they were talking about.

"It was you. All the presents," begrudgingly Luca nodded. As if she didn't want to think about it. As if it was a mistake. "They were from you. Did you build my scorpion?" As if summoned by her thoughts, though know that she knew Luca could use magic she wouldn't be surprised if that was actually how it worked, it crawled out from her suitcase, up her back, and onto her shoulder. It's gem eyes gleamed in the light of the chandelier that hung over their heads. It made a grinding sound almost like a squeal, as if it was trying to communicate with them. It waved it's tail around. Understanding the invitation Luca pet the small thing on it's head.

"Yes, They were from me and yes I built your scorpion. I knew that Road would want one to and I thought it would be fun to mess with..." she trailed off, a look of concentration crossed her face.

"What? What is it?"

Luca smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head, "I don't remember his name."

"Sheril?"

"That's it! But yeah, I could never resist the chance to mess with him. If you've noticed all of them hate him."

"You know I have noticed it. He has to. The dragon hisses at him. The spider bites him and Goblin here, stings him every time he gets close. Did you know that they have to eat?"

"Yeah, Master gave me the spell for it. The spell brings it to life and then like any living creature it sustains it's life with food and water."

"Oh! I should get Arachne too!" Tricia got up and ran off.

"Arachne?" Lavi questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Ahh, it's a woman from Greek mythology. Arachne was weaver and proud of her work, and proclaimed herself better than Athena. She was challenged by Athena after boasting that she was better than the goddess at weaving to her face. Both made tapestries of the gods though Arachne's was disparaging of the gods. What happens next depends on who or where you get the myth from. Some say that Athena won and others say that Arachne won. Either way Arachne was transformed into a spider as punishment for her arrogance by the goddess. It's said that either way it happened all of Arachne's children suffered the same fate. Thus we have spiders."

"Fun." Lavi stared at her.

"What?"

"You can't remember the name of a man that has tried to kill you and your brother but you remember a Greek myth of why we have spiders?"

"The myth is interesting. He's not." Tricia came back down with a familiar mechanical spider. It hummed when it saw Luca.

"Poor little Arachne has been lonely since Road disappeared. I've been taking care of her." Tricia explained. Scor and Gambit chirped angrily when the spider leapt from Tricia's hands to Luca's shoulder, nuzzling her affectionately.

"Now now guys there's no reason to be jealous. Be nice to Arachne." She swore she saw the two golems pouting.

"What's going on?" Neah asked joining the conversation. Kanda watched silently from the back. Luca had no idea how long he had been standing there.

"Luca needs to see a doctor." All eyes snapped to Tricia while Luca bit back a curse. She had been hoping that the woman would have forgotten by now. Distracted by the scorpion-Goblin, she corrected mentally, and Arachne the spider.

"What?" Neah pushed off the door frame and walked over. Luca waved it off.

"I'm fine. It's no big deal."

"I call convulsing a big deal." Tricia answered with narrowed eyes.

"You were convulsing?!" Neah demanded.

"If was only for a couple of seconds."

"It was over a minute!"

"Was not!"

"Yes it was!"

"No it wasn't!"

"LUCA! Take your own life seriously for just one minute!" Everyone looked up in surprise to find that Allen had wrenched control from Neah to scold his sister. She shrunk away from her brother eyes glued to the floor.

"Wait, does this happen often?" Neah asked appearing as mist on Allen's left where he too could give Luca the stink eye.

"The last time this happened was when she neglected to tell us she was blind in her left eye!"

"Seriously Luca?" Neah demanded.

"Okay I swear that this is the first time it's happened!" Allen raised an eyebrow. She groaned. "Look I'll swear on my mother's grave if it will make you feel better." Allen sighed.

"No, you wouldn't say that unless you really were telling the truth."

"So you just don't tell people when you're hurt?" Neah sighed as if he had seen this before.

"I'm working on it!" She looked away and grumbled under her breath, "I'm not used to having other people around that I can trust." Neah sighed, pushing the girls words away for now. He'd have to question his nephew on it later.

"Look we'll deal with this all later but for now, Luca the kitchen is done." She nodded getting to her feet though he could still see the slight tremor in her hand.

"Yeah, I'll take a look in a second. Lavi can you grab the suitcase please?" The red head nodded and did as she asked, the shoes wiggled a bit as he walked, a sign they were too big, and left bloody prints all across the nice lightly colored carpet. She yanked the suitcase open and began throwing things across the room. "What's in here that you can't live without? Like absolutely can't? We'll replace everything else. I don't trust this man as far as I can throw him." Tricia plucked a few things from the suitcase before backing away. "Perfect. Allen you and Alma take Tricia into the ark. Fix her a room and add whatever she needs for the kitchen." The two nodded and helped the woman carry her precious possessions into the ark. "Kanda do a sweep. Make sure we didn't miss any servants, or bystanders. If you find any that aren't akuma bring them to me. Also make sure that the Kamelots aren't going to walk in the front door any minute now then return to the ark." He grunted and was gone.

"And what about me?" Lavi asked from behind her, picking up the knife off the small side table, and walked over.

"Well let's go inspect your work." Together they ventured into the kitchen. Luca taking care to avoid the pools of blood spilled along the floor. The body lay in the middle of it. "You obliterated the face so that's good. How many times did you stab it?"

"37 times in the chest. Is that good enough?"

"That's perfect. We want it to look like a crime of passion. Gods know this guy's malignant enough to convince other people that he did this."

"Do I even want to know where you got the dead body?"

"Probably not."

"You know you scare me sometimes."

"That's okay."

"Seriously Luca, where did you get the corpse?"

"I'm not going to tell you."

"Ugh! Fine, but Bookman is gonna skin me alive when he looks in the logs and sees "Then with a corpse that Luca got from _**somewhere**_ we replaced the minister's wife." I'm sure he'll love that. It's a good log. Lots of information."

She blinked at him, arms crossed and hip cocked out before snarking, "Ya done yet?" He glared and stopped waving his hands around.

"Yes." A pout crossed his face. "I'm done."

"Excellent. Toss the knife in the sink and then go put the shoes back upstairs where you found them." Still making a face he turned on his heel and left going back the way he'd come. She shook her head but smiled. At least he wasn't yelling at her again. That was getting old.

"Luca!" Kanda appeared with no warning other than his aura.

"Yeah?"

"They're coming. We need to get out now."

"Got it. Everything else clear?"

"Yes. All the servants were akuma."

"Good. Go back to the ark. Lavi and I will be right behind you." He gave no signal that he had heard her, merely left without a sound. She could feel them approaching the house. Hunter writhed in her veins, longing to kill. To purge the world of the sin the innocence saw. Of the dark matter that tainted the world. She shook away the feeling. Her eyes flew open as they drew closer. They were too close now. They'd see them if they used the front door. "Lavi!" She hissed running out.

"What?" He was hopping down the stairs trying to pull his boots on as he went. Almost falling down them instead.

"We need to go! Out the back!" He nodded and raced out the servant's entrance and down the street with her hot on his heels. The ark appeared in an alleyway as a loud piercing shriek permeated the air. "Luca! Where are you going?" Lavi hissed watching the girl jog back down the road. She merely grinned at him before tapping a police officer on the shoulder.

"Yes?"

"Somebody screamed in that house! It sounded like a woman!" She pointed to the Kamelot residence. The door hung slightly open as if it had been forgotten. "I think they need help!"

"The Minister's wife!" He ran off, not even thanking the girl though she didn't care. Instead she calmly walked back to the gate waiting for her.

"Talk your way out of that Kamelot!" With a flash of dark curls she vanished, leaving only the shattered remains of what had once been the ark door to Portugal.

The life of Tricia Kamelot was over.

It's fragments lay in the dirty backstreets with the other skeletons of those less fortunate.

* * *

"This is my family. I found it all on my own. It's little and broken but still good. Yeah, still good."

― Stitch, Lilo and Stitch

* * *

 **Okay, I hope you all enjoyed that. I actually did enjoy writing it. We had plenty of things happen. Luca got a visit from the Order, they rescued Tricia and left a nice little surprise for the Kamelots as well, and Luca had a nice date with Cassian, well until Lavi ruined it. Anyway as I said earlier I'm not planning on abandoning this chapter. I hope to hear from you all again after the hiatus which will end on July 9** **th** **, 2019! See you all in a month for chapter 51: Now We're Only Falling Apart. Cheshire's out~!**


	52. Now We're Only Falling Apart

**How has it already been a month? Man I went through several different phases. One day I wanted nothing more than to post and the next I was happy about the break. So many emotions. Jeez always such a roller coaster anyway welcome back my darlings! I hope I didn't leave you hanging too much or maybe I do, who can ever tell? Honestly I don't even know what I'm babbling about right now. I did manage to take care of one of the things that was stressing me out so hopefully my writing will flow a little bit better now. I got a job! The only problem is now I'm exhausted but in the end you just kinda have to pick one, no money or exhausted? Oh well, that's how life goes I guess. So thank you so much to all those who have stuck with me through the entire story and my breaks and lateness. It really means a lot for me and I'm happy to be able to share my story with you all. You're so supportive and it's so touching. So let's give a shout out to those people!**

 **Dear ChurriVongola, Hi! It's nice to meet you! I always love getting new readers. Don't worry about your English. I'm excited that the story meant enough for you to put the effort in. Tyki will be appearing in this chapter and I love Neah too. He's a lot of fun. We will be moving into two arcs that are more centered around our star-crossed lovers soon so just be patient! I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Alexc1209, Yes me too and it's all thanks to you. You asked for her to appear and the more I worked with her the more I fell in love with her. Then Luca and I decided that she was too good for Sheril and she fixed it. I think Sheril is hoping that if Tyki gets married then he and Luca will be done for good. I don't know why he thinks that but he's Sheril so who knows. Oh? You think Cassian could be competition with Tyki for Luca's affections? Interesting, very interesting indeed. Only time will tell. I hope to hear more on your thoughts on him including how you think this will all go. She definitely was. She likes to give Sheril the middle finger. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Wolfs Child, Thank you so much for your concern on both counts. I hope you feel better soon too. These kinds of feelings are no fun. You really must stop flattering me so. You're making me blush! You're too nice. Seriously your words gave me encouragement. The CROWS will appear again later. Well not those ones since they're dead. Very dead. She's a violent girl. Probably needs help. Anyway I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Dear Puella Lector, Yay! I like it when I make my readers hearts flutter! I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear Penelope, Good evening! Yay! Grinning is good! Usually. Depends on who's doing it but it's good when you do it! Thank you so much for your praise. I'm glad you can keep going back to read it and still not be bored. I don't know how often you read it but it's still high praise! Luca will always make problems for Sheril if she can. She takes great joy in that. Road is still resting from Apcryphos' attack. She hasn't healed yet so that's why she hasn't been in the story so far. Road's feelings on the matter of Luca and Tyki are a bit complicated as with everything about Road. Wisely is interested. Luca is a strange character and like you said her mind gives him a headache. He doesn't like her nickname for him but he's intrigued by her and Tyki's feelings for her. Awww don't fear! I'm back! I'll be doing my best to regularly update! I promise I'm doing my best to keep going! Thank you so much for your kind words I really hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear WinterYule, Yay! I'm glad you love the chapter! Even more so for multiple reasons. Yes it's high time Tricia got out of there! She deserves better! Luca wanted to save her as soon as possible. They are family, they may not always be happy but they will always be family. Yeah it kinda is. I hadn't noticed it until you said something and then I could totally see it. This chapter is definitely more lighthearted than some of the others. Sheril will definitely be having a reaction soon. I believe it will be about 5 or so chapters so you do have that to look forward too. That's exactly how Luca wants it too look hence the steps she took to paint the scene the way she did. The whiskey scene was interesting. Luca hasn't had a drink in months and I get the feeling that Tricia doesn't normally drink but she had just finally had enough with everything and everyone. She feels lied too. That stuff is hard to handle and drinking can make you forget if only temporarily. I'm almost certain that's why Cross drinks. Luca knows her boys well enough to know how to get them to come when she calls. Alma was disappointed that Tricia wasn't food but he also loves having a mom around. One that really cares for him *gives Twi the stink eye* so it's all good. Yes Tyki is done with Sheril's shit. Too bad Sheril isn't. Luca does still feel the sting, I think it's worse because everything in her life right now is just one big reminder to it. She hasn't had time to heal from it all yet. Surprisingly? What's so surprising about liking Cassian? He's nice. He's just being polite and listening to everything she has to say. He wants to get to know her a bit. There's nothing wrong with that. Yeah those CROWS might regret getting in her way like that. It was rather bloody, wasn't it? Yeah Luca forgetting names is a reoccurring thing just not as obvious as Sheril's name. It's not the curse that's effecting her innocence but good guess. The curse targets something else. Yeah Neah has style that's for sure. Whether it's a good one or not is up to you. Please enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dear 15** **th** **, You are just so sweet to me. You never push for an update or say mean things. You're just so caring and gentle. What did I do to deserve you? Thank you so much. It really means a lot. That and your constant reviewing of each chapter really means so much to me that I can't describe it. I look forward to Mondays (trust me right now I need a reason to look forward to Mondays) just to hear from you and hear what you think of the story. Please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

If I lose you then my entire life has been for naught. You have been my reason for fighting, for living. Without you I have nothing. No reason to live. You gave me reason, gave me direction. How could you now, years later, take it all away?

* * *

"Calm down, Honey." Tricia chuckled as Luca paced back and forth in the older woman's new room. "I thought you were just meeting Cassian for coffee."

"We are but Tricia, I've-I've-I've," She groaned grinding her palms into her eyes, "I've never been on a date before."

"You've never been on a date before?"

"No! That whole fighting to save the world didn't leave a lot of time for dating, plus I'm apparently pretty picky about who I date. Just to mess around and have fun is a whole lot easier. It's not about being appealing as a person."

"Dear, you're wearing a groove into my floor." She noted looking down at the floor. Luca followed her line of sight to her own feet. Sure enough she had created a groove several inches deep in the floor. She threw her head back as she groaned again.

"I'm sorry. I'll get Neah to fix it."

"I'm sure he'll love that."

"Or I'll get Allen to do it. The ark is pretty palpable. It's one of the nice things about it. Maybe I shouldn't go. Things are getting worse around here. I'm running out of time to save Allen and Neah. I don't have much time left to save them, I still have this curse, the Order is still after us, The Noah too. I really shouldn't be messing around. I should be studying or researching or testing a spell or, or, or, or-"

"Luca!" The girl stopped her pacing and panicking to look up at the woman. She stood and glided over, in a graceful manner Luca could never manage, cupping the girl's face in her hands. "You have been working so hard. I have no doubt that you will figure this all out. You'll separate Neah and Allen, you'll get rid of your curse and deal with both the Noah and the Order."

"You know you took the Noah, akuma, Order thing surprisingly well."

"How could I not? Neah is a Noah, You, Kanda, and Allen all carry innocence. Kanda and Alma heal at unbelievable rates. You can cast magic and this ark exists. How could I argue anything else?" She chuckled. "But that's not the point, yes you have a big brain and are brilliant but you need to let it rest. Who knows, Cassian may have an idea that you haven't thought of. Besides, you need a break. It's good for you. Go and enjoy your time with somebody that isn't your family. You'll have fun. Dates are fun. Just be yourself. He obviously like you just for you. He doesn't know anything about innocence or the Noah as far as you can tell, relish in the normalishness of the relationship. We will all still be here when you get back. I promise."

"But-but-but-"

"No buts, Darling-" The girl winced, the images flashing in her mind, causing the woman to blink. "What? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Please don't call me Darling. I really don't like that."

"Alright, I won't use Darling. Especially if it upsets you."

"Thanks."

"There's no need to thank me, Honey. Now what are you wearing for your date?"

"Uh, clothes?"

"Well I hope so." She chuckled. "Let me help you pick something nice out." With an arm around her shoulders Tricia led the girl back to her own room and threw open the closet. Luca sat on her bed, playing with the black splatter painted comforter, clenching and twisting it between her fists. "Do you own any skirts?"

"No. I'm not very comfortable in them."

"Any particular reason?" Tricia hummed as she sorted through the girl's clothing. She didn't have much in the way of diversity. All of her pants were black. Almost all of the shirts were white though she had a bit more in the way of style. Her only pair of boots were currently on her feet. The only thing in the closet that had any variety were her vests. She glanced back when the girl didn't answer but could see a thousand memories flying through her eyes.

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"Very well. You go get in the shower and I'll see what I can find here." The girl nodded and left. Tricia smiled as the girl's voice drifted through from the bathroom. The lullaby was soft and mournful. Telling the tale of a boy doomed to live and die as his mother dictated. Shaking the melancholy feeling away she started digging through the closet once more. "Oh, this is a good color."

"What color?"

"This red color. It's beautiful but it will look even more gorgeous on you. Especially with your coloring. Red goes well with black and green. Here, put these clean pants on and this cream colored peasant blouse. You have nice shoulders." Luca rubbed the left one.

"Not anymore." Tricia turned around as the girl pulled the shirt down over her body.

"What? Why not?"

"This." Her gaze moved to the spot Luca was massaging.

"What is it?" Slowly she pried the girl's finger's up one by one. Her eyes widened and she couldn't stop the loud gasp escaping her throat. The skin of the girl's neck and shoulder was marred with large scar made of deep puncture wounds. "Oh my god! What happened?"

"I got bit."

"By what?!" Tricia demanded from behind her hands, clearly horrified.

"It's kinda complicated, honestly." Tricia couldn't even stand to think of what kind of creature could have caused such a wound or how this 17 year old child ended up between it's jaws or how she got away.

"It could've ripped your throat out!"

"Yeah I was kinda surprised when he didn't too but I'll never understand that one."

"He?"

Luca stopped, her mouth hanging open, "Uhhh," Her mind raced as she tried to figure out how to explain that Tricia's ex brother-in-law had an animal living inside him. An animal that had tried to kill her and her brother.

"You don't have to explain it if you don't want to. I know you all have skeletons in your closets. I'm here if you want to talk about it when you're ready."

"I don't really know how to explain it."

"It has to do with the Noah doesn't it?"

"Yes." Tricia helped the girl into the vest.

"Do you want me to tighten it?"

"No I think it's good." Luca answered with ease as the top of the vest settled under her bust. "Are you really sure I shouldn't cover this?" she prodded the scar and the older woman did her best to avoid looking at it. The thin straps of the vest didn't cover the scar.

"I have a shrug I could lend you if that's what you want. The dark gray color would look good. I'll go get it while you put your boots on." Luca smiled and sat down on her bed tugging on her socks. "Oh!" Luca looked up to see Tricia leaning through the doorway "I got you new ribbons for your boots! You should put them on."

"Okay." She caught the box tossed to her and began to lace them up.

"Here it is." Tricia returned with the short garment and helped Luca put it on. "The gold of the buckle looks good too. There you look wonderful! He'll stop dead in his tracks."

"Tricia, we're just getting coffee. It's no big deal."

"Still, you deserve to look amazing and you do. Now let's get you out of here before the boys realize why you're going out."

"Why?"

"Honey, have you met them? You're the only girl eligible to date. You're family. They don't want to let any boy within 100 meters of you. So they'll do anything to keep you here."

"So I shouldn't tell them?"

"I wouldn't though it is sweet."

"So what will you do while I'm gone?"

"I'll cover for you now go!" Luca nodded and hopped through the portal. Her boots barely made a sound as she landed. She twisted her silver dragon ouroboros ring around and around on her finger. It felt slightly odd to have in on her right hand but it didn't fit over the bandages on her left hand hiding the curse.

"Okay, I can do this. It's just coffee, right?" Nobody answered but she wasn't expecting them too. The Ancient One had been quiet ever since she had that seizure. She rubbed her aching wrists before pushing off. She just needed to go for it. She could deal with everything later. Allen and Neah would be fine for a few hours. It's not like they were made of clay that would crumble away any moment so they would be okay while she was out, right? She shook away the horrible thoughts and quickly found the cafe that Cassian had told her to meet him at.

"Looking for me?" She whirled around to find the man smiling at her.

"Yes, yes I was."

"Well let's go sit down. I promise I won't bite."

"Yeah, thanks for that." She couldn't help but reach up and rub at the scar on her shoulder. Gold eyes flashed in her head. Why was she thinking about him of all people at this time? Like a true gentleman Cassian pulled her chair out for her. The waiter appeared and took their order before scurrying away. She didn't even notice when he returned.

"So where in Hungary were you born? Did you live with your parents?"

"I was born in Farkas, Hungary. It's a small town right on the border of Romania."

"That's in Transylvania isn't it?" She blinked at him in surprise.

"Yes. That actually the region it's in. Part of why I speak Romanian too."

"A polyglot? How impressive! You truly are a marvelous woman, Firefly." Luca chewed on her lip at his words. Why would he pick, out of all the pet names he could call her, did he pick firefly? It sounded so close to...she shook the thought away.

"Not really. My mother was the impressive one. She managed to teach a bone head like me two languages, three if you count the words needed to cast spells. She taught me what I know about herbs and spells. I've had to supplement her teachings with reading." She glanced down at the coffee cup in her hand watching the last lines of cream swirl around in the liquid.

"You were young when she died?" She looked up at him, eyes widening in surprise.

"How did you know?"

"You and your brother live with your uncle and you talk about her like she's a distinct memory which would indicate that she's been gone for awhile. I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, it's fine. You're right. She's been gone so long...I..." She trailed off as her mind tried to recall the face of her mother. Her lips pulled down as it could only bring a fuzzy image. No details were discernible. Even the colors melded together into an unidentifiable one. "I was only 4. The only reason I still remember anything she taught me was because it's the only thing that kept me sane. I repeated it over and over. When I learned to write I copied it all down."

"I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." The date passed quietly between them. They talked about magic and all the places they had been while traveling. The spells that had been tried, those that worked and didn't work, and the food that came with the exotic places. The sweets that Cassian had ordered were delicious and she was already planning to ask Tricia to make some more when she got home. They melted in her mouth causing Cassian to laugh. She blushed but then laughed with him. He had also laughed at the amount of coffee she drank. She waved off his comment about how healthy or rather unhealthy it was.

"Luca!" She whirled around, hearing somebody shouting her name. "Luca! Luca! Luca where are you?" She vaulted over the small iron wrought fence that surrounded the small grouping of tables they sat at outside the cafe in one smooth bound. It was Lavi's voice. She ran towards him.

"Lavi! Lavi! What's wrong!" He slid, kicking up dirt and rocks, trying to slow down before he ran her over.

"You need to come quick!"

"Lavi, what's wrong?!" She demanded as he began to pull her back towards the gate that must've opened for him.

"It's Allen. He's disappearing!"

"What?!" Her shriek pierced the ears of all those around her but she didn't notice nor did she care.

"He was talking to me one minute and the next thing I knew it was Neah! Kanda's trying to kill him as we speak. You've got to come home now!"

"Luca is everything okay?" Cassian asked grabbing her hand. She spun to face him, eyes wide with fear.

"I've got to go, my brother needs my help. He's hurt." She didn't notice her ring heating up while in contact with Cassian's hand. "I'll call you later!" She shouts over her shoulder as she runs almost over taking Lavi despite not knowing where the ark gate was exactly located. She crashed through the doorway and thundered down the hallway, locked onto the auras of the others she quickly left Lavi in the dust.

"This was your plan all along!" Kanda growled at the Noah who stepped back as far as he could. He froze when his back hit the wall. His hands raised in the air in surrender.

"Kanda think about this before you do anything. I didn't do this. I don't know what happened." He kept his breathing shallow, the edge of the innocence was uncomfortably close to their jugular vein.

"Of course that's what you'd want us to believe!"

"I signed a deal with the devil. I can't break that." Neah struggled to keep his voice even. Yelling would only make things worse for him. The exorcist before him was the least likely to keep a hold on his temper.

"Who says you didn't add a loophole in?"

"I didn't write it!" Neah finally snapped only to have the tip of the sword pierce his skin. He didn't dare speak, swallow, or even breathe.

"Kanda!" Luca burst in grabbing Mugan and flinging it away. The sword flew across the room, embedding itself into the wall allowing the Noah to breathe again. "I wrote the devil's deal! Neah only touched it to sign it. Cool it! None of this is helping! Take a walk and cool the hell down!" When the man didn't move she snarled, "Now!" He glared at her, daring her to make him. She took a step forward causing Alma to grab Kanda's arm and gently pull him away. As the pair left Luca took a minute to massage her temples. "Tell me what happened." She ordered as she faced Neah.

"I don't know what happened. I'm not really a people person. I was playing the piano in one of my memories when suddenly I was out here and Bookman Jr. was yapping at me about something. I had no idea what was going. Then Grumpy Pants attacked me and Jr. ran off, probably to get you."

Luca took a calming breath before commanding, "Neah, go into your mind and find Allen. You need to pull him out of your memories before he gets lost." The man nodded and slumped against the wall. Slowly she eased him into a sitting position.

"What's going on?" Tricia came running in, her skirt, though only one layer and lighter than the ones she wore as Lady Kamelot, bunched up in her hands to allow her more movement.

"Something happened. Even though Neah isn't actively trying to take Allen over he's still slipping. If I don't hurry up and do something I'll lose my brother." Tricia sat down next to the girl, who was petting her brother's bangs away from his face softy, and pulled her into a hug. The girl clung to her, shoulders shaking in silent sobs. Allen didn't have much time left and she was wasting it messing around with a guy she barely knew. She was wrong. She was so very, very, very, wrong. Everything was crumbling around her like poorly made clay.

"It's okay. He's going to be okay. They both will. You're going to figure this out Luca. It's going to be okay." She stroked the girl's head doing her best to soothe the panic she knew was building in the girl's chest. Her breathing grew more erratic.

"But what if I can't do it? What if I fail? Mess up? They'll die! They both could die. Or Allen could just die. Fade away into nothing. Why can't I figure this out?!" The girl cried harder.

"You're the smartest girl I've ever met. You saved me and I know you'll save them. Both of them. You just need to find the right spell." She could feel the tears soaking into her shirt but she didn't care.

"But what if I can't? I've been looking for over a year and still haven't found anything. Nothing I've done has worked! Not even a bit!"

"You slowed it down before. You pushed Neah back in North America." Luca pulled away to look at her with wide eyes, her cheeks stained with tears.

"How did you know about that?" Tricia smiled at her sweetly.

"Neah told me. He believes you can do this and so do I. Allen trusts you with his life. They all do. You CAN do this and you WILL. You just need to figure it out. Now let's move them to a softer place. Neah will bring Allen back. You know he will." Luca sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"You're right. I just need to look deeper. I'll find something." Walking over she scooped her brother up and carried him to his room. Tricia followed behind her.

"I'll stay with them so you can research."

"Thank you, Tricia you really are too sweet." The woman pressed a kiss to the girl's forehead and sat down by the sleeping teenager's bedside.

"I'll send somebody for you when he wakes. Either of them." Luca nodded and left the room. She chewed on her lip as she sped toward her asylum. She didn't have any time to lose.

 _What did I miss?_ The Ancient One's voice reverberated off the walls of her mind and the ruins of the world that he resided in.

 _Oh not much. Just Allen disappearing! Where the hell have you been?!_ The man took a step back and waited for the echoing to stop. She had never yelled at him before.

 _Calm down, Little One._

 _Calm down? Calm down?! Do NOT tell me to calm down! My brother is dying! Dying! What part of that doesn't fill you with urgency?!_

 _If you are too hasty then you will make a mistake, Little One. Take your time._

 _My brother doesn't have that kind of time! I've been looking for over a year! Why does nobody understand that?! I don't have anymore time! I'm out of time! I need to find a cure now!_

 _And if you run yourself into the ground you won't find anything at all. Just stop for a moment and take a deep breath. You just walked by the door to your asylum_ , he pointed his voice even. Stopping Luca turned and found that she had indeed walked by the door she was looking for. Turning on her heel she stalked back and flung the door open. It crashed into the wall and slammed shut behind her. With a wave of her hand the candles spread around the room lit. She preferred the candles to the artificial light of the ark.

 _That's what coffee is for._

 _Little One_ , his voice grew stern and it almost reminded her of what an actual father would, or should, sound like, _coffee is not a sufficient substitute for sleep, food and rest. You need it. You're human after all._

 _And you're not?_ She snapped back.

 _I'm a disembodied voice in your head. I don't think I count as human._ She glared at him and flipped open her newest grimoire. Sitting down on the floor she opened the book to the first page. She needed to go through this carefully and methodically. Unfortunately her eyes had other plans and jumped around the page. Never looking at two words that were in order. Instead they constructed a tale of a dying boy. Shaking her head she exhaled slowly and began to read yet found that her eyes continued to jump ahead. She struggled through page after page squeezing a piece of clay that had been sitting on her desk for a while. She rolled it around in her fingers, allowing her nails to scrape into it leaving little markings.

"Ugh! This isn't working." She flung the clay against the wall. To her mild surprise it stuck.

 _Little One, are you actually reading any of the words on the page?_ The man had been quiet for a while. Most likely not wanting to fight with the girl anymore, after all it's not like he could just leave while he waited for her to cool down.

 _No. That's part of the problem. I'm so lost. I swear I don't know what any of the pages say and I can't seem to retain any of the little that I do manage to read._

 _You're too stressed._

 _Well how could I not be?! I'm losing my brother! I've had over a year to figure this out and I still haven't. I haven't figured anything out! I feel so stupid! No I am fucking stupid! Why did Master have to abandon me? Abandon us?! We needed him! We need him now!_

 _Breathe, Little One. Freaking out won't help you at all. It's why you can't read right now. You need to find a way to calm down. You also need to change your candles._ Sure enough, just as he had said all of her candles needed to be replaced. Several had burned down to nothing. She was lucky nothing had caught fire. Sighing she got to her feet and started replacing them. Trying to let the mundane task calm her whirling mind. She also pulled the clay from the wall. It probably wasn't good to leave it there. She sat at her desk again, this time she pushed the book back with a sigh. Instead she began to sculpted the clay. She wasn't a very good artist but soon it began to resemble a man. She used her nails, where in several need of proper care, to create hollow points for the eyes and a wide goofy smile.

 _I know but I don't seem to be getting anywhere._ She could feel the tears pricking at her eyes again. She didn't want to cry. She was tired of crying. It never helped.

 _When was the last time you ate? Had some water? Slept? You need these things. Your mind may be more willing to cooperate with you if you just took better care of yourself._

 _Yeah, maybe you're right. I don't even know how long I've been in here._

A knock followed by a voice interrupted her, "Luca, I know you don't like to be disturbed when you're in here, so please don't hit me, but Allen woke up." Luca was across the room in an instant. The door flung open to reveal Lavi's face.

"Where?"

"His room." He blinked at the spot she had been standing in just a second ago. _I didn't know she could move that fast. She's really worried. Are we really going to lose him? Is their fight really so fruitless? Is it all in vain?_ The thoughts plagued him and he wished they'd go away but still they persisted. Still he followed the girl back to Allen's room.

"How are you feeling?" Allen looked up from snuggling Tim to see Luca in the doorway. She crossed the room, her boots clicking on the floor, her left hand shaking slightly while her loose curls bounced around wildly.

"Tired. How did I get into bed?" He asked, confusion written all over his face. He struggled to sit up as his sister sat on the edge of his bed. He noted the worried look on Tricia's face. It bounced between him and his sister.

"I...I," she struggled to spit the words out, "I carried you. Allen, what's the last thing you remember?"

"I was talking to Lavi. We were talking about the fact that he swore you were going to sneak an animal into the Order so you could have a pet not including psycho carnivorous butterflies," Gambit chirped at him as if the words had offended the little butterfly. Luca swore Timcampy and Scor were snickering.

"And then?" She prompted.

"And then I woke up here." He paused looking around at them and the horrified faces they were all making. "What? Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

"It's getting worse." Neah appeared in the mist on the other side of Allen's bed. "I somehow took over while you were talking to Jr."

"Okay that's not ideal but why are you all acting like the Earl knows where we are?" Luca sighed at her brother's words.

"Allen it's worse than that."

"I had to go in and find you. You were lost. You've been gone for hours. We didn't think you were coming back." Neah explained slowly. As he did Allen lost color in his face.

"Hours?" He repeated softly.

"Yes."

"That's why." Allen turned to face Luca. "Why you're so scared."

"Scared?" She repeated looking at him.

"You're shaking." Looking down she found that sure enough her hands were shaking along with her legs. She slowly clenched her fists to stop the shaking.

"Luca," she looked up, staring at Neah with wide eyes as he used her real name for once, "I know you're not going to like what I have to say but Allen doesn't have much time left so I'm going to say it anyway. We should go to Hungary. Your mother might have something we could use. A spell you don't know or a grimoire that you haven't seen before." All eyes flicked to Luca who seemed to be busy inspecting her boots. Gambit chirped and nuzzled, the golems noticing her plummeting mood. "I know that you have bad memories and never wanted to go back but it could be the difference between life and death for Allen."

"We don't have to go!" Allen jumped in when he noticed that his sister was shaking again. She was terrified. She didn't want to go back. "She doesn't want to go! I won't make her go back for me. My life isn't worth it."

"Neah's right. It could be the difference. Mother could have the spell that will save him." Luca didn't look up, instead she hid behind her bangs. "We'll head for it as soon as Allen is up to traveling. Sleep well." Luca stood, placed a kiss on the top of Allen's head and left.

 _Are you okay, Little One?_ The Ancient One prodded gently. The only sound was Luca's boots as she walked down the hall. Both golems sat with their mistress. Neither daring to leave her side.

 _No. I'm...I'm scared. I haven't been in my hometown since Master picked me. I left and never looked back. I never wanted to. I can't remember my mother's face but I can see HIS so perfectly clear._

 _You were older when he attacked you. He haunts your dreams. I see him in here sometimes. Hyde usually descends upon him like a wild animal before he can do anything. I never seen her more savage than when she attacks him. You're still shaking_ , he noted. She nodded. She couldn't stop it no matter how hard she tried. Her left hand ached from the jerky movements. It still didn't move too well. Her motor functions in her hand were weak at best. At worst it was completely paralyzed. Another burst of pain shot through it and she staggered, whimpering softly. Silently begging whatever deity was listening to make the pain stop as she crumpled to the ground. _Little One? Little One? Little One!_ She ignored him, instead chose to curl up on the floor cradling her hand. Her mind was blank, every thought washed away with pain and the static noise that came with it. As the pain ebbed and her mind returned to her the first thing she noticed was Scor yanking at her bangs. Doing her best to drag the girl back her feet though it did little good with how badly Luca outweighed the golem. Gambit was shrieking as he flew around in circles.

"Gambit, Gambit, hush Gambit. I'm okay." She pushed herself up with the heels of her hands, sitting up slowly. The world felt like it was spinning. She made it back to her asylum but couldn't focus on the words on the page in front of her.

 _You need to rest Little One. Collapsing like you did, you need to let your body rest from that. This curse is attacking your aura_ , his tone was almost desperate. She couldn't believe it.

 _Which is exactly why I need to move faster. If I don't hurry up then I won't have the strength to even perform the spell! I can't afford to do anything else._

 _You are driving yourself into the ground!_ She blinked when he finally raised his voice at her. He had never done that before. Not even when she had yelled at him. _At least do something that you find relaxing. Why not practice folding paper for a while? It's calming and you enjoy that. You need to rest._

 _Fine. I'll fold some origami for a while._ Her deft fingers folded the paper this way and that until she had a crane in her hands. Setting it aside she grabbed another piece and started again. The Ancient One watching in fascination as any scrap of paper within Luca's reach became a paper crane. Some were different colors. Some were white. Some had writing on them.

 _Why cranes Little One? Surely you must tire of folding the same thing over and over again. Is it that you don't know how to fold any other shapes?_

 _No it's not that_ , she hummed only half listening to him, most of her concentration was on the paper before her. This particular piece was dark purple. _I know how to fold many different shapes. I like the crane the best but mostly because I've lost hope. There's a legend that if you fold a thousand paper cranes than the gods will grant your wish. My wish is small. All I ask is that they give me the power and knowledge to save my brother. I figure it can't hurt and you insist upon me resting so what better way to do it than a silly gamble. It's not like I have anything to lose from trying it._

 _Fair enough_ , he hummed solemnly and then fell silent.

"Scor, play the melody." The late hours of the night passed, with only the melody playing over and over again. Her soft voice humming along occasionally mumbling the words as she folded. Her constant companion sat silently in the back of her head just listening to the music that drifted through doing his best to ignore the shattered mirror shards scattered around her mind replaying painful memories though not all of them hers.

* * *

Luca stumbled into the kitchen the next morning with a sore back and neck. Her desk hadn't been the best place to fall asleep. She had even smushed one of her cranes with her head though she had been able to fix it. She slumped down in her chair. Soon Tricia set a steaming mug of coffee in front of her. She smiled blearily up at the woman before sipping at the caffeinated drink. The warmth of it slipped down her throat soothing the pain and she swore it chased away the ache in her muscles. Nobody spoke for a long while. The only sounds in the kitchen was Tricia's cooking. She could feel the other's eyes on her. She knew she must look horrible. Her hair was a mess, her clothes rumpled, and the kohl Tricia had rimmed her eyes with for her date must have spread making her look like she was impersonating a raccoon or at least giving it her best shot. Breakfast was set on the table and they all dug in. Finally Allen spoke up.

"Lu, I..." he trailed off, as if he didn't know what to say. "I'm okay to travel but if you need more time than we can wait."

"Are you sure? Allen you don't have to push yourself. If you need more time than it's okay." She answered.

"No I'm fine. I just want to make sure that you're okay." Luca nodded at him.

"I was thinking," she pushed around the last couple of pieces of waffle she had on her plate.

"You were thinking..." Neah prompted appearing by Allen's side.

Taking a deep breath she continued, "I was thinking we should stop in Germany. I know there's a book there that I think I could use." Allen looked at her with wide eyes.

"Lu are you sure you want to go there?"

"I believe the book is worth it."

"Even though she's there?"

"Yes." The others looked between the pair not understanding what they were talking about at all.

"She?" Neah asked, finally getting annoyed of waiting for one of them to explain it.

"Somebody from my past that I'd rather not see again." Luca answered.

"She almost killed us. She enjoyed screwing with our minds and tried to separate us. It was a traumatic experience and one of the few times that Master actually did the right thing. He took us away and we never returned to Germany. He swore that if she ever got near either of us again that he'd shoot her where she stood." Allen explained, reaching over for his sister's shaking hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"We'll be alright. It's time to face her. She's haunted my nightmares for long enough." Luca smiled at Allen. "I can handle this."

"Then I'm ready." Allen told the others.

* * *

It was late in Germany by the time they got there. The time difference was weird and seemed to mess with their minds a bit. They kept glancing back at Luca who seemed to be dragging her feet quite a bit. Every time Allen tried to convince her that they didn't need to be here she merely shook her head and insisted though she couldn't quite quell the tremors in her left hand.

The peace of the late night didn't last long. Allen's eye activated just as the akuma appeared, "I feel him! I feel him! The Fourteenth! I feel the Fourteenth!" The portals opened all over the ground as the akuma began to raise up out of it chanting and bellowing as they went. They all drew their weapons.

"Oh come on! Even the akuma?!"

"Not the time Neah!" Luca snapped trying to mentally count the number of akuma. It could have easily been in the hundreds.

"Activate!" Four voices rang out. Alma grabbed Tricia dragging her away to safety before yanking her behind a building for good measure. Crown Clown settled around Allen's shoulders while Mugan glowed brightly. Eternal Hunter floated out from Luca's veins while Lavi's hammer grew in size.

"We can't go anywhere without these assholes showing up." Luca complained.

"No point in complaining, they're here now we might as well deal with them and move on." Allen pointed out. Luca nodded and leapt at the nearest akuma Hunter streaming through the air after her like a bloody ribbon. She moved gracefully between the akuma almost like a ribbon dancer. The razor sharp edge shearing though the akuma like butter. Though she couldn't explain it there was something soothing about slicing through the akuma. Almost like life wasn't as bad as it actually was. Or perhaps it just reminded her of a simpler time, back when it was just her, Allen, and their Master. Though it was only a few years ago, two to be exact, it felt like millennia had passed and she felt infinitely older. Everything was different. She paid no attention to the sound of Allen and Kanda bickering about who was killing the most akuma, Lavi's raging fire that quickly spread about, he was determined not to be left behind, nor Neah yelling at the akuma for calling him the Fourteenth despite his hatred for the nickname. Somehow she was at peace. In this moment as she twirled on one foot, crimson ribbon in hand snapping in every direction, sparing no glance at the exploding remains of her enemies, she was untouchable. There was no Noah who'd betrayed and broken her heart, no diabolical deranged piece of innocence that had murdered her master now hunting her and her brother down like wild animals, the people she once called friends in the place that had almost been home were not hunting her down as a traitor, her Noah uncle was not inhabiting and slowly corroding away her brother, and her nightmares were nothing more than that. Nightmares chased away by dawn's early morning light. However no peace no matter where it is found could last forever. She was once again forced to open her eyes and see the world for what it was. The carcasses of akuma lay all around, each in different states of decay. It looked just like any other battlefield between the sides of the secret war, except for one thing. Or rather one woman. In all these years she hadn't changed. Not one bit. She was still tall, a big white fur coat draped over her form. Short light blonde hair slicked back excluding two locks that hung down framing her face. A sick smile pulled at her lips while her blue-green eyes glittering wickedly as she eyed the girl like a piece of meat. She raised her hand, waving to Luca who froze. Eternal Hunter went taut. Curling and tensing like a wild animal ready to pounce. The tremors spread to her entire body. Luca couldn't stop the trembling. Shakily she took a step back and then another. Every piece of her mind was screaming at her to run. To run far, far, far away. _What was I thinking? I knew she was still here? I came here for her library but I never stopped to ask myself if I was ready to face her_ , she took another unsteady step back.

 _Little One, what's wrong?_ The Ancient One's words rang through her head, his soothing voice bouncing off the walls though it did little to slow her own rapid fire thoughts.

 _I'm not ready for this! I can't do this! I can't face her! I don't wanna be here! Get me out of here!_ With every thought that raced through she took another step back.

 _Just calm down. She can't hurt you._

 _That's what you think!_

 _Little One I was around the last time you saw_ _Madeleine_ _. It was your fear of her and what she represented that pushed me away again._

 _Then you should know why I'm terrified of her! You of all people should understand!_

 _Things change, Little One. You changed._

 _I don't feel different. I still feel young. Young and immature, and terrified._

 _Despite getting older you will never feel older. It's part of what makes life so confusing._

"Luca!" Allen obscured her vision and when she looked again Madeleine was gone. "Luca what happened?" She blinked at him slowly and looked around. Hunter had created a whirling tornado around her, spikes shot out of it from all directions. She watched them grow threateningly when Lavi took a step towards her. The spike receded a bit when he stepped back. Crown Clown was the only thing protecting Allen from them. Her shoulders shook and she took a deep breath.

"Luca are you okay, Honey?" Tricia inched closer to her. Shakily she deactivated her innocence and collapsed to the ground her head in her hands. Tricia rushed over and quickly pulled the girl into a hug.

"Lu, we don't have to be here if you don't want to. We shouldn't be if it's upsetting you this much. Alma, Lavi, and Kanda walked over to where they stood. She didn't notice Neah open the ark beneath their feet and then they were back in the living room.

"What am I missing?" He whispered into Allen's ear.

"I wish I could tell you," he glanced over at his sister who hadn't let go of Tricia though Alma was now rubbing calming circles on her back. Kanda was glaring at the floor but you could see the bruising grip he had on the sheath of Mugan. "But I don't know. I know the main reason she doesn't want to be here but not the details."

"Tell me after." Neah hissed before turning to the rest of the group. "Okay that's enough excitement for one day. We'll try again tomorrow. Everyone should get some sleep." Alma easily scooped Luca up who merely curled up. Tricia and Kanda followed him out. Lavi mumbled something about going to the library in the ark before he too left. "Now spill." Allen sighed and sat down.

"It happened a couple years back. We had just started traveling with Master when we met Madeleine."

* * *

Luca woke in bed. Slowly she sat up. Gambit chirped worriedly at his mistress who rubbed her eye with the back of her hand. Scor fluttered up to nuzzle the girl reassuringly. Pulling slightly on Luca's curly locks trying to encourage the girl to lay down again. Gently she pushed the golem away.

"No Scor, I need to do this."

 _Are you sure, Little One? You had a meltdown just when you saw her._ His voice hadn't changed yet it felt familiar or maybe it had and she just hadn't noticed yet. Or perhaps it was the memories that were coming back to her that made him sound different.

 _Yes I'm sure. I need to do this. She had the biggest selection of magic books in Europe other than my mother. I need to check here first_ , she grumbled and she searched for a clean pair of socks. They needed to do laundry and soon. She reached for her boots and then thought better of it. Tip-toeing out was harder than she remembered or maybe she just had too much on her mind. She pulled her boots on as she stepped back out into Germany, in the early hours on the morning. She grabbed her messenger bag off the ground. _It will be easier if I'm alone. I don't have to worry about the others. They're safe in the ark. She scares me because of Allen..._ she trailed off unable to finish her thought.

 _You fear she will do what she promised years ago._ The Ancient One finished for her.

 _Yeah but this way will be quick. In and out. I can do this._

 _I am here for you if you need help._

 _I know. I can do this. As long as I'm quiet and don't get spotted she won't even know I was there._

 _Are you sure?_ The Ancient One questioned. _She saw you so she might be expecting you,_ he pointed out calmly.

 _Yeah I know however she can't be expecting how much I've grown. My abilities have improved by far and I don't have a choice. She could have a book that will save Allen._ The mansion hadn't changed. Neither had the town. Everywhere she looked she could still see the signs. Signs that she had missed when she was young. Signs that they should have kept moving. The houses were spread around. Only about three fourths of them were even inhabited. _Less than there was last time. She's really getting bold._ The Ancient One didn't say anything. The chill in the air hadn't changed in the years she had been gone. Crouched down she stared at the two guards by the lit entrance. _Yeah, definitely expecting me. I wonder if she knows what it is I'm after?_ Luca hummed to herself as she leapt over the wall. She wasn't much taller than she had been but her legs were stronger. The wall no longer felt so imposing. She could do it. She had an escape route. Slipping in through the window she took a moment to calm her breathing. The walls weren't closing in on her. No matter what her mind told her. She bolted from shadow to shadow as she tried to recall where the library was. It had been so long and her tour had been cut short. The shadows were safe for her and yet she was still scared. She wanted to be free of this, yet she knew she wouldn't be until she faced it. She skid to a stop, almost running into a person. She froze and then sighed in relief when she saw that it was a statute. _It's just a statue. I'm far too jumpy,_ she sighed. In the low light it was hard to read the plaque but she managed. _"_ _Adam, the first man. Born of clay and God's breath." Freaky. Anyway, library, library, library. Where is the library?_ The library was softly lit, _Maybe she did know what it was I was looking for_ , Luca glanced around at that thought. For a moment she forgot where she was, overtaken by the joy she felt when she saw all of the books she had never read. She wanted to read them all. Books were safe. They couldn't hurt her. She could pretend that the world was different. She could pretend that she lived in that world instead. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out the list. It had taken her days to write down every book on magic that they had in the ark. Just like any library the ark's was separated into categories and then by author.

Seven books were slid into the messenger bag. It was almost too much for the bag. Neah was going to have to tell Allen how to expand the library. The thought made her giddy. She loved books. She blew the candles out as she left. The hair on her arms and the back of her neck stood on end. Something was coming or something was going to happen. She needed to get out. She did her best to get out without letting her boots slam against the expensive hardwood floor. She wanted to get out. She needed to get out! It was too much. She could hear the guards milling about. They hadn't noticed her yet, which was good. She passed through a window and onto the roof. Her eyes dart around. A guard sitting at the outpost on the outer wall sees her. She leaps across and lands on the wall. Her foot connects with his head but it's too late. The signal fire is lit and the others flew up. She cursed under her breath as the guards rushed about trying to find the intruder. Grabbing the torch she tosses it watching for a moment as the grass and trees go up in flames. The fire spreads across the lawn consuming everything in it's path. Soon another guard spots her and she flees. Those not fighting the fire chase after her. Her boots hit the dirt and she's off. She could hear them chasing after her. The bag bounces against her side, a sharp corner of one of the books jabbing into the soft skin of her hip through her pants. A hand grabbed her hair and she spins on her back foot. Her other foot connects with the chest of the man who grabbed her. A handful of black curls leaves her head. She yelps in pain and her eyes water from the pain. She punches the closest person to her. An elbow connects with her stomach and she coughs. She grabs the elbow and twists it until it snaps loudly. The man cries out and she tosses him into another one. They all blur together. She doesn't want to see their faces. She doesn't want to remember. She doesn't want to know if they know who she is. If they recognize her. She doesn't want to. A green glow catchers her eyes. Innocence! One of the men is wearing a feather necklace pulsing green gently. She lunges for him. She can't leave the innocence here, not with these people. It will only end up in the Earl's hands before being crushed to dust. Her fingers clench around the feather, twisting away she kicks her right foot into his stomach using the momentum of her twist to send the man flying. Her punch connects with a jaw. She grabbed the head and smashed it down into her knee and threw him away. She looked around at the men sprawled around on the ground, some were unconscious and some were groaning in pain. Her eyes focused in on the man who, though unconscious, still clutched in his hand her midnight locks. She rubbed her scalp. The pain still searing in her head. A new presence appeared behind her, whirling around, she crashed into them.

"Whoa, slow down Butterfly." Her eyes snapped up to find Tyki looking at her, eyes wide with worry. She knew what she must've looked like. Her ponytail loose and messy, smoke clinging to her skin with soot and ash covering her. Her eyes wide, with tear tracks down her cheeks the only clean patch of skin on her. Her boots are scuffed and tarnished. The knees on her pants ripped, the rip of the left one climbing up her thigh. The sleeves of her shirt and gloves singed. One of the buttons on her vest was gone. Tyki's hands closed around her shoulders gently. "Butterfly? Are you okay?" His voice broke through to her and the fear was gone. Her eyes narrowed and she pulled away from him. "Butterfly?" She pushed past him, heading back to the gate that would take her to the safety of her home. The safety of her family and those she loved. Away from her nightmares and the man who had broken her heart. "Butterfly what are you doing here?" She ignored him, no longer caring if her steps made a sound. She had no need to be quiet now. She had what she wanted and the woman would know she was there by now. "Did you do this?" Tyki's eyes darted around the scene. He took in the unconscious men, the fire raging through the large estate behind them, and then finally to the man still gripping black tresses. His eyes narrow, unfortunately, the man is still breathing. He wants to rip the man's heart out but he could hear Butterfly leaving. He turns on his heel following after her though Joyd vows to remember the smell and face. They'd be back for him.

 _Kill...him..._ , Joyd hisses. Tyki pushes him away.

 _Later_ , Tyki tells him, jogging after their mate. They will be back for him and he won't like it.

"Are you really going to keep ignoring me?" She doesn't answer him, merely continued walking. She wanted to get away from the man. "Come on Butterfly. I'm sorry, I really am." She pushed him away. He staggered back, away from her, from the strength of the shove. "Come on, please just say something to me. Anything! Please." She looked away as he placed himself in her path. She pushed him away again yet there was no strength this time. Pain and anguish in her eyes. He moved again, he wouldn't let her look away from him. "You can't ignore me forever. Come on, I said I'm sorry. What more can I say? What can I possibly do to change your mind?" She tried to brush past him. He grabbed her hand refusing to allow her to slip through his fingers once again. "Butterfly, I didn't have a choice! The Earl, he-" She snapped at that; whirling around the back of her hand cracking across his face, bruising his cheekbone. The familiar bone structure that she refused to acknowledge.

"There is always a choice." They were the first words she had spoken to him since the Earl had tried to wake the Fourteenth, they were cold, hard and stung, the biggest mistake of his life. The mistake that hurt the woman he loved. His gold eyes dropped to the ground, though he didn't let go of her hand. His free hand reached up and brushed along the new aching injury.

"I suppose I deserved that." His chuckled, his words were hollow. "I'm sorry, Butterfly. I really am."

"It doesn't change anything." He could still see the bags under her eye and the way her ribs stuck out of her skin. She hadn't looked like this before. This was his fault. His fault that she was tired, hungry, and cold. The bags under her eyes were worse. He wondered if she was even sleeping or if thoughts and nightmares of the Fourteenth kept her up at night. If she was, where was she sleeping? Was it on the ground? Or maybe the exhaustion of his sister was enough to push her brother to break the law, entering a place that wasn't theirs to sleep? What were they eating? How were they eating? Her brother's innocence probably meant they were always hungry. Was she always hungry? Her innocence had changed too. She had shown it to him. It had purified the virus so was she hungry all the time like her brother now? Just how badly did they live?

"I know. I just don't know what would." He reached up with his free hand towards her face. She flinched away causing his eyes to widen yet he continued his movement. Gently he rested his hand against the side of her face, his thumb wiping the dirt, ash, and soot from her cheek, the wetness prevented it from really coming off. She moved like she was going to pull away from his touch again but instead she only shifted, like it was too much work to do anything more or she was too tired to try.

"Well, well, well, it seems I've underestimated you, Liebling." Tyki watched as the new voice filled Luca with terror. She froze and then began to shake. It started in her left hand, which, to his concern, was wrapped in bandages, then seemed to move up her arm to her shoulders, then her chest until her entire body shook. Her green eyes screwed shut causing him to turn around. The woman that stood before him was nearly as tall as him in her high heels, her blonde hair neatly slicked back and cropped halfway down her neck excluding the two locks of hair that hung framing her face. She was pale and her blue-green eyes piercing straight through him to the girl now cowering behind his own tall frame. Luca was completely hidden and yet it still seemed like he wasn't there, the way this woman was looking at him, was like he was nothing more than a blade of grass. "It seems you are better than I thought. I didn't even know you were in my house. I wonder how many books have you taken from me. Stealing is a crime you know." Her voice was soft like she was cooing to a child. Luca's fingers dug into his back clutching to his suit jacket as if it was her only life line. He noted with some sense of irony that her fingernails were still like claws.

"So is murder but that doesn't stop you so perhaps you shouldn't be pointing fingers." Luca spits furiously though she still hides behind him.

"I don't murder people, Liebling." The woman answered. "People come to me for help. They want to see their loved ones again and I grant that wish. It's not my fault they don't survive the encounter. I never promised that they would." She shrugged her shoulders the giant fur coat moving like a waterfall over her form.

"You send them to their death all for a little bit of extra cash." Luca's accusing tone told Tyki all he needed to know.

"Ahh, you're a broker." The woman nodded at him.

"Indeed I am, and you are a Noah. Don't you see Liebling, you can't escape your fate. You ran from me. Ran from the truth I offered you. The power I could have given you and yet you still end up here in the arms of a Noah. You're hiding behind him now. You can't outrun your bloodline."

"Shut up! You don't know anything!"

"Now Liebling, it's rude to yell at your elders. You must be courteous."

"If you're looking for respect you won't find it here. Respect is earned." The words were spat like they were venom. The woman seemed unfazed by it.

"You've caused quite a bit of trouble in a single night Liebling. You've stolen several of my books," Luca cut her off.

"They were never yours. You stole them from somebody else. All is fair in love and war." Despite the sharp words and biting tone Luca still clung to his sleeve. The woman merely continued her list.

"Set fire to my estate, killed several of my guards and maimed others, stolen a necklace belonging to one of them," at this the girl clutched the necklace tighter as if expecting one of them to take it from her, "destroyed private and public property, and verbally attacked me."

"And the people of this town? What about your crimes against them?" Luca snarled but her fingernails dug into his arm. Whoever the hell this woman was she scared the hell out of Luca. He hadn't seen her like this ever. The closest thing was Apocryphos but even then she still attacked. She had been scared of it but her anger had been stronger. Here it was the reverse.

"They make the deal. I have done nothing to them but introduce them to the Earl. What happens next is between them and him. You know this. I explained this last time you were home-" Luca cut her off again.

"This place is NOT my home and it never will be."

Madeleine chuckled, "Oh Liebling, it always was and always will be your home. That man, he didn't love you. He didn't love you or that boy. He only wanted to use you. I'm the only one who has ever really loved you. The rest of them are just using you. You're nothing more than a tool to them. You're only kidding yourself if you think any of them love you. Not that man, your so called brother, or the Fourteenth but I do. You were always meant to be mine. They know something is off with you. You're not like them and they know it. You frighten them. They can see your darkness and they fear it. We could move on with our lives if you would only stop fighting me. I have so much to teach you. There's so much you don't know about our bloodline, you just need to cease this stubborn stupidity." Luca's entire body trembled though now her eyes were glued to the ground as if nothing was more interesting than the dirt at her feet. Her nails bit into her palm and his arm. Tyki could feel the blood running down his skin, no doubt staining his shirt but it was the last thing on his mind at the moment.

"That's enough." With a gentle touch he pushed Luca behind, shielding her from view, before fixing the woman with a glare. "I've heard enough from you. I think it's best you turn around and leave before I get angry and do something you don't like." The woman chuckled.

"Clearly you don't know who I am."

"I don't care who you are."

"My name is Madeleine Vogel." Tyki blinked at her unimpressed. "Oh my you are rather uninformed, aren't you? The Earl gave orders when I first joined the ranks of his brokers I'm not to be injured or killed by akuma or Noah." Tyki's eyes did change.

"I will take whatever punishment the Earl doles out should you ever speak to or even come near her again. It will be an easy choice." He hissed. Madeleine chuckles at the threat, completely uninterested. She looked at him as if he were nothing more than a disrespectful child. His ears perked at the sound. It was barely above a whisper.

"You can't run forever, Liebling." Tyki's eyes snapped over his shoulder at the woman's words. The only thing he saw was inky curls disappearing around the corner. He sighed, dropping his head. She was gone once again. He had let her slip through his fingers again. She was like water. No matter what he did he couldn't hold onto her. Couldn't keep her in his arms. He'd have better luck chasing the wind.

"Damn it."

"You truly do love her." The comment was airy and light as if she was remarking on the weather.

"I wasn't joking. Stay away from her." Madeleine continues to smile at him.

"I understand that you love her and want to protect her but she is my daughter-"

"Her mother is dead. She told me." Tyki cuts her off. The Earl and Sheril would be horrified at his lack of manners but he no longer cared.

"The woman who gave birth to her knew nothing of what she and her daughter could be. She shunned her abilities and stunted Luca's growth in the art of sorcery with her weak minded philosophy and fear of what she could actually do. If Luca spent a month with me she would be able to take down the entire magic squad of the Order. Three months with me and she could take down Mighta. She has so much potential and she won't even unlock half of it because she's been taught to fear it."

"What she does with her magic is her decision not yours." Tyki couldn't help the feeling of déjà vu. It was the same conversation he had with Sheril about Luca multiple times. He shook away the feeling.

"You are woefully ignorant." Joyd hissed and growled in the back on his mind. "However I'm feeling forgiving so I will tell you this only once, if you truly love Luca and want her back then you better make it up to her before she finds somebody else. Butterflies are a fleeting thing. They live such short lives and it's tragic when they die. This is true of any butterfly. Even the ones in our stomach." With that the broker turned on the needle thin heel of her shoes and walked away, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Luca ran. She wanted out of this town. Out of this country. Nothing would be far enough. It never was. Even Japan. It wasn't far enough. She wanted to go farther. Despite her best attempts the words still rang in her head. Words she had ran from when she was a child. The only thing that grounded her was the messenger bag strap clutched in her fists. A reminder of why she had gone back to that mansion that haunted her and it's Mistress she feared. She slowed to a walk, trying to get her breathing under control. It wasn't working. She was still hyperventilating.

"You can't run forever, Liebling." The words echoed in her head. "You can't run forever, Liebling. You can't run forever, Liebling. You can't run forever, Liebling. You can't run forever, Liebling. You can't run forever, Liebling. You can't run forever, Liebling. You can't run forever, Liebling." Over and over. It was all she could hear. She couldn't even hear her footsteps of erratic breathing. The colors began to blur around her. A loud banging noise began to accompany the words. Hyde was trying to get out. She screwed her eyes shut, trying to block it all out.

 _Little One! Breathe!_ The Ancient One's voice cut through the chaos of her mind. Even Hyde stilled. The loud booming voice reverberated off her mind. At his instruction she gasped loudly sucking in all the air her lungs could take. A few more deep breaths and the world stop spinning. She staggered through the gate of the ark and to her room.

 _What if she's right? What if she's right? If Master really loved us why did he leave? Why did he leave when I needed him most? Did he really want to get away from me that much? Am I really so horrible that he'd run away from Allen who needed him?_ The questions whirled through her mind as she dropped the bag and sunk to the floor. Scor and Gambit rushed over to her as she pulled her knees up to her chest. _What if I've made Allen's life harder? What if I've made everything worse? Can I really not escape my darkness? Is it too late? Is this why Mom left?_ Slowly the tears poured down her cheeks. _Where would the others be right now if I wasn't so selfish? Would Allen's life be different? Maybe Lavi wouldn't be stuck with us? Could Alma and Kanda escaped from this life? How badly did I fuck up the other's lives?_ She rested her head against the door. The one thought that stuck with her was: _What if Madeleine was right?_

* * *

The night passed slowly. Luca hardly slept. When she did it was on the floor. She didn't have the strength to get up or even crawl over to her bed. Her neck ached, as did her back and legs. Her joints cracked as she got to her feet. She swayed from side to side, her mind a blurry haze. She groaned as her shin hit the bed and she fell face first into her pillow. She sighed and didn't move. She had no idea what time it was. Everything was lost in the fog.

 _Are you alright Little One?_ She felt The Ancient One prod her but she was too tired to respond. He prodded her again. It felt odd. Like somebody tapping on her shoulder but in her mind. She didn't move or answer him. _Little One? Are you ignoring me?_ She made a low groan that might have been a moan but it was indiscernible with her face still buried in the pillow. _Little One it's time to get up. You need to eat and drink some water,_ she still didn't respond. _You can't lie in bed all day_ , no reply. The Ancient One spent the morning trying to rouse the girl with no luck. Finally his silent prayers were answered when a knock sounded at the door.

"Lu? Lu are you awake?" Allen's voice drifted through the door. "Luca?" He called again when he got no answer. "Are you still asleep? It's getting late. You're normally up by now." Slowly the door opened, creaking as it swung wider and wider. Allen's quiet footsteps was the only sound in the room. Silver eyes went wide as he saw his sister laying unmoving her bed face down. He ran over. "Luca!" He grabbed her shoulders and started shaking her roughly. Finally she released a moan. He sunk into the unoccupied side of her bed with a sigh of relief. "What the hell, Luca? You scared the hell out of me!" She turned her face to look at him. "What happened to you?" He looked at the soot and ash in horror. She shrugged as best she could lying down.

"Damn it, Lulu! Get up! What happened? Where did you go?" Neah appeared already yelling. She glared and pursed her lips at the nickname but said nothing. Both stared at her with wide eyes. Instead she rolled away from them, curling up. "Kick her."

"I'm not going to kick my sister! Something is wrong! Kicking her isn't going to help." Allen snapped back.

"It might get her to move her ass!"

"That's not what we want. We want her to tell us what's wrong!"

"I'll give her something wrong!"

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"I never claimed to!"

"Neah, knock it off! Either be useful, quiet, or go back to your chair."

"Will you two idiots please shut up?" Both heads snapped to where Luca was glaring at them from over her shoulder.

"Well then tell us what's wrong." Allen sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I got the books." She pointed at the bag still sitting on the floor.

"Did she see you?" Allen questioned. Luca nodded. "She still..." he trailed off not knowing what to say or how to describe the woman that he knew scared his sister. Luca nodded. "Did she talk to you?" Once again Luca nodded. Allen quickly pulled her into a hug. He didn't know what to say. So he did the only thing he knew he could He hugged her.

"Do you have what you need?" Neah asked. She looked up at him and for the moment she looked like a child and he remembered just how young she was. He remembered how much neither of his niblings belonged in this war.

"Yes." She croaked out. Her voice was hoarse. She had been crying.

"Then we'll leave. You won't ever have to see her again." She nodded and clung to her brother like he was her favorite stuffed animal.

"Come on Luca. It's time for breakfast. You need some food."

* * *

The train ride was quiet. Luca sat in the corner, knees pulled up to her chest, just staring out the window. Allen sat next to her. Alma was napping on Kanda's shoulder. Lavi watched the siblings silently. Neah faded in and out. Mostly checking in on the siblings. They didn't speak much. Nobody knew why Luca was so silent. The door opened.

"I have snacks!" Tricia smiled brightly as she sat down next to Allen and began to pass the snacks around. At the word snacks Alma was awake. Every snack food under the sun was passed around. Luca nibbled at one of the many chocolate bars handed to her. "Also they say we're almost there." If it was possible Luca curled farther in on herself. Allen rubbed soothing circles in her back. Tricia sighed when she saw the reaction.

"Lu we don't have to go." Allen pointed out. His eyes turned gold.

"He's right. If you're this upset about it..." he trailed off. "What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Neah!" Luca snapped. He looked down at his hands and then it occurred to him.

"Son of a bitch!" It would have been weird to hear Allen curse but they were preoccupied with the more pressing fact.

"Okay guys, let's just all calm down. It's going to be okay. How did you get him back before?" Tricia took over the situation quickly.

"I had to go find him." Neah answered.

"That took you hours. We're gonna be at the train station in 20 minutes!" Lavi shouted causing Alma and Kanda to slap their hands over his mouth. The person in the next compartment banged on the wall.

"Keep it down in there! Stop yelling!" Luca glared at the wall.

"Oh shove it! We're dealing with a problem!"

The angry male voice came back through, "Well pipe down or I'll give you a problem!"

"Like what? You'll keep talking to us?!" Tricia sighed as Luca yelled back.

"What'd you say to me you little brat?!"

"What? You're deaf AND stupid?"

"Luca! Knock it off." Tricia hissed though it didn't seem to deter Luca at all. "What about that time in my old house? How did you bring him back out?"

"Luca did something stupid and detrimental to her health." Lavi answered dryly. She shot a glare at him. "What? It's true. You disregard your own health all the time! So just do something stupid and that should drag Allen back out."

"I suppose I could jump out the window. It probably won't kill me." Luca shrugged and stood up.

"Why is this my life?" Neah groaned smacking a hand to his forehead. The window didn't slide down even halfway.

"Now what?" Lavi asked smugly form behind her. Luca shrugged and pulled back her left hand. The others realized what she was going to do but it was too late. SMASH! The window shattered into a million pieces. Luca hissed and whimpered as her hand throbbed with pain. Small pieces of glass stuck out of it.

"Luca!" Allen shouted immediately coming back, the wind rushing around made it hard to hear. Luca herself couldn't see through the whirlwind of hair that whipped around in the wind. She tried to grab it but it was no use. "Why did you do that?!" Allen yelled over the wind.

"What?" She called.

"Why did you do that?"

"What?" She shouted louder.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?"

"WHAT?"

 **"** **WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"**

 **"** **WHAT?!"** Allen made a face as her and then waved her off. Everyone's hands covering their ears to defend against the deafening roar of the cyclone happening in the train car. Luckily for them the train pulled into the station and they staggered off, Luca doing her best to conceal the blood staining her bandages, she'd need to change them the next time she was alone, and dripping down her hand from the new wounds. The curse seemed to pulse with new pain. She bit her lip to conceal the agony. Every single one of her nerves was on fire. She felt like somebody had poured gasoline in her veins and then lit the match. It rushed from the tips up her fingers, into her palm and then her wrist. She could feel it climbing higher. The stabbing pain was new but she couldn't tell if that was the actual glass or the next level of the curse taking effect. The entire street went silent the moment as the rebels stepped out from the station and into the open space. The next moment was an explosion of movement and fear. People ran back and forth. Men grabbed their livestock, carts, money, closed their stands while mothers grabbed their children and whatever else they could carry. Doors and window shutters were slammed closed and locked. In a matter of minutes the entire town looked deserted.

"What was that?!" Neah demanded looking around. Not a single living thing roamed the streets. Even the birds in the trees around the town were silent.

"Everyone just left." Allen said looking around, even the train station was empty. "It's too early for everybody to go home. It's barely dark." His eyes drifted upwards to the sky.

"Are we really that ugly that we scared them away?" Lavi's joke did little to lighten the mood emanating from the town.

"How odd." Tricia commented. They began to move down the main street before coming to a stop. Luca still stood at the edge of the train station, hovering around the doorway like a shadow. Upon seeing them all looking at her expectantly she took slow, grudging steps.

"What was that about Luca?" The girl looked away from Neah, her eyes glued to the ground. He raised an eyebrow as she wrapped her arms around herself. She didn't answer him at first. He prompted her again, "Luca?" Finally she returned his gaze.

"It's not you they're running from." Luca's voice was empty and hollow. Taking a deep breath she began to lead the way to her house with her head held high. "It's me they're scared of."

* * *

The walk was quiet. All eyes glued to the back of the girl. Nobody knew what to say or if they should say something. Allen opened his mouth then closed it again. Lavi did the same. Neah rolled his eyes at them. Even Tricia with her mothering ways was quiet. The lights in the houses around them flicked off as soon as their footsteps could be heard. A few sets of eyes peeked out. They settled on Neah, the man that wasn't really there. The air was quiet and dead. Luca shook the feeling off.

"Okay that's it! Knock it off!" They turned to her. She glared at them all.

"Knock what off Sweetie?" Tricia asked softly, moving over to where Luca stood.

"Acting like we're walking to the gallows. We're never this quiet. Not even when we're breaking into somewhere. I can't stand it! Yes, I don't want to be here and yes this isn't the most ideal situation but that doesn't mean you should all start acting differently."

"So you want us to pretend like everybody in town didn't just run away and you claiming that it was from you?" Lavi questioned raising an eyebrow at her. She rolls her eyes in response.

"That's not what I mean. I mean that you are never quiet. Alma and Allen haven't asked what's for dinner and Neah hasn't questioned why this is his life once since we got off the train."

"I don't do that all the time!" Luca shot him a look and then rolled his eyes.

"Yes you do! You do it every time Lavi breathes." Lavi looked offended but was ignored.

"That's because he's annoying. Why would I care when chairs were invented?"

"It's a very interesting topic!" Lavi's defensive comment was ignored.

"You literally only like Tricia and Allen." Luca said.

"What? That's totally not true." Allen cut in, "You're his favorite." Luca looked aghast at her brother's words.

"That's preposterous! Clearly you're the favorite. You're always the favorite." Luca huffed.

"No way! You were Master's favorite AND you're Neah's favorite."

"Not uh! You were and are their favorite. Not me. They just put up with me."

"Lu stop lying."

"I'm not lying!"

"Is that a fact?" Allen spoke dryly raising an eyebrow at her.

"As a matter of fact they just put up with me because they need me. You're the one they actually truly love." She clasped her hands together and adopted a love struck look on her face. Lavi made a gagging noise in the background while Tricia started laughing. "You're just jealous that you're not the favorite." Luca shot at Lavi with a smug look.

"That's not true! I'm Gramps favorite!" He defended. Allen shook his head and spoke up.

"Actually Luca is Bookman's favorite."

"What?!" The others winced as Lavi's volume grew rapidly.

"Why is this my life?" Neah asked groaning as his ears ached. He reached two fingers up to the left one to see if it was bleeding. He froze when he found them starting at him while Luca and Allen looked rather smug. "What?"

"You just did the thing you said you didn't do." Tricia explained gently. Neah glared at the Walker siblings who high fived victoriously.

"That's it! I hate you all!" Neah shouted stalking ahead even though he had no idea where Gazella had lived leaving the others laughing.

"Well I love you all equally. I don't have a favorite." They all turned to her.

"Of course not. Moms never have favorites. It's a rule of the universe. She's not allowed to pick favorites." Luca shrugged smiling before jogging ahead to show Neah the way before he got them lost.

* * *

Breakfast the next morning wasn't as tense. Luca still looked like death warmed over. Tricia watched, silently worrying as the girl poured herself yet another cup of coffee.

"Honey you need to eat something. All that coffee is going to upset your stomach if you don't put something else in it as well." Luca looked up at her and for a moment Tricia wondered if the girl even knew where she was or who was talking to her.

"What's for breakfast?" Allen asked sitting down. He did his best not to jump when his sister turned her gaze on him and he saw her.

"Well you look like shit." Neah appeared by Allen's side though the comment was directed at the girl. She gave him a halfhearted glare and returned to the book she was reading, having pushed her plate out of the way.

"Neah!" Tricia scolded as she began piling scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast on the plates.

"What? It's true!"

"You don't say those things." Luca ignored the food put out in front of her and continued to read. Her eyebrow twitched as the others began talking. Alma was in the middle of telling them all about the mayonnaise god he had dreamed about when Luca abruptly stood.

"I'm going to my room."

"Luca I didn't mean for you to leave." Neah spoke but she waved him off.

"It's not you, trust me if I can deal with Kanda I can deal with you. It's just too loud here. I can't read." She waved the book and he nodded.

"Is that one of the books you took from Germany?" He didn't say the name of the woman. He didn't dare out the fact that he knew about the woman which would get Allen in trouble for telling him. She nodded. "Does it have what you need in it?" She nodded again.

"Yes."

"Good, go read your book." She nodded and turned on her heel heading for the door.

"Luca!" Tricia ran over with the girl's plate of food. "At least take your food. You need to eat or you won't have the strength for all this research." Luca took the plate and did her best to smile but it was sorely lacking. Instead the best she could do was a grimace. The others watched her leave.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Alma asked worriedly, suddenly his mayo slathered eggs didn't look nearly as appealing.

"Does she look okay?" Kanda demanded.

"She kinda looks like she, well, died. Are we living with a real life, sorta, zombie?" Lavi's attempt to lighten the mood tanked. All he got was glares. "Sorry. Wrong time."

"Neah we need to stop her. She's going to kill herself the way she's going!" Allen's hands shook as he spoke, eyes glued to the hall his sister had gone down.

"You know she won't listen to a word either of us say. She's made up her mind Allen. We can't change it. The best we can do is hit her in the head with a brick." Neah sighed.

"Uh couldn't that make her blind again?" Kanda asked. Allen's eyes jumped to him.

"Yes. How did you know that?"

"Probably Daisya. He babbled all the time. Right in my ear too. Luca was one of his favorite subjects." Kanda grumbled brushed them off as he went back to his food. It wasn't soba but it wasn't bad. Tricia was a halfway decent cook.

* * *

 _Are you okay Little One?_ Luca's eyes darted around as she shut the door to her room and set the plate down before flopping into her chair. The Ancient One sounded concerned though that was getting to be a normal thing.

 _And just where the hell have you been? I needed you in Germany!_

 _I thought it would be best if I napped for a while. You seemed upset. I did not wish to bring up more bad memories with my voice combining with seeing her again._

 _I could have used a voice of reason,_ she huffed.

 _I apologize Little One. I will be there next time. How did it go? Did you get the books?_

 _Yes_ , the book hit the desk with a thunk. She opened the pages and began reading.

 _Does it have what you need?_ She took another sip of her coffee.

"Yes!" She shouted victoriously and she jumped up before beginning to dance around in celebration.

 _Really?_

 _Yes! This spell with allow me to separate and transfer Neah to a different body without harming Allen at all. I've got this! I can do this!_

 _Perhaps you should practice. You've never used magic on dark matter. Well not in that way. Moving it is a lot different than suppressing it._ Luca stopped her dancing around and sighed.

 _You know you really are a giant party pooper. You couldn't have let me be happy for even a minute?_ she huffed crossing her arms. She blew her bangs out of her eyes but they just fell right back into place. _I need to cut my bangs._

 _I'll make a note of it._

 _What?_

 _That you want to cut your bangs._

 _Why would you do that?_

 _Because you aren't going to remember._ Even though she couldn't see him she knew he was giving her a dry look very similar to the one she and Neah used. _As I was saying, perhaps you should find an akuma to do a couple of experiments on. You also need to read that page again. You have a time limit._ At those words Luca rushed back to the book and read the page again.

"WHAT?! How the hell am I going to pull that off! The next lunar eclipse is only days away! And I have no idea when it will happen again."

 _Read it again. You missed something._ She glared at him. And read it again. And again. And one more final time.

"A total lunar eclipse of a blue moon! This spell is almost impossible! Also how am I suppose to practice it if it only works on the total lunar eclipse of a blue moon?" She demanded angrily resisting the urge to hurl the book across the room.

 _That may be a problem. For now just try manipulating the dark matter in an akuma. If you can get that down it should be easy._

 _Easier said than done. How do I keep the Earl from seeing me and figuring out what I'm trying to do?_

 _I can help with that. I'll give you a spell as soon as you find an akuma._

 _You know those?_

 _Little One, he sighed as if they had this conversation a million times. I am far older than you. Of course I have things I can show and tell you. All you have to do is trust me._

 _Alright. Akuma hunting we shall go_ , with that thought she got up and left.

"This was a lot easier with Allen around. How the hell am I suppose to find an akuma? It's not like they wear signs or anything. That'd be nice though." Luca grumbled as she moved through the busy streets of Paris. Everywhere she looked people rushed past her going about their day. Nobody paid her any attention.

 _That one._ Luca looked around for who The Ancient One was talking about.

 _Which one?_

 _The one in the green newsboy hat. That's an akuma. A low level akuma too which is better for your practice. Sneak up behind him_. She nodded and followed the orders given. Her innocence curled around her fingertips giving her claws. They sunk into the dead skin that covered the mechanical monster. The alleyway was dark and the pair struggled violently. _Repeat after me. Ab origine ab intra absit omen_

"Ab origine ab intra absit omen." The spell took hold immediately. She watched as the akuma tried to struggle against it.

"Ma-hmmmm" It writhe trying to call out for the Earl yet it's mouth sealed itself. "Ma-hmmmm" It tried again and again each time the spell cut it off before it could even utter the word.

"So he can't call out verbally but what about the Earl's ability to see through their eyes?"

 _He's locked out. You're safe. Nobody knows where this akuma is except you and me._ The Ancient One assured her calmly. _We should go before we're seen._

"Perfect." The innocence removed from her fingers and wound around it. Her asylum was silent as always. She sipped at the cold coffee she still had. It wasn't as good but it didn't matter any more. Coffee was coffee. "Let's begin."

Luca's eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated. She could do this. She just had to focus. If she focused she could do this. She pictured the dark matter in her mind and the energy it was made up of as vividly as she could. This should be easy. She was just going to remove a piece and put it into the apple sitting innocently next to the chained up akuma peppered with spell tags. The energy pulled away slowly, wafting through the air like smoke and then exploded sending her flying back. She hit the wall with a thud and slid down, her ears ringing and her head pounding.

"Kurva életbe (god damn it)!"The Ancient One looked up upon hearing his charge start swearing like a sailor. The dent in the wall did not bode well.

 _Are you alright, Little One?_ Luca grumbled at his question and rubbed the back of her head.

 _I'd be better if I could get this damn spell right_ , she snapped and then groaned, burying her face in her hands.

 _I meant physically. You've had several head wounds before. Aren't you suppose to be more careful of it?_

 _Yeah I am. Maybe I should put padding on these walls. Neah is right I do tend to blow myself up a lot._

 _So are you alright?_ he asked again. _Physically I mean_ , he corrected.

 _Yeah I'm fine. It just blew up at me again_ , she answered with a sigh.

 _Again? How many times has it done that?_ There were stars everywhere. The akuma lay in pieces. She looked at it and then to the burns that covered her. The stars on her own skin glowed brightly as Hunter quickly consumed the virus. The energy coursed through her veins and yet she was still exhausted.

 _Uh, several. I've lost count. I can't get this thing to work. I don't know why either! I've read the book. I've read the book so many freaking times! Why can't I get it right?!_ The man glanced over at the book in question. He didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. Even if she wouldn't say it he knew she was hurting. He could feel the pain. It started in her head, ran down her spine like water droplets and through her rib cage. It beat like her heartbeat, but slower, as if she was dying.

 _Maybe you should take a break? Did you ever eat your breakfast?_ She ignored the question instead turned her gaze to the grotesque deformed skeleton of the akuma.

 _I don't think that's how it's suppose to look. Is it dead?_ Slowly and agonizingly, as the pain in her hand started to hum once more, she got up and walked over to the akuma. It's metal bones were twisted this way and that. None of them were in the correct place anymore. _Who knew magic could do this kind of thing. I would have never guessed. This book is so old. The spells are even older. Oh, what if it doesn't work? What if I'm doing it wrong? Maybe I'm just not good enough._

 _Slow down there Little One. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. You've never done this before. Of course you aren't going to get it on the first try,_ he encouraged her. She nudged the akuma with the toe of her boot and it gave a low moan.

"Still alive. Alright! Once more from the top! I can do this!" He chuckled at the sudden change in attitude. This girl was like the wind. He never knew what was going to happen next. It was refreshing in a way and a bit concerning in another. Luca's eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated once more. She could do this. She just had to focus. If she focused she could do this, if she focused she could do anything she put her mind to. She pictured the dark matter in her mind and the energy it was made up of as vividly as she could. This time she pictured the effects she knew it would have. The stars would spread on the apple and then it would explode. She focused on connecting the dark matter to the apple. That was all she needed. The apple didn't need to turn into an akuma it just needed to have some dark matter in it. The energy pulled away slowly, wafting through the air like smoke and then exploded sending her flying back. She hit the wall with a thud and slid down leaving yet another dent in her wall as her ears ringing and her head pounding.

 _Are you alright, Little One?_ This time she didn't answer him immediately. She sat up slowly, pulled her knees up and buried her head into her hands.

"No." She groaned dejectedly, her eyes flickered with tears and her head throbbed but she didn't care.

"I can't do this."

* * *

"I don't have the balance  
Think I'm gonna fall  
Wish I had the talent  
I don't belong here at all

Drowning in the pressure  
In over my head  
Why did I think I could do this?  
I could've walked away instead"

― Rachel Bearer

* * *

 ** **As usual I don't have much to say here. Please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter. Tune in next time for: _"_** _ **I have failed you yet again. You saved me and I am unable to return the favor."**_**


	53. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**So I've been gone for a couple weeks. I know I said that after my last break there would be regular updates and then nothing happened. I am truly sorry for that. I've taken these last couple of weeks to really think about the story. At first I didn't update because the chapter wasn't done. I thought it was because I was stressed about my job. I recently found out that the guy that hired me lied to me about the hours and I am once again looking for a new job as this one cannot support me. Writing has always been fun for me. I'm excited to share my story with you all, unfortunately I have found that my rigorous update schedule left little time for my real life and little time to really think and edit the story. I have made several plot holes and mistakes. I rushed through it. So as I said I've taken these last few weeks to reflect on the story. It's not fun anymore. There's so much I wish I could change. So I'm not taking Veil of Ink and Gold down because I love all of your reviews and never want to lose them but I will no longer be updating it. I apologize to all my readers for this. Basically I've decided to rewrite the story. I'm going to be taking my time with this story and allowing the characters to really dictate where it goes. I've made several changes to the story and how it will go. The chapters will be better written and composed. I am very happy with it now and writing the first chapter has been fun which is something I've missed. Both my beta and Yule have told me that I am far too stressed about my writing and they're right. So to the question will I be updating Veil of Ink and Gold the answer is no. However I strongly encourage you to check out the rewritten version called Shades of Gray. Thank you for your kindness and understanding. I hope you all have a good day!**


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